Coronet Peak, a ski field near Queenstown in New Zealand, has opened early this season thanks to a new $2 million snow-making machine. The machine is the first of its kind in the South Island and has been making large piles of ice crystals for nearly a month.
The machine has been running almost all day and night to help create enough snow for the ski field to open weeks ahead of schedule. Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr said the technology had made a big difference. He said it helped the ski field open earlier, train staff sooner and give workers more time on the job.
Coronet Peak already has about 230 snow guns, more than any other ski area in the Southern Hemisphere. Kerr said snowmaking has been important to the ski field for many years. He explained that snowmaking helped turn Coronet Peak from a short four to six week season into a much longer season of about 20 weeks.
The early opening has also helped Queenstown begin its winter events sooner, including a new winter festival. Whakapapa ski area in the North Island also opened on the same day, and ski leaders said technology would be important for the future. The southern ski fields hope to open fully next month, with more natural snow still expected.
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