Coronet Peak

Coronet Peak comes with a lot of firsts.

Turn back the clock to 1947 and it was New Zealand's first commercial field. It was also the first to implement night skiing (on Friday and Saturday nights), recently adding Wednesday to this list. A word to the wise, apparently Friday night is pretty rowdy with end-of-working-week celebrations – this might be your cup of tea or not.

Now Coronet Peak is offering another first, First Tracks. For an additional fee, First Tracks allows skiers open access to the mountain for an hour before it opens to the general public.

Coronet Peak has had a long time to refine and get things right, and does it all well. It only takes 25 minutes by sealed road to get here from downtown Queenstown. Catering for all abilities, the rollercoaster terrain and chute-like features ensure there is a lot of fun to be had by intermediate and advanced skiers too.

Pizza, beer and music are on the après-ski menu, or just have a quiet mulled wine while watching the sunset over the mountains and the twinkling Queenstown lights in the distance. nzski.com/queenstown