Warm Weather Delays Coronet Peak Opening

June 1st, 2011


Coronet Peak needs a little more snowmaking to open. Image:: NZSki

Coronet Peak ski area was scheduled to open this Saturday 4 June but warm temperatures means it has been unable to make snow for the majority of this week.

“Obviously it’s hugely disappointing for the management and staff of Coronet Peak that we can’t get the season underway this Saturday, but we will open on the very first day we possibly can,” said Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie.

The South Island weather forecast this week is not favouring a snow season, rain and temperatures as high as 7 degrees are expected in most regions, which could upset the opening weekend plans of most of the other resorts, scheduled to begin operations on 11 June.

In the 2 June detailed forecast analysis, Mountainwatch’s New Zealand forecast team suggested those in the Canterbury region go surfing this weekend, and those in the Southern Lakes should jump on a mountain bike – winter has not yet arrived.

While a slow start is not good for morale, it’s not indicative of a poor season. In the just-passed Northern Hemisphere winter Lake Louise, in Canada’s Alberta province, struggled through an early-season opening – the first on the Canadian west coast – with little snow, before the La Nina weather patterns hit North America, producing one of the biggest snow seasons on record.

With an extensive snowmaking network, Coronet Peak doesn’t even need snow for conditions to turn around, just cold weather.

“Our mountain staff are all on board this week training and our snowmaking team is on 24-hour standby for temperatures to drop,” said McCrostie.

“Our fully automated snow making system has 211 snow guns positioned all over the mountain and they’re switched on ready to blast out the white stuff.

“We know full well there are a lot of keen locals and loyal supporters who are itching to get up here for first tracks of the season, and believe me that’s what we all want too.

“Mother Nature has decided to hang on to autumn for as long as she can, so we have to be philosophical about the fact that this happens every once in a while but as always it will get colder and it will snow.”

Read Mountainwatch’s New Zealand winter season predictions in the Snow Season Outlook – New Zealand

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