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Cardrona resort snow
Lat Long: 44.87° S 168.95° E
Ski New Zealand

Cardrona Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Cardrona at 1594 m altitude

Issued: 5 am 24 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Cardrona: 0.4 cm on Wed 6th

Visitor reviews for Cardrona Ski Resort

Cardrona Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 40 votes and 27 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.0

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Cardrona is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.0

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Cardrona has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.4

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.4

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.4

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Cardrona

Public Transport: 4.1

  • There are no buses or taxis to Cardrona
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.3

  • No places to stay in/near Cardrona
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.8

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.5

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Cardrona

Ski in/Ski out: 3.7

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.7

  • There are no child care facilities at Cardrona
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.2

  • Cardrona relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.8

  • There are no snow groomers at Cardrona
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Cardrona are groomed daily

Shelter: 2.9

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Cardrona is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 3.4

  • If snow conditions are poor at Cardrona, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.6

  • Cardrona usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.7

  • The staff at Cardrona are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Cardrona are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.3

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.6

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.4

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.7

  • No intermediate terrain at Cardrona
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.7

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.7

  • Not even a kicker at Cardrona
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.5

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Cardrona
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.1

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Cardrona has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.0

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.9

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.2

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 2.1

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.8

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.7

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.7

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.0

  • Overall, Cardrona is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.6

  • Overall, Cardrona is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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July 08, 2010
Phil from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
As a local I've skied Treble Cone, Coronet Peak, Mt Dobson & Mt Hutt. I'd recommend Cardrona head and shoulders over the rest for pure value for money, good snow, fantastic views, friendly staff, wide open spaces and variety of terrain to play on. I've held a season pass at Cardrona for the past 7-8 years and every year there have been improvements to the field and their service. Big ups to the management and staff for all their efforts. The only slight downer are the queues during the school holidays which can be a bit frustrating. Easy answer though is to stay away for the two weeks in mid July. I've also stayed in the accommodation on the mountain which is very comfortable and makes for a great experience walking out your door, clipping on your gear and going for it. Now they've got two high speed lifts which makes for plenty of skiing in a day. Looking forward to the opening of the new Valley View run which will give us a 4 km run from the top of the Whitestar. It ain't Europe but it's the next best thing.....
September 24, 2009
John from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Cardrona is varied, has great facilities and is especially good for families of varying abilities.
August 29, 2009
Bronnie from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Cardrona is a great resort, especially when you head over towards the Captains Basin. There you can find a great playground for all levels. We ride Snowscoots and Cardrona is awesome for all users with plenty of space to get away from the crowds. As a local, I rate Cardrona as a great resort for all levels. Go the Snowscoot.
July 01, 2009
Jennifer
With a family of six, a ski holiday can often be seen as out of reach. Having paid top dollar for a ski experience in Australia and left skiing in something resembling icecream, Cardrona has provided us with an excellent opportunity to ski with our children in half decent snow. The relaxed atmosphere and second to none kids ski school has us going back again for a third time.
June 12, 2009
Margie and Henry Seto
Though we are die hard skiers at Sunshine in the Canadian Rockies, we really enjoyed our three days at Cardrona in July of 2008. We found it fun to ski among the big boulders and the two blue sky days we had made the surrounding countryside breathtaking to see. Half the fun though is the bus trip from Queenstown; it makes the road to Sunshine Village a walk in the park. Can't wait to go back someday.
February 10, 2009
Rob Baxter
There is really no need to skip New Zealand if you are a keen skier/snowboarder.
November 11, 2008
anthony from Ski France France
Ok everyone, Cardrona: it's not the biggest ski resort in New Zealand with massive snowfalls but it's a very nice little ski resort and I've had good time skiing there. Some people expect to get super freeride with lots of powder no, stop, if you want that get heliski on Mount Cook or go to Japan. For me Cardrona has been excellent!
August 10, 2008
James Perry
Come on Stuart, the runs were so short it ruins it. Perhaps if you had fast lifts that could make up for it, but the poor lift system with the tiny runs makes for an average experience. And I've just been and we've had awesome snow. I was still very frustrated. You never even get out of breath. Great place for a weekend warrior, but if you are a keen skier/boarder then skip NZ.
July 15, 2008
stuart from Ski France France
Get it in perspective.......all of you. Cardrona is a great LITTLE ski resort and the season I worked there had a frustratingly late start. Nevertheless once it got going the best was made of the snow. The same situation affects all the alpine resorts as well and the 2006/7 season was non existent in the resorts below 1400 meters in the European Alps. The major difference between NZ and the Alps is the length of downhill descent. In Alpe d'Huez we have descents in excess of 2600 meters and NZ does not. It doesn't mean that the conditions are that different simply the length of runs. On one point I agree with the major dissent of Cardrona in that the chairlifts could do with an up date to high speed quads, HOWEVER so could Alpe d' Huez.
July 02, 2008
katie from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Cardrona is a great resort and great value for money. The new express lift is fantastic! Cardrona spends its money well keeping the locals and tourists happy with all round upgrades this season. Who needs a new base building when the lifts are slow and its $93 for a lift pass verses $81 for Cardrona! Cardrona doesn't need 180 new snow guns which only work when its cold enough to snow anyway! It has natural snow: 15cm last night verses 5cm at Coronet! The terrain is much wider and the mountain is great for learners but also great for all levels! The noodle bar is fantastic and very healthy!