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Craigieburn Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Craigieburn Ski Resort

Craigieburn Ratings

Overall: 3.2. Based on 7 votes and 3 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.4

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Craigieburn is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.9

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Craigieburn has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 5.0

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 5.0

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.5

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Craigieburn.

Public Transport: 2.3

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Craigieburn, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.6

(1) No places to stay in/near Craigieburn, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 1.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Craigieburn.

Ski in/Ski out: 5.0

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 1.0

(1) There are no child care facilities at Craigieburn, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 1.0

(1) Craigieburn relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 1.0

(1) There are no snow groomers at Craigieburn, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Craigieburn are groomed daily.

Shelter: 2.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Craigieburn is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.9

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Craigieburn, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.1

(1) Craigieburn usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.9

(1) The staff at Craigieburn are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Craigieburn are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.4

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.2

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 1.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 1.7

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 3.9

(1) No intermediate terrain at Craigieburn, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 5.0

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 1.3

(1) Not even a kicker at Craigieburn, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 2.9

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Craigieburn, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.0

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Craigieburn has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.4

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 2.9

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.1

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 1.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 1.5

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 2.4

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.8

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.9

(1) Overall, Craigieburn is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.6

(1) Overall, Craigieburn is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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September 22, 2006
Nick Jarman from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Hi Snow-Forecast team, you have a great site and we use it often. As some more information, Craigieburn and Broken River ski areas are next door neighbours!! It's an easy ski over to Broken River from Hamilton Col at Craigieburn (5/10 minutes, depending on conditions) and a 1/2-1hour walk (once again, depending on conditions) back along the ridge line from Broken River to Craigieburn. So in essence, Craigieburn and Broken River are the closest resorts to each other!! In fact on a topo map our main lifts are 2km apart!! Hope this is of some use.
September 21, 2004
Andrew Troup from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Craigieburn Valley, legendary among a surprisingly large minority of truly serious skiers and riders around the world, is the place where the staff from other local resorts come on their days off, where Northern Hemisphere extremists come in their offseason, and camera crews flock to shoot heroic lines. It's not always good, but when it is, there's nowhere better, short of iconic places like La Grave. When it's not good, it's usually still fun. The trail map tells it all - most runs are advanced, with a significant number upgraded to 'tricky' (localtalk for triple black diamond) and the occasional 'suicidal'. And that's without going offpiste. Although August is traditionally peak season, best snow and weather is often in September, and surprisingly often there is still lots in October. Lifts are 'appropriate technology' (rudimentary, quickly reinstated after an avalanche). Facilities are comfortable, verging on opulent by local standards, but basic as resorts worldwide go, except the high altitude daylodge, truly one of the jewels of alpine location and architecture -- at least, of anywhere I've been.
June 14, 2004
Ajburn from Ski Australia Australia
Please, if you cannot ski, if you cannot ride, if you hate powder, if you hate it steep & if you love 4+ star hotels - DO NOT COME TO THIS RESORT. Craigieburn is, to put it in simple terms, bloody 'AMAZING'. Known to the locals as steep, deep and cheap it certaintly lives up to the reputation. In 2002 I took 16 good buddies over there for the ski trip of our lives and to film a documentary. On the 2nd night it snowed 40cm's of superb light snow and we had the whole mountain (1,000's upon 1,000's or acres inbounds and easy access BC) to ourselves. Ok well maybe not entirely,we had to let the 8 staff members cut a few lines too! The peaks of the southern alps are insane! The lines you can find gnarly. Chutes (some over 55 degrees), bowls, ridges, cornices...BIG MOUNTAIN. Infact 95% of the inbound terrain is located in an avalanche start zone, path or run out. Lot's of control? Bombs go off pretty much every morning after it pukes fluff. Rustic? Yes. Accomodation is generally bunkroom style with communal bathrooms (private ensuite rooms are available but in limited supply)and a communal eating area. BUT, CV is the only NZ resort where you can walk to the ski lifts, and that takes about 4 minutes. For around 60 bucks NZ you can get fed three huge meals a day, lift tickets, lessons and accom. Oh, and there is a kick ass cosy bar upstairs in the main lodge. Last year was the completion of the panoramic day lodge located at 7000ft on a razor sharp ridgeline offering a superb place for lunch, views and kicking back on the terrace surrounded by stunning peaks with a beer. SENSATIONAL. No doubt in my mind. The best resort in the world...a place made by riders, for riders.

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