and let me know if you would come and have a look at this angle of Cardrona if we put it on LiveCam status.
Situated half an hour up the Cardrona valley from Lake Wanaka, Cardrona was the brainchild of that mercurial Otago farmer John Lee. He has now moved to greener pastures, across the valley actually, but his legacy lives on.
There are two quad chairs,a double chair and the beginners area with the clever magic carpet. Cardrona prides itself on its lack of snow making ( Naturally Better ) which can be a bit of a problem in bad snow years. Cardrona also boasts New Zealand's only ski field apartment accommodation. Get a group of friends together and be the first up the lift in the morning.
Snow Boarders are well looked after with pipes, terrain parks and an extreme boarder cross course. Events during the year include the NZ Nationals, Snowboard Masters, NZ Extreme Snow Boarding Challenge and the Quicksilver Boardriderz. That ought to keep you busy! Other events scheduled for Cardrona include the NZ Free Skiing Champs ( this used to be called the Extreme Skiing champs which is a bit of an oxymoron for a field with terrain like Cardrona ) and the NZ Disabled Champs.
Cardrona is renowned for its feel good factor, especially for an intermediate or beginner that needs that confidence boost. Cardrona makes you feel like you can ski alongside Claudia Reigler in the next Olympics. The terrain is even, trails well groomed and their are no surprises. The gripes - well the weather would have to be a bit suspect with what seems to be more than their fair share of wind and bad visibility.
The staff have always been that little bit more friendly and personal at Cardrona, must be all those Moro bars.
Vital stastics
| Lifts | 2 quad chairs |
| 1 double chair |
| beginners lifts |
| magic carpet |
Cardrona Prices
| Day Lift Pass | Half Day Pass |
| Adult | $57 | $41 |
| Student | $47 | $37 |
| Senior | $29 | - |
| Child | $28 | $22 |