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Cardrona Alpine Resort is the third largest ski area in New Zealand, situated on the flanks of Mount Cardrona (1,936 m / 6,352 ft). It is the second largest resort in the Southern Alps, spanning 465 hectares (1149 acres) over 600 m (1,969 ft) of vertical. The mountain is entirely above treeline and features broad open snowfields. Six lifts, typically running from mid-June until mid-October, service the slopes. Cardrona is an even mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. It makes up for what it lacks in deep powder and tree skiing in its impressive freestyle terrain. Cardrona is the home resort and training ground of many of New Zealand’s best professional freestyle skiers, including Olympians and film skiers Jossi, Beau-James, and Jackson “Wacko” Wells, Miguel and Nico Porteus, Hank and Finn Bilous, Janina Kuzma, and Christy Prior. It is a popular destination for avid skiers looking to extend their season after the lifts have stopped running in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mount Cardrona is the tallest mountain in the Crown Peaks range. This subrange of the Southern Alps sits in the Queenstown Lakes District of the South Island of New Zealand. The Crown Range spans the distance between Arrowtown and Wanaka, towering over Lake Wānaka to the north and Lake Wakatipu to the south. Other notable peaks in the range include Crown Peak (1,728 m / 5,669 ft), Middle Peak (1,873 m / 6,027 ft), Knuckle Peak (1,804 m / 5,919 ft), and Mount Alpha (1,630 m / 5,348 ft). The closest neighboring mountains are the Remarkables, a taller, rockier range capped by the summit of Double Cone Peak (2,319 m / 7,608 ft).
People get to Cardrona in two main ways: from Wānaka to the north or Queensland to the south. The nearest airport is in Queensland, but the nearest international airport is in Dunedin, on the west coast.
If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand to ski Cardrona, booking a flight to Dunedin or Christchurch is best. Then, you can either get a connecting flight to Queenstown or rent a car and drive. From Dunedin, it’s roughly a three-hour drive to Queenstown or Wānaka, depending on where your lodging is.
The drive from Queenstown to Cardrona is one of the most scenic in the Southern Alps. It climbs drastically above Arrowtown through a series of switchbacks over a high pass and into the Crown Range. Wānaka is about the same distance, just from the opposite direction along the Cardrona Valley Road. Either way, you’ll find yourself in the town of Cardrona.
The road to the resort itself is dirt and can be challenging to maintain. The resort often closes this road to vehicles without chains, so plan accordingly. It climbs from the valley floor up the flanks of Mt. Cardrona and finally to the bottom of the resort. From here, you can park at the main or lower base areas, where Little Meg Lodge and Valley View Lift are.
If you don’t feel like driving, Cardrona operates shuttles to and from Wānaka and Queenstown. The shuttle, including return, costs $40 for adults. This option will help you keep your budget low if you’re committed to not renting a car.
Cardrona is open roughly from mid-June until mid-October, snowpack permitting. This chunk of time perfectly fills the gap when resorts are closed in the Northern Hemisphere.
The good news about skiing in the Southern Hemisphere is that you don’t have the crowds you would typically expect around Christmas and New Year. However, local schools are out from the end of June until the middle of July. This school holiday is the busiest time of the year at Cardrona, and lift lines can stack up quickly. Bluebird days on weekends tend to draw out crowds too. Plan accordingly.
The safest bet for getting more of the mountain to yourself is to shoot for later in the year, after the school holidays and when the snowpack is better. Weekdays are also a much safer bet for getting away from lines.
In general, though, Cardrona is less crowded than many resorts in the US and Europe. When lift lines are at their absolute worst, you can expect to wait 20 minutes to get on the chair.
Cardrona’s weather is what you would expect for a resort near the coast, with a lower elevation (the average elevation is 1,571 m / 5,154 ft). You could compare it to coastal and temperate places, like British Columbia or the equatorial Andes, where “winter precipitation” could mean snow or rain. I’ve heard some Americans describe it as “West Coast terrain, East Coast conditions.”
The snow quality is one of the main drawbacks of Cardrona. As a general rule, don’t expect to do any powder skiing here. The mountain does see soft snow days, but seldom more than 50 cm (20 in) of fresh snow at a time. The resort averages 290 cm (114 in) of snowfall per year. By New Zealand standards, that’s average. But it's remarkably little compared to higher-elevation mountains in the US, Europe, or the Andes.
The issue with Cardrona, and most other New Zealand ski areas, is that they are in the precipitation shadow of the highest ridges in the Southern Alps. The storms come from the west and drop massive amounts of precipitation over peaks like Mount Aspiring and Aoraki/Mount Cook but lose most of their moisture by the time they pass over the range’s lower eastern slopes. That’s not to say they are great for skiing; Aoraki notoriously has some of the world’s worst weather.
The flip side is that Cardrona gets great corn snow and a lot of sunny bluebird days. High temperatures are around freezing during the winter, and lows rarely drop below -5°C (23°F). Cardrona has snowmaking on nearly the whole mountain to ensure they can stay open through the season. All of the main lifts have snowmaking except Willow’s. Artificial snow may not be ideal for powder skiers, but it's suitable for those who love skiing corn and park features.
Getting around the resort is pretty straightforward. A few traverses will take you from one side of the mountain to the other, and you can get to almost anywhere on the hill in one lift ride.
Like most North American ski resorts, Cardrona’s map is layered over a painting by the storied James Niehues. Niehues has become synonymous with ski maps, and his paintings do an excellent job of compressing three-dimensional mountains onto canvas so that all of the resort’s features are visible. For the most part, Cardrona’s map is easy to read. But if you get confused trying to navigate the mountain, refer to the PeakVisor app for more perspective.
As I mentioned, the resort is situated (mostly) on the southeast flanks of Mt. Cardrona. The top of the map is a thin ridge that runs off the summit, roughly to the south. The resort straddles this ridge, with most terrain on the east aspect and Willow’s on the west.
Rather than the bottom of the resort, the base area is halfway up the mountain, on the far looker’s left side. So if you meander out to the looker’s right, you’ll have to take a long traverse back.
Looking at the resort’s main aspect, you see sweeping, open fields separated by steep ridges. These are four of the five named basins at the resort. Moving from left to right, you’ll first notice the Main Basin, where the mountain’s Base Area and terrain parks are. It’s the broadest and most open area on the map.
Descending from the bottom of Main Basin is a shorter, steeper pitch that ends at Little Meg Lodge. This zone is Valley View Basin, framed on the left by a steep cliff wall and on the right by a ridge that drops past the resort boundary. If you park at the lower lot, this is where you’ll start and end your day.
The next bowl to the right is Arcadia Basin. A few ridgelines and many rocky cliffs bisect Arcadia. The main feature here is the Arcadia Chutes, descending from left to right into narrower box canyons.
The furthest area of the resort to the right is Captain’s Bowl. Captain’s holds some great off-piste slopes and bowls like Tulips Face, which comes off a ridge directly down toward the Captain’s Express Lift base. The right side of Captain’s Basin is a series of cliffs and peaks that you can drop onto the far side in some places. It’s a steep, short pitch to the resort boundary, but worth the traverse to access.
Below Captain’s Express, you can descend by way of the Pringles Chutes into a huge in-bounds bowl with no lift access. This area is ideal if you have touring gear but don’t want to venture outside the resort’s avalanche control area. The hike out from the bottom takes you back to the left toward the base of Valley View Basin.
The top of each of these basins is a narrow ridge that drops off steeply on the back side. Following the ridgeline up, you can see the summit of Mount Cardrona looming over the resort. In the center of it is a large rocky outcropping, next to which sits the Vista Bar and the top shacks of a few lifts.
You can drop into Willow’s Basin from this part of the spine, essentially Cardrona's back side. Willow’s is a large area with few groomed runs but many vast snowfields to make big turns and winding ravines to explore. There aren’t many cliffs or drops here, just lots of open space to spread out. The top of Willow’s Basin crosses over into the Main Basin and the resort’s Base Area.
Slopes
Ski lifts
Other features and services
If you’re not from New Zealand, the first thing you’ll notice about skiing here is that runs are marked differently based on their difficulty. New Zealand resorts have three difficulty grades: blue (easy), red (intermediate), and black (advanced and expert).
Cardrona Alpine Resort also has far fewer groomed pistes than other resorts of its size. There are substantial off-piste slopes everywhere you look, most of which are left unrated for difficulty. When in doubt, proceed cautiously, and don’t venture off-piste until you’re ready.
Let’s assume you park at the resort’s Base Area and start your day there. Step one: park. Step two: hop on McDougall’s Chondola and cruise back down through the Main Basin, a good jumping-off point for beginners, as the terrain is much flatter and more featureless than other parts of the resort. Just be sure to be aware of your surroundings and stay away from terrain parks. If you find yourself in a landing zone at the wrong time, you could easily cause a crash that injures both parties.
Freestyle riders on both skis and snowboards will probably spend their whole day on either McDougall’s Chondola or Whitestar Express. These two lifts service all of the resort’s terrain parks. Some features from left to right include a big air jump, an Olympic-scale half pipe, a lengthy rail line, and two more jump lines where you can link up big air after big air. There are enough features to keep a park rider entertained for a lifetime.
From the Main Basin, it’s easy to branch out into other zones. You can head to the looker’s right, into Arcadia Basin, straight down into Valley View Basin, or over the main ridgeline into Willow’s. If you head into Arcadia, you’ll have a few groomed runs to choose between. The easiest way down is Arcadia Valley, a blue that crosses between the two Arcadia Chutes. Powder Keg and Bowling Alley follow another narrow gulch down a slightly steeper route. At the bottom of Acadia Basin, you’ll pop out onto the Comeback Trail, which returns you to Whitestar Express.
The mountain immediately gets steeper when heading down into Valley View. There is some fantastic intermediate and expert terrain here. The steep, open faces are lovely for making wide turns. Mineshaft, Prospector, and Drift are quick, leg-burning trips to the bottom. The base of Valley View Basin is the second parking lot, where you’ll find Little Meg Lodge and Valley View Quad.
To access the rest of the resort from here, hop on Valley View and then Whitestar, which deposits you on the resort’s main ridgeline at the Vista Bar. There are two remaining options from here. Head over the ridge into Willow’s, or traverse through Arcadia Basin into Captain’s Basin.
Willow’s is Cardrona’s most recent terrain expansion. It’s a vast, mostly undeveloped face with a few blue runs and a whole lot of off-piste action. Willow’s is an excellent place to get away from other riders and enjoy some room for yourself. Just be mindful, as the left side of Willows requires a hike out. You can avoid this by traversing to the right or dropping closer to the top of Willow’s Quad lift. Once at the bottom, you can take Willow’s back up and be right above the Olympic pipe in the Main Basin.
Captain’s Basin is the most remote part of Cardrona and has a lot of fun intermediate and expert terrain. You can take Shaun’s Way from the top of the Chondola or Whitestar Lift to get there. Stay left, and you will traverse through Arcadia Basin and under Captain’s Express Lift. Following the run to the bottom, you’ll end up at Captain’s Cafe and the lift base. Captain’s Cafe is a lively spot for lunch during a long day in Captain’s Basin.
From the top of Captain’s Lift, you will have more options for exploring the basin. To the looker’s right is a prominent ridgeline to which experts will have a lot of fun traversing. Intermediates will enjoy taking the Secret Bowl run outside this ridge. Beginners will want to stick to the Basin’s middle, taking Highway 89 or Parade back to the bottom.
You have a few options when you’re ready to head back to the Base Area. Queenstown Return drops onto the back of the resort’s ridgeline and offers spectacular views of the Crown Range, Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and the Remarkables Range. Over Run crosses along the inside of this ridge, facing east.
And if you just need one more run on this side of the resort, you can also take the Comeback Trail from the bottom of the lift to Whitestar Express. The Comeback Trail is a long, reasonably flat traverse that can take a lot of time (and some skating) to cross. I recommend snowboarders take one of the two high traverses back.
Because of the low annual snowpack and maritime influence, the Crown Range is safer for backcountry skiing than places in the US and Europe. However, there is a lack of available information on conditions in the backcountry around Cardrona. Frequently, the biggest issue may be a deficit of snow prohibiting backcountry access. There are plenty of low-angle bowls around the area, but make sure you’re dialed on New Zealand rescue services and other foreign know-how.
If you want to avoid resort-goers and use your touring gear, staying within resort boundaries and exploring the area under Captain’s Basin or Willow’s Basin will suffice for most visitors.
These two areas offer some fantastic steeps and features. The Pringles Chutes under Captain’s Cafe are some of the most technical terrain at the resort. Below the Pringles Chutes, the mountain opens into a steep bowl, roughly 350 vertical meters (1,148 ft) from the top to the ski area boundary. Once you reach the boundary, there is a marked skin track that you can follow back to the base of Valley View Quad. You could easily spend a whole week just exploring the cliffs, steep ravines, and open fields here.
The other option is the looker’s left side of Willow’s Basin. The main feature in this area is a large ravine capped on the left side by a high wall. It’s not quite as aggressive as the terrain under Captain’s Bowl, but having easy access to Willow’s Quad means you can take many more runs on this part of the mountain in a day.
Having the luxury of skiing at one of the only resorts in New Zealand comes at a high price. Adult single-day passes at Cardrona run NZD 160 and up, depending on the day. Adding gear rentals onto a day pass raises the price by about NZD 30 per day.
You can cut that cost quite a lot by buying a multi-day pass, which brings the price of a ticket down to NZD 112 (and up) per day. You can also buy a pass for five days, any time, for $720. The five-day pass is the only way to get a better deal on a lift ticket. Cardrona doesn’t run discounts on day passes, and they aren’t on any international passes like the IKON or Epic Pass.
Season passes at Cardrona are spendy, too. The resort offers one season pass option, the Unlimited Pass, for about NZD 1,650 (equivalent to roughly USD 1,000 or €925).
But I’ve saved the best detail for last. The good news about these options is that you can access Treble Cone, the other major resort in the Crown Range, when you buy a pass at Cardrona. So when planning a Cardrona trip, you could quickly check out Treble Cone for a few days at no additional cost.
There are four lodges at Cardrona Ski Area, and each one has, at the bare minimum, a cafe and bar. Little Meg and the Vista Bar are primarily spots for drinking (whether you need some caffeine to get you moving or a beer to cool you off). The Vista Bar has some fantastic views and is a perfect place to pop in for a quick pint, and Little Meg is a solid spot for après.
But if you want a meal, you must head to the Base Area or Captain’s Cafe. At the Base Area, you’ll find The Mezz, with à la carte meals all day, a café, and a bar (which serves not only libations but also poke bowls, bagels, and smoothies). Captain’s Cafe has its own spread of options, including a pizzeria.
The resort also operates the Après Bar and Restaurant in Wānaka, offering wine, beer, and woodfired pizza. It’s one of the best spots to wind down in town after skiing hard all day.
The most convenient and best way to see any ski resort is to stay on the mountain. Ski-in-ski-out lodging is a real luxury and one you can enjoy at Cardrona. The resort’s lodging is all located at the Cardrona On-Mountain Apartments. Options include studio, two-bed, three-bed, and four-bed apartments. To get a room, you’ll need to book far in advance. Apartments aren’t cheap, running anywhere from NZD 549 to 999 per night.
If that’s out of your price range, don’t fret. There are a lot of AirBnB properties nearby, as close as the town of Cardrona. Cheap options, like a guest suite in Wānaka or Queenstown, start at around NZD 90 per night. A mid-range budget of NZD 250 will get you a whole house in the town of Cardrona. For NZD 700 per night, you can rent a brand new home complete with a hot tub that sleeps eight people.
Cardrona’s events calendar stays jam-packed with things to see and do. Because of the resort’s reputation as a freestyle riding destination, tons of slopestyle competitions, rail jams, and halfpipe competitions are happening all the time. The New Zealand Freestyle Nationals competition is held here, too. Slalom races happen every month or so. Cardrona even hosts a few mountain bike races during the winter.
As I’ve stated, the two closest towns to Cardrona are Wānaka and Queenstown. Big cities are few and far between in this part of the country; the closest is probably Dunedin (on the east coast of the south island.
As for ski resorts, Treble Cone may as well be Cardona’s sister resort. It’s located about 30 minutes west of Wānaka and is the only other resort in the Crown Range. Cardrona and Treble Cone complement each other perfectly. Where Cardrona is a place to soak up the sun, ski corn, and marvel at the colossal terrain parks, Treble Cone (historically) gets more snow and has true big mountain terrain. It’s a resort that markets itself more toward powderhounds and freeride skiers.
The other nearby resort to Cardrona is Remarkables. Similar to Treble Cone, the terrain at Remarkables is very aggressive and caters much more toward experts who like to be off-piste all day. It’s a 30-minute drive from Queenstown in the aptly-named Remarkables Range.
