Snowboarding And Skiing At Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand
Originally published in June 2016 and updated in August 2021.
Coronet Peak is one of the most popular ski resorts in New Zealand due to its proximity to Queenstown and varied terrain. Once you park the car or get off the bus, you’re graced with an incredible view back to Queenstown, The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu, and out over the Crown Range. And then you turn around and take in the open, rolling terrain and get very excited with what’s about to happen!
NZSki, who own Coronet Peak, Mt Hutt and The Remarkables, have made significant upgrades to Coronet Peak ski field over the past few years which has really improved this already fun mountain. With the large, modern base building, two 6-seater express chair lifts (Coronet Express, which includes gondola cabins, and Greengates), an express chair and three conveyors (a.k.a magic carpets) in the beginners’ area, plus a T-bar to access even more gnarly terrain, it's easy to see why Coronet Peak is so popular.
MOUNTAIN STATS
Elevation: 1649m, 462m vertical drop
Skiable Area: 280 hectares
Lifts: 2 high-speed six-seater chairs (one with gondola cabins), 1 high-speed quad chair, 1 T-bar, 3 conveyor lifts
Average snowfall: 2.03 metres per annum (excl. snowmaking)
Snowmaking: 217 snow guns. Extensive coverage top to bottom
Operating Hours: 9am to 4pm. You can purchase a 'First Tracks' upgrade which allows you to ride from 8am (excellent on those pow days!)
Night Skiing: 4pm to 9pm Wed, Fri & Sat
Terrain: 32% beginner / 41% intermediate / 27% advanced
GETTING TO CORONET PEAK
Coronet Peak is located on the South Island of New Zealand, in the Otago Region. It is easily accessible from Queenstown via a sealed road and the journey from the Queenstown town centre is only 20 minutes. Of all the New Zealand ski field access roads, it’s easily the least daunting, offering a sealed road all the way to the car parks (the only New Zealand ski field to do so), wide and not particularly steep roads. In contrast, The Remarkables is a different kettle of fish entirely!
Tip: Winter Driving In New Zealand
Coronet Peak is 16km (20 minutes) from Queenstown centre, and about 23km (28 minutes) from Frankton and the airport.
If you don't have a car, the Ski Bus running from Queenstown starts early, runs regularly to the mountain, and has many pick-up points along the route to Coronet Peak. See below for all the pick-up points.
NZSKI SKI BUS PICK-UP LOCATIONS
ACCOMMODATION
Coronet Peak ski field doesn’t offer any ski-in-ski-out or on-field accommodation but there are plenty of accommodation options in Queenstown and Frankton.
LIFT PASSES
As NZSki operates Coronet Peak, Mt Hutt (approx. 2 hrs from Christchurch), and The Remarkables ski fields, a season pass is available that will cover all these mountain resorts. If you’re planning a New Zealand ski holiday and intend to ski or snowboard for more than 7 days, it makes sense to get the early bird season pass (around $700 at the time of writing compared to a single day pass of $139 or a 3-day+ multiday pass at $99 per day). For a detailed up-to-date price list, visit the NZSki website. And there are other benefits of purchasing a season pass, including adding a ‘First Tracks’ pass so you can access the fresh pow from 8am. See all the benefits here.
You can prepurchase your lift ticket in Queenstown at the NZSki Snow Centre at 25 Shotover Street or if you already have a pass, jump online to recharge. It’s nice to be prepared rather than line up with everyone else at the ticket booth on the mountain.
FOOD AND FACILITIES
The main base building is where most of the action happens. On the lower level, you’ll find a well-stocked retail shop (which offers a 10% discount for season pass holders), ticket booths, guest services, storage lockers and the rental department.
The upper level is where you eat and drink. There are 3 areas you can choose your food from, including the cafe which has great coffee and freshly made treats. There are very large areas to sit, both inside and out.
And then there is Heidi’s Hut. A rustic little hut holding all the atmosphere of ski fields of yesteryear, serving great coffee, snacks and lunch. Located at the base of the T-bar, it definitely feels a little out-of-the-way. And for the ultimate snow dining experience, Coronet Peak sometimes offers dinner at Heidi’s Hut. Check the Coronet Peak website to see if dinners are running. Tip: The only way back to the main resort is via the T-bar, so make sure you are comfortable riding one!
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO SKI AND SNOWBOARD AT CORONET PEAK?
Coronet Peak caters for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, from an excellent beginners area off to looker's right, to challenging Back Bowls which are for experts only and is accessed from Coronet Express. Coronet Peak is known for its great groomed, rolling runs. When there is a little fresh around, the mountain transforms as you can pretty much ride anywhere. Unlike other close-by New Zealand snow resorts, Coronet has tussock grass under the snow pack (instead of schist!) so you can go a little wild on a powder day! Head into the Back Bowls and hidden gems like Walk About, when the snow pack allows.
And how about night skiing in Queenstown? Well Coronet Peak is the only New Zealand ski resort to offer night skiing (on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays). And the amount of snow terrain that's lit up is pretty decent too!
We've had some awesome days at Coronet Peak, riding pow one day and carving fun groomers the next. There are minimal flat areas (snowboarders will love this!), and there's plenty of varied and easily-accessible terrain, from wide-open groomed runs, steep black runs and challenging off-piste slopes.
If the snow has been a bit light in the Queenstown area, you'll be happy to know that Coronet Peak has excellent snow cannon coverage, probably the best of all the New Zealand ski resorts. Man-made snow is not as good as natural powder but it's a whole lot better than riding on ice or rocks!
If you're looking for varied all-mountain skiing and snowboarding, Coronet Peak is an excellent choice. There is a caveat - for those who like to spend a decent amount of time in the terrain park, your options will be quickly exhausted at Coronet Peak. You'll need to head over to The Remarkables or Cardrona if you want to hit some challenging terrain park features.
SPECIAL MEMORIES AT CORONET PEAK QUEENSTOWN NZ
Coronet Peak has a super special memory for us as we had our 'wedding waltz' here. Well, I use wedding waltz in the loosest sense of the term - we actually rode down from the top of Greengates in our wedding attire, after being dropped off via helicopter!
And apart from that very special time, we've ridden Coronet Peak many, many times and we can personally vouch for the fun that can be had on this mountain. And with it only being 20 mins from Queenstown, it's an easy choice to make when you're not in the mood for a long drive.
One thing to keep in mind, Coronet Peak is at a fairly low altitude so on warmer days the base can get a bit slushy. It can also be subject to thaw/freeze so if it’s warm during the day and freezing at night, be prepared for a hard morning. And if it has been raining in Queenstown, and the temps are not that low, you may want to consider driving to higher altitude snow resorts like Cardrona, Remarks or Treble Cone instead. Always check the snow report first!
Check out Coronet Peak's Webcams HERE.
Have you been to Coronet Peak and want to share some insight? Or do you have any questions? If so please leave a comment below. (Make sure you click on 'subscribe via e-mail' to be notified when we write back).
Happy riding!
Mick
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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.
