Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is a club skifield

Club skifield

In New Zealand, a club skifield is a small ski resort run by a ski club to provide affordable skiing to its members. While members of the public can ski, members of the club receive heavily discounted rates, in exchange for a yearly membership fee and usually several days of voluntary work...

 in the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

 of 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...

's South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

, about east 104km from Christchurch

Christchurch

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...

. Catering only to intermediate and advanced skiers, it features a vertical range of 1308—1811 m, 600 hectares of skiable area and 3 fast rope tows. The resort has several ski lodges but no gear hire. It is also the base for ski touring

Ski touring

Ski touring is a form of backcountry skiing involving traveling over the winter landscape on skis under human power rather than through the assistance of ski lifts or snow vehicles. It can take place in terrain ranging from perfectly flat to extremely steep...

 expeditions when conditions permit. It is immediately adjacent to the Broken River Ski Area

Broken River Ski Area

Broken River is a club skifield in South Island, New Zealand. Run by the Broken River Ski Club, it is located at about 110 km from Christchurch. It claims to often have the longest ski season anywhere in Australasia...

, with which it shares a ski pass system. Skiing between the two is possible with some skinning involved.

Craigieburn has two accommodation lodges, the main Koroheke lodge which has comfortable 6 bed dorm rooms and Matuhi which has private rooms. Through the winter there are many ski and accommodation package options as well as a ski week system, where people come and stay for a Sunday to Saturday week. Duties are shared between staff and guests and, while there is a cook and a manager, light duties are normally done by guests. This is the nature of most club fields in New Zealand. There is also a bar in Koroheke lodge, the normal meeting place after a day on the field. The services available during the day are at the day lodge located near the top of the mountain. There you can find hot food options and fresh coffee, and it is a warm spot to stop off with a great view of the ski area.

Craigieburn is internationally famous for its steep terrain, 55% rated as advanced and Infamous Ski Instructor Sophie Norton. There is no grooming and the hiking and ski touring options are excellent, including Middle Basin, a 600m open bowl back to the access road, commonly compared to heli-skiing. Hamilton Peak is a popular spot, giving the skier access to the upper Hamilton face. The trip to the Broken River ski field lift system can be accomplished from Hamilton Peak without any further assent. There are also many backcountry and touring options past Middle Basin into North Middle, True North basins and Mt Manson.

External links

• Craigieburn Valley Ski Area