Snowboarding And Skiing Guide To Cardrona, New Zealand
Updated on 22nd July 2021.
I loved writing this guide because Cardrona is one of our favourite ski resorts in New Zealand because of its size and varied terrain. And it has just got a whole lot bigger with the addition of their first chair into the Soho Basin, the Willow’s Quad! Cardrona is located on the South Island of New Zealand, in the Otago Region, between Queenstown and Wanaka.
MOUNTAIN STATS
Base Area Elevation: 1670m
Highest Lifted Point: 1860m
Vertical Rise: 600m
Skiable Area: 400 hectares
Terrain: 25% beginner / 25% intermediate / 30% advanced / 20% expert
Lifts: 1 Express Chondola (8 seater gondola cabins & 6 seater chairs), 2 high-speed quad chairs, 2 fixed quad chairs, 1 T-bar, 3 surface conveyor lifts
Average snowfall: 2.9 metres per annum plus snowmaking
Operating Hours: 08:30 to 16:00
SOME LOVELY CORDUROY
Getting TO cardrona
A little further from Queenstown compared to Coronet Peak or The Remarkables but it's definitely worth the drive. And if you’re staying in Wanaka, it’s very close. Give yourself about 70 mins to get there from Queenstown or 35 mins from Wanaka. Oh, and don’t forget most Cardrona lift passes will work at Treble Cone too, which is about 40 mins from Wanaka.
As with most roads in the region, the drive is super scenic - particularly from Queenstown where you will drive across the Crown Ranges. If this is your first time, give yourself some extra time because you'll want to take a photo or two along the way.
Always check the snow report before leaving so that you are aware of the road conditions and whether you need to carry chains with you. During severe weather, it is common for the Crown Range Road to close so stay safe and check the report before you go! If the Crown Ranges are shut, you can still get to Cardrona from Queenstown via Cromwell and Wanaka. So don't dismiss it on a great powder day - just give yourself an extra 20-30 mins for the journey through Cromwell.
The last part of the journey to Cardrona Alpine Resort is via a gravel road that stretches about 12kms from the intersection of Cardrona Valley Road. If you don't feel like driving the gravel road, free shuttles have been introduced for 2021 as part of their green & sustainability initiatives (more on this later). These leave from the Pine Trees car park (there are no pine trees in it!), about 1km up from the Cardrona Valley Road. They encourage carpooling and the top car parks nearest to the resort are reserved for cars with 3 or more people.
If you don't have a car, Cardrona operates a bus service from Queenstown, Arrowtown and Wanaka direct to the resort.
Accommodation
Cardrona is the only commercial ski resort in New Zealand that offers ski-in-ski-out. Prices are really quite reasonable considering the convenience of ski-in-ski-out and there are 15 apartments available in 3 different configurations so there will be something to suit no matter how big or small your group is. Check them out here.
Close by there are plenty of options too. Consider staying in the Cardrona township for a very relaxed, out-of-the-way stay.
If you don't mind travelling a little further, you'll be spoilt for choice in Wanaka or Queenstown.
Lift Passes
Cardrona offers half day (either 08:30-12:30 or 12:30-16:00), full day and discounted multi day lift passes. Additional discounts are given for children and seniors. Those under 6 years old and over 75 years old ski for FREE! They also have a discounted learner's pass which we think is brilliant as so many beginners will only stay on the learner’s area for the first day or so. The learner's pass gives access to the conveyor lifts as well as one ride up the chondola at any time during the day.
You can purchase a lift pass from any of Cardrona's three ticket offices:
On mountain at Cardrona
Queenstown at 37 Camp Street
Wanaka at 20 Helwick Street
Make sure you activate your pass online so that you can keep track of all of your on mountain stats! If you are planning on skiing or snowboarding at Cardrona for more than 12 days, then definitely check out the season pass. And if you’re organised and looking to book your ski holiday early, the early bird season pass is worth exploring as it saves you almost 50% over the standard season pass (you pay it off in less than 6 days of riding).
As a season pass holder, you’re entitled to some pretty cool perks too - all the details can be found on Cardrona's season pass page. Your unlimited season pass will work at Treble Cone too - if you want some big mountain riding or skiing, you’ve got to visit TC!
Oh and if you happen to be lucky enough to extend your winter adventure into summer, Cardrona offers one of the best mountain bike parks in New Zealand (XC and DH). You can actually get a combined summer/winter season pass if you're so inclined – something I’ve done for past two seasons! It’s definitely worth a summer visit.
SHENANIGANS AT THE VISTA BAR!
Sustainability Initiatives
As far as ski resorts are concerned, Cardrona is at the forefront of trying to reduce its carbon footprint. They've identified two areas requiring significant change from a sustainability perspective – waste and transport.
Waste - no single-use cups or cutlery, no PET plastic bottles, and no land-fill bins. Cardrona won't be selling any items in their food and beverage outlets that have packaging that needs to go to landfill and rubbish bins are replaced by recycling and compost stations. If you bring packaging up to the mountain that can’t be recycled, reused, or composted, you need to take it home with you!
Transport - whereas other New Zealand ski resorts charge for shuttles from the bottom of their access roads, Cardrona offers free shuttles to facilitate the reduction of single-vehicle use. Carpooling is encouraged and you’ll need 3 or more to park at the top car parks. Their fleet of buses are mostly brand new Isuzu FTR750 with Euro Tier V engines and diesel particulate diffusing exhausts. The emissions per passenger are roughly one-third of that of a car or van.
Food and Facilities
If you're hungry, thirsty, or need a caffeine fix, Cardrona has you covered. With 8 different areas to grab a drink or a bite to eat, you'll have plenty of options around the mountain which is pretty impressive for a New Zealand ski resort. And Cardrona really strives to offer something for everyone, with their vegan and gluten-free options as good, if not better, than anywhere you’ll find in Queenstown or Wanaka.
Base Cafe - in the main base building, offering pies, sandwiches and daily Mountain Meals.
Base Bar - next to the Base Cafe. Apart from the obvious (BTW, the coffee is good here!), they have breakfast and lunch options.
The Mezz - upstairs from the Base Cafe. Head here if you want table service and a restaurant feel.
Noodle Cafe - just over from the Base Cafe in Bob the Builder building. One of our favourites for a well priced and good sized lunch meal.
The Lounge - a very relaxed area next to the base building, overlooking McDougall's Chondola. Sit out the front on a blue bird day and enjoy a wine, craft beer or deli-style bites.
Vista Bar - want to enjoy a sensational view while sipping your coffee or Mumm Champagne? Head to the Vista Bar at the top of McDougall's Chondola - fancy, fancy!
Captain's Pizzeria - at the base of Captain's chair. Apart from pizza, you'll find pies, chips, ice cream and other goodies. Great coffee here too!
Little Meg Cafe - an outdoor cafe at the base of Valley View chair. Offers snacks, coffee and beer.
There's a good tuning centre too, next to the ski rental area. They have a $25 deal, which gets you a hot wax and free coffee at Base Bar. A great way to the get the gear back to its best while you get your caffeine fix.
Oh, and the newly renevated Cardrona shop has plenty of options if you need to update your gear to the latest and greatest, or if you've simply forgotten your gloves back in your hotel room!
DELICIOUS EATS AT THE BASE BAR
Around The Mountain
With a mixture of express and fixed chairlifts, getting around Cardrona (or 'Cards' or 'Cardy' as locals call it) is pretty quick and easy. There are 2 main areas – the front side serviced by the McDougall's Chondola and the Whitestar and Valley View chairs. The backside is serviced by the Captain's chair. And as mentioned earlier, new for 2021, Soho Basin is serviced by Willow’s Quad. With 2 major valleys and awesome terrain parks, there's plenty of variety to keep everyone happy!
For the beginners and novices, there's a covered magic carpet out the front of the base building. You can also access two green runs - Weston's Trail and Skyline, from the Chondola. Captain's also offers a green run, A Real Journey, but there's a fair amount of cat-track traversing involved getting there and back, which tends not to be a favourite for the novice!
If you're intermediate to advanced, you'll have so many options. If your legs are feeling up to it, you can take Upper Goldrush/Goldrush from the top of Whitestar Express to the bottom of Valley View and experience one of the longer runs of any NZ ski resort. Apart from these, our other favourite 'groomers' are over at Captain's - look to do some nice wide carving on Eagle Rock and Highway '89.
When there's some recent fresh snow around, and you're looking for something a bit more challenging, our favourites are the Arcadia and Secret Chutes - some hiking might be required but only for 5 or so minutes. We've also had plenty of fun in Arcadia Valley and Powder Keg too. Arcadia Chutes, Arcadia Valley and Powder Keg are accessed via Whitestar and the Secret Chute via Captain's Express Quad.
A 10 MINUTE HIKE FROM THE TOP OF CAPTAIN'S REWARDS YOU WITH THIS VIEW AND FRESH LINES
Have I mentioned the parks? If you want to go big, drop into Big Bucks Park, rated XL! And if you're not quite XL status, Stag Lane and Antlers Alley will still offer you more than enough challenges. You can boost your confidence before hitting the medium and big terrain park features by heading over to Lil' Bucks Park.
Gravity X is Cardrona's boardercross track – great way to earn bragging rights if you beat your mates to the end of the course!
There are not many half pipes in NZ but Cardrona offers 2 – the Olympic Superpipe and the International Halfpipe. If your riding buddies are Travis Rice or Mark McMorris, you might want to check out 'Big Air' - an 85ft monster jump right next to the Superpipe. Way beyond this old blogger's abilities or kahuna's...
So it probably comes as no surprise why we find Cardrona one of our favourite places to ride in NZ. A trip to Queenstown is not complete without heading up to Cards for a few turns or hits. Being a fairly spread-out, largish mountain (in NZ terms), you can have a great time exploring. We've had many an awesome day riding with a large crew and everyone always comes away impressed with what Cards has to offer. Make the 70-minute journey – you won't be disappointed!
YEP, WE LOVE CARDRONA!
And on the way home, make sure you stop in at the iconic Cardrona Hotel. Established in 1863, you can't miss it with the old car sitting out the front. A beautiful beer garden with fires to keep you warm, great food and drink options and a rustic charm makes it a must-do experience. Definitely a favourite of ours to have a mulled wine and relive those ride stories of the day!
Have you been to Cardrona and want to share something about your best days there? Do you have a favourite run you want to let the world know about? Or do you have any questions? If so, please leave a comment below.
Happy riding!
Mick
Save this on Pinterest! Just hover over the image below and click the Pin It Button.
Mick is a lover of speed runs and hitting every feature on the mountain. Ex road bike and motocross racer with plans to dabble in mountain bike racing. Spends a lot of time looking at fast cars and bikes. Jen’s instagram model and selfie camera holder due to long arms. Sometimes an optometrist.
