Let winter begin
Wednesday June 9, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

Coronet Peak in New Zealand opened at the weekend with a base of 55cm at the top of the mountain.

It was a superb start to the winter with around 1,500 people on the slopes after a week of regular snow fall.

Some people even camped out in order to be first up the lifts as the resort opened for the winter.

"Everyone was really keen to get out on the mountain, there was definitely a lot of pent-up enthusiasm," said the resort manager, Hamish McCrostie.

There have been some new developments at the resort with a new hands free lift ticket system where the barriers open automatically and the lift attendant can see a photo of the person on their lift pass to ensure fraud does not take place.

The resort also has installed new snow cannons that helped lay a base of 55cm at the top and 25cm at the base of the resort.

Night time in Coronet Peak

Coronet Peak has the largest number of cannons of any resort in the southern hemisphere.

Elsewhere in New Zealand The Remarkables is planning to open on June 19^th and Mt Hutt next weekend on June 12^th.

Cardrona and Mt Ruapehu will open later this month.

Ski Dobson possibly has the deepest base in the southern hemisphere at present with 1.3m, but it will not open until the weekend of June 20^th/21st and full-time from the following weekend.

Over in Australia the first decent snowfalls are expected this week.

Falls Creek is due to get a decent amount ahead of its scheduled opening later this month.

A statement issued by the resort says, "We are primed and ready for snow. It is great that most likely we will have a white opening weekend.''

Falls Creek, Mt Hotham, Thredbo and Perisher are all snowmaking at the moment ahead of opening in the next few weeks.

Camping out for first lift at Coronet Peak

In South Africa, the country's only ski area of Tiffindell has a snow covering and with low temperatures continuing should be able to open quite soon.

The same is true of Afriski in neighbouring Lesotho that had hoped to open on June 1^st.

Just in time for a bit of skiing during the World Cup.  We reported on PlanetSKI where people could ski in between the matches in this related story.

In South America many ski areas are reporting cold temperatures and are starting to open in Chile.

Chile's Valle Nevado will be opening shortly and Portillo on the 19^th.

In Argentina Las Lenas reports 4cm of snow remains on the tops of the mountains following a big 30cm fall last month.

Let the winter begin!

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