Queenstown is the perfect winter escape. With the cost comparable to skiing within Australia, the dollar in our favour and flights now directly available from Australia to Queenstown, it’s worth it just for the adventure.

The two main ski fields in Queenstown are Coronet Peak and the Remarkables. Coronet Peak was the mountain of choice. Snow hadn’t fallen there for a few days before we had arrived, but their snow machines certainly made up for it.

Buses were available to take skiers to the top of both Coronet Peak and the Remarkables. Kiwi Discovery had two pick ups to Coronet Peak right outside our hotel, Kingsgate Terraces and a booking was required. NZ Ski had buses every 15 mins from 8.00am until 12 noon from their depot in town – no booking required.

NZ Ski have a fantastic lift pass system now available called My Pass. The same size as a credit card, it can be read electronically at the lifts from the safety of your pocket so you can get down to the serious business of skiing. All lift pass and ski hire information is stored on it, making life easier for everyone. Best of all, it can be easily recharged for each visit.

Ski and boot hire were available both in town and at the peak. We opted for hire at the peak to save carrying everything around. They had us on the slopes in no time!

There was plenty of variety to calm the hunger pangs after a morning of skiing. The on site restaurant was jam packed with energy food. Burgers, chips and pizza could be purchased from one side while roast rolls and larger meals could be found on the other side. In between, there was a bar serving tea, coffee and muffins.

Everything needed to keep energetic skiers on the move!

There’s nothing like the cool, crisp air flowing through your hair as you ski down a snow covered mountain against the backdrop of a blue sky. The weather is always the unknown factor when planning a ski holiday but at least one day of skiing in the sunshine after an overnight snowfall is enough to bring out the feel good factor.

The NZ Ski buses started heading back to town from 1.30pm and continued throughout the afternoon until they had cleared the mountain. The scenery is beautiful to watch on the way down, although most skiers opted for a quick snooze after a big day on the slopes.

Tired and weary, we retired to our hotel with the excitement and anticipation of doing it all again tomorrow.

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