NEW ZEALAND
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| The Remarkables base area - nzski.com |
The Remarkables (opening 18th June 2016)
The Remarkables access road improvements continued this summer and included sealing to the 9.5km mark along with widening and improvements to signage.
At the top of the mountain, 150 new car parking spaces have been added to Car Park 4 alongside the existing Homeward pick up.
Those who haven't had a chance to visit in recent years will be able to enjoy the fantastic new base building and the new runs accessed by the Curvy Basin lift.
Cardrona (opening 11th June 2016)
In exciting news, the Valley View area at Cardrona skifield is being further. including is development to extend the car park and add a cafe.
The car park will have space for about 200 vehicles, and will mean a shorter trip up to the slopes for those who already have a lift pass. The cafe with toilet facilities will be called "Little Meg".
The resort has also been busy during summer clearing some rocks from the natural off-piste trails under the Valley View lift. That will be better for the skis as this lower part of the resort doesn't get so much snow cover! A number of new trails have been opened up further wide as well and are named on the new map - Outer Limits, Mineshaft and Prospector.
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| Earthworks at the bottom of Valley View - cardrona.com |
Cardrona is also formalising on the
trail map a green run from the top of McDougall's Quad to the bottom of Whitestar Express via Captain's Basin. It is to be called "A Real Journey" and is 3.4km long and mostly uses existing trails.
For 2016, Cardrona is introducing a new shuttle from the bottom of the access road this year at $10 per person return.
All up, it sounds like a great year to check out whats new at Cardrona.
Treble Cone (opening 23rd June 2016)
Treble Cone is upgrading its Home Basin Express six-seater chairlift which is the critical lift at the skifield as it gives access to the whole mountain.
A continued commitment to more grooming in the Saddle Basin is being supported by the purchase of two new snow grooming machines. Treble Cone has been making the Saddle more intermediate-friendly by grooming parts of it.
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| Works on base lodge at Roundhill - Roundhill Facebook |
Roundhill (opening 2nd July 2016)
Little Roundhill ski area at Lake Tekapo is renovating to double the size of its base lodge.
Mt Lyford (opening late July 2016)
At Mt Lyford, work is under way to create a full-time tubing luge run for the new season.
Hanmer Springs
Sadly, Hanmer Springs ski area will not open this season. But it hopes to be ready for the 2017 season.
AUSTRALIA
Mt Hotham
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| New snowmaking at Hotham - mthotham.com.au |
Some needed snowmaking expansion is under way at Hotham.
The area under snow guns in Heavenly Valley is being increased in order to improve cover early in the season and in poor snow years.
Snowmaking has already been extended to Lower Imagine and Lower Canyon.
There is also to be expanded snowmaking on Summit.
Falls Creek
The Falls Creek Village Bowl will host a new area for tobogganing in 2016. The slope alongside the Gully Chair top station will now be reserved for tobogganing.
The Village Bowl will also feature a permanent kids snowmobile course. Kids aged 5 and up can take a ride.
Mt Buller
Mt Buller has also made some improvements to its snowmaking system with the installation of eleven automatic DB6 snow guns. This will allow snowmaking down to the bottom of The Chute, as well as providing more cover on Wombat, Shakey Knees and Family Run.
