Woo hoo! The 2011 season isn’t yet over at Mount Hutt ski area but already skiers and snowboarders can start planning for next year’s winter adventures on the iconic Canterbury mountain.

And the really great news for families is that children aged 10 and under will ski for free at Mount Hutt in 2012 and the price of a youth pass (for 11 to 17-year-olds) has dropped to $150. Yes, you read right! In this age of endless price increases, family skiing just got more affordable!

The news is good for everyone else too. Other season passes have been ‘frozen’ at 2011 prices and those who held season passes in 2010 or 2011 will get up to $100 of credit loaded onto their mypass to spend on services on the mountain.

If budgeting is a hassle, you can even ‘drip-feed’ your payments over eight months – but you’ll have to sign up for an Early Bird pass by 31 October 2011 to take advantage of this option. As if you needed any more time to jump on this great deal!! Head to www.nzski.com between 14 October to 31 October 2011 to sign up.

But if you do decide to wait until next year, Early Bird passes will be available between mid-February and mid-March 2012 (and you’ll have the option of a three-month payment plan to make like easy). Sorted!

Full details about pricing and qualification criteria are available at www.nzski.com.