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.

The past week has seen good dumps of new snow – perfect timing for the school holidays and for the Mt Hutt Spring Festival! Running from 8 to 14 October, both at Methven and on the mountain, the annual celebration is the perfect way to cap off the season. The week-long schedule includes such unique events as a Pond Skim competition and Ski Joring, a unique competition where a horse and rider pull a skier at a fast pace through a course that has gates, jumps and rings. There’s also plenty of music and ski racing, as well as a Kids Fun Day.

Then, on 15 October, it’s time for the Columbia Peak to Pub. One of Canterbury’s iconic multisport events, this triathlon starts at Mount Hutt with a mad dash to don skis or a snowboard, followed by a giant slalom to base. Competitors then swap skis/board for a bike and launch themselves headlong down the mountain for a 19-kilometre bike ride down the Mount Hutt access ride. An 11-kilometre run follows, before hardy competitors finally arrive at the finish line – the Blue Pub in Methven – for a well-deserved cold one!

There’s no time to waste – this could well be the last chance of the season to enjoy spring skiing at Mount Hutt ski area. Get your gear sorted, plan your transport and get up there.

Great news for New Zealand skiers and snowboarders! Coronet Peak ski area in Queenstown has just announced that its season has been extended due to fantastic spring snow conditions in New Zealand. This means an extra week of awesome skiing and riding for skiers and boarders at one of New Zealand’s most popular ski resorts.

Originally scheduled to close this coming weekend, the final day of the season at Coronet Peak will now be Sunday 9 October 2011. Unusual snow conditions have meant that nearby The Remarkables ski area will now close earlier than expected – the last day of the season at The Remarkables will be Sunday 2 October. It’s a strange situation: according to NZSki CEO James Coddington, the Queenstown season has been “like no other” with variable snowfalls even from one side of the Wakatipu Basin to the other. “Coronet received another 10 centimetres of new dry snow just a few days ago and overall has much better conditions than The Remarks, so it makes sense to swap their closing dates.”

If you’ve got a season pass for The Remarkables, don’t worry – The Remarkables season pass holders are welcome to ski at Coronet Peak for the final week of the season. The team at Coronet Peak will even set up some features for The Remarkables skiers and riders who are addicted to the terrain park!

The Remarkables Spring Carnival will also be moved to Coronet Peak and is scheduled for the weekend of 8 and 9 October 2011. This will be an exciting weekend packed full of madcap events, and children and youths (17 years and under) will even be able to access lifts for free at Coronet Peak over Spring Carnival weekend. Don’t miss out on the fun! Book your Queenstown accommodation and get your gear sorted now.

Spring may be in the air but it’s still winter at ground level! Spring snow conditions at The Remarkables ski area just out of Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island just got a whole lot better with the arrival of a southerly front in mid-September 2011. Skiers and boarders were thrilled at the wonderful topping of the white stuff which will provide a good foundation through the remainder of the season. Ski Area Manager Ross Lawrence said the fresh snowfall and further snow in the forecast has set the ski area up for some sensational spring skiing. The ever-popular chutes and Highway are providing some great riding on the new powder. So now is the time to make the most of the good snow cover coupled with the Southern Lakes region’s glorious spring sunshine. The multiple attractions of Queenstown mean a ski holiday can be combined with many other remarkable activities, from adrenaline pumping to calm and soothing. A place for all seasons, but particularly revitalising in springtime, Queenstown here we come!

Wax your skis and snowboards, boys and girls, for one final weekend of marathon spring skiing at Coronet Peak in the Southern Lakes region – this weekend marks the end of the ski area’s night skiing operation for the 2011 winter season.

Tomorrow, opening at 8am with First Tracks and running right through to 9pm with night skiing, skiers and snowboarders can indulge in a massive 13 hours on the slopes – and the chance to break the record for most runs in a day! The current record is currently held by a day pass holder who managed 60 runs (that’s 24,124 vertical metres!) in 12 hours of skiing.

Even if you’re not looking to break any records, an evening of skiing under the stars is an amazing experience. Tonight and tomorrow night, it’s expected that the main M1 trail, Shirtfront, Big Easy and some beginner areas will be open and fully floodlit so that skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the thrill of night skiing.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for locals and visitors to take it easy and enjoy the ambience of a relaxed night out up on the snow,” says Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie.

“You can head up around 4pm, ski or board until enjoying a good hot meal at dinner time and then hit the slopes again before a hot chocolate or mulled wine and home.”

“All in all it’s a pretty magical experience that’s hard to beat. It’s a whole different atmosphere at night – skiing under the stars then enjoying a drink on the deck, all with views over a sparkling valley.”

But even if you miss out on the experience of night skiing, Coronet Peak and other ski areas in the Southern Lakes region will remain open for spring skiing for some time yet – and the conditions are fantastic. So book your accommodation, transport and activities, and head down for a weekend (or a well-deserved mid-week break) before the season ends.

The first few days of extreme skiing and snowboarding in the 2011 Export 33 Xtreme at Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand, have been dominated by Kiwis! Despite top international competition, local skiers have led the pack in the ski competition and local snowboarders have already won the snowboarding event.

Local boys Sam Smoothy and Charlie Lyons are currently on top of the men’s skiing competition, followed by B Devine from the USA – today is the decider! In the women’s skiing competition, a Central North Island local from Ohakune, Nicola Eves, together with Slovenian Manca Kravina and American Chantelle Heroux are top of the table.

The men’s snowboarding competition was won by Kiwi Colin Boyd, followed by Jordan Decker and Philipp Wuethrich. New Zealanders took out the women’s competition too, with Abby Lockart from Wanaka in the Southern Lakes region leading the pack, followed by Maria Kuzma from Auckland and Maia Stier from Ohakune in the Central North Island.

An annual competition, the 2011 Export 33 Xtreme at Mount Ruapehu always attracts an international field of competitors, but this year was one of the best. Attracted by New Zealand’s biggest cash prize, US$10,000 for the top male skier, as well as prizes from Salomon, Marmot and Smith, several top European and US skiers came south to compete. It doesn’t hurt that the Export 33 Xtreme is a 4-star Freeride World Qualifier too.

Fingers crossed the Kiwis can take out today’s ski final!

Don’t forget that Monday is two-for-one day at Porters – buy an Adult All-lifts Pass or Adult Beginner Package and receive another for free. Great value New Zealand skiing and snowboarding for the rest of the 2011 winter season!

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll now receive updates at your fingertips with news feeds, real-time comp results and the latest on night-time action in the QRC Downtown Sessions.

You can download the app for free at the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games official website.

Of course, being there is even better! So, if you can swing it, get down to the south of New Zealand’s South Island between 12 and 28 August 2011. The 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games features 1,000 elite winter sport athletes competing in 22 snow and ice sports. On-snow competitions are happening at Coronet Peak, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Park NZ, Snow Farm and Mount Hutt, while ice sports take place at Naseby in Central Otago and Dunedin.

Days on the slopes are complemented by films, live music and entertainment and rail jam sessions in Queenstown, Wanaka, Dunedin and Methven. All up, it’s one full-on festival programme so make sure you don’t miss a minute. Download the app now and then get booking your accommodation and transport.

100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games
12 – 28 August 2011
http://www.wintergamesnz.com/

While the world’s best snowboarders will give it their all from 8 till 13 August, some of the best Kiwi musicians will take to the stage in the ultimate after party. The Burton Open Session features live music from Shihad, Kora, Optimus Gryme featuring MC Tiki and Sunshine Sound System.

Headliners of the concert are, of course, Kiwi rockers Shihad who have been producing top hits since 1988. Kora will bring you an electric live show of rock, dub step, reggae and space funk, while Queenstown local DJ Downtown Brown joins forces with MCs Stauny and KPZ from Sunshine Sound System. DJ and dub step artist Optimus Gryme will close the party together with lyrical master and original sub soldier Tiki Taane.

To get to the Burton Open Session at Queenstown Events Centre you can catch one of the event buses departing from Wanaka and downtown Queenstown. However, tickets are limited so get in fast and get yours for just NZ$69 from Ticketek. For more info check www.opensessions.co.nz.

Burton Open Session: 13 August 2011

The North Face Peak to Peak is a 44-kilometre race that starts at the top of The Remarkables ski area with a two-kilometre ski/ride down the Homeward Bound run. This is followed by a 17-kilometre mountain bike race all the way down to Frankton Beach and a seven-kilometre paddle to Queenstown Bay. From here, athletes run nine kilometres to the foot of Coronet Peak ski area and then bike up the nine-kilometre access road to the finish line at the base buildings.

Last year, Queentown’s Fergburger team managed to do all of this in two hours, two minutes, 51 seconds and now the race is on to crack the two-hour mark! And although top multisport athletes are competing it’s not just for the pros. There are various categories, so everyone can have a go. The Remarkables Ski Area Assistant Manager Ed Bezett, for example, has challenged all ski areas in the region to send their teams to The North Face Peak to Peak in 2011.

Teams’ sections to compete include female, male, mixed, business house, veteran or school. If you’d like to compete as an individual, there are men’s and women’s open and veteran classes.

In the evening, film coverage of The North Face Peak to Peak event will be screened at the Dux de Lux in Queenstown and a prize-giving ceremony will be held at Coronet Peak ski area after the race. Sign up, give it your all and it could be yours!

The North Face Peak to Peak 2011: 6 August 2011