Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - skiing late August in New Zealand 2007?

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with ski conditions on the South Island in late August to very early September?

I am thinking of flying down to see the South Island a bit as well as to get in a couple days of skiing - but don't want to get all the way down there for just ok ski conditions.

I have always wanted to go skiing during our summer here in nyc and was able to find availability down to NZ for a few dates later this month^.

Any advice (including which mountain/ field to head to!) greatly appreciated.

(PS: No flight avail to South America before anyone suggests it).

If you're in the North Island all ready you could ski at Mt Ruapehu (either Whakapapa or Turoa). Good snow base in late August and should still get fresh snow falls too. I was at Whakapapa a couple of days ago and it was perfect. Sunny and warm enough to have your jacket open and just a t-shirt underneath.

Can give you a Queenstown update tomorrow if you'd prefer to go there

Current depth in the South Island fields is less than in the North Island - the recent fohn nor'westers didn't help matters (temperatures in the high teens Celsuis late last week). Should rebuild again with the next good southerly.

I skied Coronet Peak in mid July with th e Broccoli boys. At the time it was cold enough but there was not enough cover to ski off piste in the Queenstown area. The biggest difference between US and NZ skiiing is that the ski area is completely above the tree line. As such, off piste skiing is possible across most of the area if there is sufficient snow. Unfortunately, we were confined to the trails and not all were open. This was not nearly as much fun. In some compensation, the views in all directions are unmatched. It was worth the effort for a day or two, but I would have been bored if we had stayed longer without more snow.

Thanks for the responses guys.
So what you are saying is that conditions might be iffy at the end of August?

Is this a typically bad season? Because the small paragraphs devoted to skiing in my NZ guidebook says that the season can last until October.

If we choose to try it anyway, is there one ski area that might have better snow at that time? Mt. Hutt maybe?

Thanks again!

There's never any guarantees but should be okay. The North Island fields tend to have greater snow depth because they are higher up (and also don't get fohn winds to melt the snow).

www.metservice.co.nz has some info on ski conditions and weather.

Thanks for the responses guys.
So what you are saying is that conditions might be iffy at the end of August?

Is this a typically bad season? Because the small paragraphs devoted to skiing in my NZ guidebook says that the season can last until October.

If we choose to try it anyway, is there one ski area that might have better snow at that time? Mt. Hutt maybe?

Thanks again!

If you want to goto the South Island rather than ski in the North Island, you're probably best off going to Queenstown and the ski fields around there (Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Treble Cone etc). Central Otago has had a reasonable ski season with decent snow bases (and ofcourse Queenstown is stunning!). The ski fields in Canterbury have had a rough season with some patchy snow although Mt Hutt is ok.

Update on yesterday's post: Treble Cone currently has the best skiing around Queenstown and Cadrona isn't too bad either. Weather has been a bit up and down which impacts on airport operations - NZ seems to fly through most of it, QF seem to cancel most flights.