Coronet Peak

Coronet Peak is the mountain directly north of Queenstown, 1,649 m at the top, and the closest ski field to town — sixteen kilometres up a fully sealed alpine road, about twenty minutes. It opened in 1947 as New Zealand's first commercial ski field, on a single rope tow.

Its advantage over the other fields around here is proximity and snowmaking. Coronet has 229 fixed snow guns, which NZSki describes as the largest system in the southern hemisphere, and a snow factory besides — which is why it usually opens first, sometimes as early as the end of May, and why it holds a surface when the natural snowfall has been thin.

Winter

• 41 runs across roughly 365 hectares, 462 m of vertical.
• The Coronet Express — a combined six-seat chair and eight-person gondola — plus the Greengates six-seater, the Meadows quad, the Rocky Gully T-bar and four conveyors.
• One terrain park, a race arena, a sledding zone and the Kidszone learners' area.

Night skiing is the thing Coronet has that the other fields do not: floodlit runs on Wednesday and Friday nights from around the start of July into early September, usually 4pm to 9pm, with extra Saturdays in the school holidays. There is a DJ and mulled wine at the base, and it is a genuinely different way to ski the mountain. Take a low-light lens if you have one.

First Tracks gets you on the hill an hour before general opening through the middle of the season.

Season dates and prices are on the NZSki site and change year to year; the dates in particular move with the snow.

Getting up

Sealed the whole way, and no four-wheel drive needed, but carry chains in winter — they can become mandatory, and road crews are stationed at the point where that starts. Seven car parks with free shuttles running between them and the base building, and drop zones at the main building for unloading gear. The ski bus runs from Duke Street in town from about 7.30am, with returns from 1pm; on night-ski evenings buses run hourly from 3pm with returns through to 9pm.

Summer

Coronet runs a summer season, which is unusual for a New Zealand ski field.

• The Peak Gondola runs for sightseeing to 1,649 m, with the Wakatipu basin below and Aoraki visible on a clear day.
• Nine holes of disc golf, marketed as the highest course in the country — ride up, play down, discs for hire at the base.
• Downhill mountain biking with lift access: Wakatipu View (grade 2) for beginners, Velvet Rolls (grade 3) for rollers and tabletops, and World Cup (grade 6) for people who know what grade 6 means. The classic run is the Dirty Four — Dirt Serpent, Rude Rock, Morning Glory and Hot Rod, about 1,200 m of descent. Shuttles, rentals and lessons all available.
• Café 1200 at the base building, 9am to 4pm.

Summer opening dates are not published far ahead, so check before driving up out of season.

The Coronet Loop

The best ride on this mountain does not start at the ski field. The Coronet Loop is a 50 km backcountry circuit from Butler's Green in Arrowtown, grade 3 to 4, four to eight hours, with over 1,400 m of climbing across four major climbs. It runs over old gold tailings and repurposed water races, from beech forest into alpine terrain, with creek crossings.

It closes for winter, generally May to October. Do not plan it in the ski season.

Nearby

Arthurs Point is at the bottom of the road, Skippers Canyon turns off it, and Arrowtown is seven kilometres east.