Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Coronet Peak that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Coronet Peak stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Coronet Peak review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Coronet Peak
Total (3.0)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
Group and private ski lessons are just waste of your time and money.
We had another day in cardrona and instructor was much better and helpful.
Michael Clark
I'm a local that uses the first tracks pass to the full. I am grateful that the younger crowd don't.
Last season was the warmest winter on record, yet, we still had the best ski conditions any of the oldies can remember. The snow guns went 24/7 for 10 days and the fluffy super dry stuff floated all over the whole mountain.
This mountain is not geared for the snow boarders, they are better serviced at Remarkables, yet the few super keen ( expert) boarders that are there all the time love the place. The Russian snow board team was here two seasons ago ripping up the racing course.
The Aussie skiers comment all the time that snow conditions here are much better than at home. So if you are in for some fun this seems to be the field for the intermediate to advanced skier. As a learner the field is designed to be beginner friendly, but the queues do seem to get big at times. You hear people say that Cardrona has better lift capacity, but I only have heard comments.
The best time to Ski Coronet peak is from 8am to 10am have a break for an hour and then rip into it again while everyone is having Coffees and burgers.
Chris Miller
We decided to have a skiing / snowboarding holiday in New Zealand and decided on Queenstown as our destination. We flu to Christchurch and drove the 7 long hours across the Southern Alps to reach Queenstown. The drive in its self was a challenge with snow blizzards and black ice on the roads. We had to stop a few times to fit wheel chains to the car, but it added to the adventure.
Queenstown itself is an excellent town to stay; our group stayed in the Oak Shores Apartments looking onto Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range. The bars and nighlife is excellent.
Ski resorts in New Zealand are different to the ones in Europe in the way that you have to drive to the ski fields. Coronet Peak is the closest ski field to Queenstown (about 30 mins drive) and is the easiest to access.
Once at the car park, you are collected by a bus which takes you to the base station. The base station is large and modern consisting of a large bar, ticketing offices, café and restaurant and members lounge.
The resort has one 6 seater express lift, a slow quad chair lift, a twin chain lift and a T-bar (also 2 magic carpets on the nursery slopes)
The wholes area is covered by snow making machines so fresh power was present every morning we visited. The resort is suited to all abilities but the green slopes and nursery were extremely busy with up to a 30 min wait to get on the lifts.
My personal favourite run at Coronet Peak is the Pro Am (Black slope). The run was virtually deserted with loads of wide open space and great snow to create some tracks.
The average wait to get on the lifts was about 15mins so expect a wait.
They also do night skiing on a Friday and Saturday night. This was my best time skiing in New Zealand. Only the Quad and twin chair lifts were open (and the nursery slopes) but the area was very quite which made it a great experience. Around 75% of the runs were open with flood lights illuminating up the runs.
The bar and restaurant were open for drinks and food, and open fires were lit outside on the terraces. You are allowed to take your own alcohol and food so I would recommend you to catch the bus from Queenstown and make the most of it.
Live music was playing on the terrace which made the atmosphere really good. I would also recommend that you catch the chair lift to the summit and wait for the sunset over Queenstown. The views were amazing.
Summary – I really enjoyed Coronet Peak. For a advanced skier, you have loads of great runs to choose from. If you are going to Coronet Peak to learn, I would recommend The Remarkables. Coronet Peak was just too busy.
If you have the chance to go night skiing, Do it!!!!!
Queensland Skier
CP is the closet resort to Queenstown which is good because there is a great nightlife there and plenty of activities to enjoy. Accommodation is no problem in Queenstown, then just drive up to the mountain each morning.
It is a fun mountain to play with a reliable snowbase due to the advanced snow-making capabilities CP has, however CP often cops a fair bit of pre-frontal rain which stops the snowbase growing. Over the last 8 years (2000-2008 * inclusive) their snowbase has only been above 100cm in three seasons (2008 + 2006 + 2004) in 2004 the snowbase reached the 100cm mark but did not exceed it.
There is terrain for everyone including the more advanced skiers as well (the backbowls).
If you get bored of CP there is the Remarkables nearby to shred as well!
This is a great feild, I would recomend it anybody. It has terrain for everybody. It has more snow machines than any other resort in the queenstown/wanaka area so it stays snowy longer. The chair lifts have no lines and they are very fast. It gets more sun than all the other resorts in the area so the snows hardly ever icy.
Coronet Peak is my local mountain and it has something for everyone whether it be first timers or seasoned pros. The terrain is so much fun, hidden gullies and natural halfpipes - on a powder day you can ski a new line every run. A new beginner slope and carpet for 2007 means there'll be much more space for learners and the expanse of intermediate terrain makes progression to the next level fun and varied. First tracks (8am-9am) and night skiing (Fridays and Saturdays until 9pm) means Coronet offers longer hours than any other resort in the country. Just 25mins drive from the awesome resort town of Queenstown means you can do heaps of other activities too if your legs need a rest from the slopes!
Coronet Peak is the local's mountain. Queenstown and Arrowtown residents sneak up here pre work for a quick schuss on the best variety of terrain for all levels in the South Island of New Zealand. The mountain is opening a new extended beginners area for 07.
It's lower altitude means it can get hard packed and icy but the mountain has an extensive snow making network meaning coverage is guaranteed. The US Ski team use CP to train during their off season.
The transition from beginners to intermediate and advanced terrain is easy and those wanting a challenge will enjoy the back bowl but be prepared to hike.
There's a day lodge at the top of the tarred access road and the base of the ski field and the mountain is definitely family friendly as this is where most of the locals kids learn to ski. Night skiing is also open on a Saturday night.
A twenty to twenty five minute easy drive from Queenstown with views across to the Remarkables.
Stay in one of Queenstown's 270 acccommodation options. When the lift closes head to the intimate bars of Queenstown in the back cobbled lanes with open fires. There are over 120 licensed establishments in one square kilometre.
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