JOIN THE CLUB

Some say it’s the adventure skiing that makes New Zealand worldrenowned. Canterbury’s club fields are member-run rustic ski fields with classic “nutcracker” rope tows where skiers and boarders wear leather belts and cling to a cable that drags them up the mountain. Guests are welcome for day or overnight trips (but first check with the club field as to what is available) at greatly reduced prices to the larger commercial fields.

Try Craigieburn (craigieburn.co.nz) for old-school charm and steep ungroomed terrain, Broken River (brokenriver.co.nz) for a funicular to the lodge and more steeps, Mt Olympus (mtolympus.co.nz) for a high-altitude hot tub and late-night curling on a mid-mountain ice pond and Temple Basin (templebasin.co.nz) for a 45-minute hike to the remote base lodge, nestled among the peaks.

If you prefer a chairlift to a nutcracker, hau (ohau.co.nz) and Mt Dobson (mtdobson.co.nz) in Mackenzie and Porters (portersalpineresort.co.nz) in Canterbury and all offer uncrowded terrain, reduced lift-ticket pricing and an easy ride to access groomed and ungroomed slopes.

The more adventurous and advanced skiers have a plethora of heli-ski options at Methven, Mt Cook, Wa¯naka and Queenstown, including Southern Lakes Heliski and Harris Mountain Heli.

Try Ski the Tasman (skithetasman.co.nz) for a glacier skiing day accessed by fixed-wing plane near Mt Cook, ideal for intermediate skiers. If you’ve got the cash, Minaret Station (minaretstation.com) is a private heli-accessed lodge with private heli-skiing. This season may be the last one for Soho Basin (sohobasin.com), so get in while you can for cat-skiing with a three-course Amisfield lunch served in a cute mountain cabin.