Coronet Peak
Encyclopedia
Coronet Peak is a commercial skifield
in Otago, New Zealand
located 18 kilometres to the northeast of the town of Queenstown
and seven kilometres west of Arrowtown
, on the southern slopes of the 1,649 metre peak which shares its name. A popular ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere, Coronet Peak offers a long snow season, excellent skiing and snowboarding terrain and lift systems.
and the smaller nearby Lake Hayes is breathtaking. Dubbed the "original" resort ski area Coronet Peak is only 25 minutes from Queenstown.
.
of Mt Cook airline fame commissioned Bill Hamilton
to design and build this lift.
As visitor numbers grew, the field introduced New Zealand's first double then treble chairlifts and in 1994, the second high-speed quad chairlift.
In 2002 the Mount Cook Group
sold Coronet Peak and The Remarkables to a consortioum of Queenstown businesspeople, now NZSki Ltd, who also bought Mount Hutt.
For the 2008 season NZSki Ltd invested over $30 million on a new base building and 141 new snow cannons.
The 2009 season opens with new snowmaking equipment, new piste groomers, and a dedicated children's lift.
The 2010 season sees the Meadows double chairlift replaced with a detachable quad chairlift. The lift will feature a self lowering safety bar and child friendly restraints.
Powderhounds.com Coronet Peak reviews
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
in Otago, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
located 18 kilometres to the northeast of the town of Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains....
and seven kilometres west of Arrowtown
Arrowtown
Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River approximately 5 km from State Highway 6...
, on the southern slopes of the 1,649 metre peak which shares its name. A popular ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere, Coronet Peak offers a long snow season, excellent skiing and snowboarding terrain and lift systems.
Location
The Peak is one of New Zealand's most popular ski resorts due to its proximity to Queenstown, varied terrain and superb facilities, offering a high speed quad chairlift, high speed six-seater chairlift and, as of the 2010 season, a high speed beginner chairlift. The view from the skifield south across Lake WakatipuLake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of Otago Region, near its boundary with Southland.With a length of , it is New Zealand's longest lake, and, at , its third largest...
and the smaller nearby Lake Hayes is breathtaking. Dubbed the "original" resort ski area Coronet Peak is only 25 minutes from Queenstown.
Facilities
Coronet Peak has extensive snowmaking and is one of the last skifields in the Southern Hemisphere to lose its snow, the season typically runs from early June to mid-October. It is one of the only skifields in New Zealand to offer night skiing on Friday and Saturday nights from July to mid-September and those wanting some quiet time on the slopes can do so between 8am-9am when First Tracks operates. Coronet Peak (and nearby mountains) are popular locations for school trips in the Oceanic region because of its great facilities. Children 6 and younger receive free day lift passes.Ski terrain
Popular runs on Coronet Peak include Big Easy (beginners), M1, Greengates and Shirtfront (intermediate), and Exchange Drop and the Back Bowls (expert). Like European Alpine ski resorts, Coronet's Peak offers much well-developed piste skiing.Events
Coronet Peak is often the site of calendared international ski races and the training ground for many world class athletes.Operations
The field is operated by NZSki Ltd, who also manages The Remarkables skifield just across the valley and Mount Hutt in Canterbury, near to ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
History
The field was New Zealand's first commercial skifield, and was opened in 1947 with a single rope tow. Tourism pioneer Harry WigleyHenry Rodolph Wigley
Sir Harry Wigley, born Henry Rodolph Wigley was a pilot, entrepreneur and pioneer of the New Zealand tourism industry....
of Mt Cook airline fame commissioned Bill Hamilton
Bill Hamilton (engineer)
Sir Charles William Feilden Hamilton , commonly known as Bill Hamilton, was a New Zealander who developed the modern jetboat, and founder of what is now the world's leading water jet manufacturing company - CWF Hamilton Ltd .Hamilton never claimed to have invented the jet boat. He once said "I do...
to design and build this lift.
As visitor numbers grew, the field introduced New Zealand's first double then treble chairlifts and in 1994, the second high-speed quad chairlift.
In 2002 the Mount Cook Group
Mount Cook Group
Mount Cook Group, earlier called Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company was a New Zealand tourism and transport operator and former owner of Mount Cook Airline...
sold Coronet Peak and The Remarkables to a consortioum of Queenstown businesspeople, now NZSki Ltd, who also bought Mount Hutt.
For the 2008 season NZSki Ltd invested over $30 million on a new base building and 141 new snow cannons.
The 2009 season opens with new snowmaking equipment, new piste groomers, and a dedicated children's lift.
The 2010 season sees the Meadows double chairlift replaced with a detachable quad chairlift. The lift will feature a self lowering safety bar and child friendly restraints.
External links
Powderhounds.com Coronet Peak reviews