Advice needed! Whakapapa / Turoa conditions and snow depth early season - July 2011

Hi All,

I was just seeking some advice from some regular NZ skiiers. I went to Queenstown for the first time last year, and had a fantastic time. I am an intermediate/advanced skiier, with quite a few years at the Australian slopes under my belt. This year we booked in again a week at the Queenstown ski fields, but booked early season so my little sister (who is still at school) could join us on her school holidays.

Snow reports in Queenstown are looking bad, and there is very little snow cover, and no new snow in the upcoming forecasts. As our trip is scheduled for 8th of July, is it worth considering changing our flights and flying into Wellington to go to Turoa or Whakapapa? I understand that Turoa and Whakapapa need a large snow base to cover the rocks on the mountain. They are currently sitting on 50cm with more snow due before we arrive. Will this be enough snow for good skiing in these ski fields?

Any advice would be well received!

Whakapapa and Turoa are very good ski fields when the weather is good and there is plenty of snow. Unfortunately due to the rocky nature of these skifields, unless there is 1 metre or more of snow there will be very limited terrain open. If it was me, I would take the gamble on the queenstown fields as they will require much less snow to get some good terrain open.