Spring specials at Lake Wanaka's snow resorts

Springtime at Lake Wanaka’s four ski areas offers some of the best ski conditions with warm and sunny climates, great travel deals and uncrowded slopes. The season continues through until early October giving snow enthusiasts plenty of time to enjoy the alpine resort.

Spring accommodation deals, from backpacker to luxury resort, gear rental and travel specials provide good value holidays to encourage visitors to the mountains. With internet bookings, great last minute deals and more direct flights to the Southern Lakes region, spring ski trips do not need to be planned too far in advance.

Consistent natural snow falls, pre and early season, and cool winter temperatures have provided all the mountains with good solid snow bases offering excellent conditions through to the end of the season. Mountain patrol at Cardrona Alpine Resort have recorded 185cm of accumulated snow fall for the season to date with the average over for the last 10 years standing at 160cm for the whole season.

Tiered ticket pricing for day passes at Treble Cone and Snow Park NZ provides great value skiing and riding during the off-peak month of September with adult day passes as low as $65 at Snow Park and $89 at Treble Cone. Both mountains have also launched a Spring Pass from the 1st September costing $399 at Snow Park NZ and $389 at Treble Cone.

Night skiing on Tuesdays and Fridays (5pm-9pm) at Snow Park NZ continues through September with lift passes only $35 for adults. The dedicated 1km-long sled run, the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere will also operate through to October, with sleds rented out by the hour and access via the Snow Park NZ chairlift.

A lively and fun selection of events will be staged across the region during the coming months, including: The Billabong Bro Down (28-29 Aug) at Snow Park, a quarter pipe and big air event, Ski Sail Race (10-12 Sept) at Treble Cone and on Lake Wanaka, the Eukanuba NZ Dog Sled Championship (31 Aug-4 Sept) at Snow Farm, the popular Mountain 2 Mountain (12 Sept) multisport race and the Cardrona Kids Festival (30 Sept-2 Oct). The 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games is running throughout the region until 30 August.

James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism believes spring is an excellent time to visit Lake Wanaka, “Visitors get the best of all seasons and can enjoy a variety of activities on and off the mountain. Skiing and snowboarding in the morning to wine tours and or a game of golf in the afternoon, the climate makes for a well rounded trip,” he said.

For September deals in Lake Wanaka, visit www.skilakewanaka.com.