Your insider's Guide to Skiing in Queenstown

Queenstown’s two ski fields - The Remakables and Coronet Peak - truly do have something for everyone regardless of their ability. Which is why it’s the perfect snow holiday destination for family or friend groups with a mix of skill levels. Queenstown is the perfect place to learn to ski as well as gain qualification points for the Freeride World Tour or World Cup race circuit. What’s more the apres ski scene is absolutley unbeatable in Queenstown, with countless bars, cafes, and restaurants in the centre of town. There’s nothing else like it in the Southern Hemisphere.

Outside Sports have been the ‘go-to store’ for skiers and snowboarders in Queenstown since we first opened our doors in 1996 at the top of the Mall. Like our Wanaka crew all our Queenstown ski staff are very experienced international skiers who know what works best on our local mountains. It’s our aim to make every day on the mountain one to remember – in the best possible way. 

From Christchurch International Airport you can look forward to a drive of a bit over six hours at an easy pace with short rest stops. You can also expect to be totally blown away by the scenery along the way, especially if you take the inland scenic route through Methven coastal route between Christchurch and Geraldine. It’s about 45 minutes longer overall, but the scenery is well worth it. 

From Tarras you can either turn off to Wanaka and drive over the Crown Range to Queenstown or go through Cromwell. The views at the Crown Range summit via Wanaka and the Cardrona Valley road are incredible, but going that way will add another 90 minutes to your total travel - and it is often very icy and can be closed by snow in winter. Most people come the quicker way through Cromwell and the Kawerau Gorge, where you can stop off at AJ Hackett for a bungy jump on the way!  

The closest ski resort to Wanaka is Coronet Peak which you can expect to get to in about 40 minutes – unless you need to stop to to put on tyre chains. Note - you must carry chains in your vehicle at all times if you plan to drive up the mountain. And you should practice putting them on and taking them off as few times in the carpark at your accommodation BEFORE you head to the ski field. 

The Remarkables has a much longer mountain road and realistically it will take you over an hour from your door in Central Queenstown to get to the carparking zones. On busy days you can expect it to be quite a lot longer because everyone has the same idea. 

Skifield buses from Queenstown and Frankton are a VERY good option and highly recommended if you want to minimise stress and the walk to the base building. 

Coronet and The Remarkables both have well maintained roads that are suitable for normal cars. Coronet is sealed all the way and the Remarkables is mainly well graded gravel. However both can be steep in parts, and there are sharp corners to navigate, and long drop offs next to the road – with no safety barriers. This type of driving freaks some people out, especially if it's slippery. Chains might also be required to be fitted - even if your vehicle is 4WD or AWD. You must have practiced putting on your chains before you tackle the mountain road - and must have them with you at all times.

If you’re not highly confident driving this type of road we suggest taking a shuttlebus. You can jump on a free bus at the bottom of the access roads, but you might have to queue up for a seat, or you can book and pay for a bus that will whisk you in stress-free comfort all the way from Queenstown.

Coronet Peak has three chairs (two sixes and quad) and a T-Bar. From left to right looking up the mountain you have the Greengates Six, the Coronet Express six directly outside the base building, then just down to the right there’s the Meadows quad, and further out to the right is the T-Bar.

The jewel in the Remarkables Crown is the Shadow Basin six which serves some of the best freeride terrain in New Zealand. This lift was brand new for the 2025 season and expanded the lift-served area at the skifield significantly. The base station of this lift is just off to the right of the base building. In front of the base building is the Curvey Basin six and a little to the left is the Sugar Bowl six. The Alta chair is also near the central of the ski field but starts a little above the base station at the top of the magic carpet in the beginners area. With all the lifts converging in a small area the base building deck is the perfect place to rendezvous with family and friends.

The carparks at both mountains can fill-up quickly during holidays and weekends. So if you want to get into the top parks near the base buildings and avoid a long trudge up the hill you’ll need to be there very early – like 6.30 am early at The Remarkables in particular! If you have young kids taking a shuttle might be the easiest option, because you get dropped off right outside the doors of the base buildings. 

Both mountains have large base cafes with amazing coffee and a big food selection. You can buy alcohol, too. The large outside deck areas at both ski resorts are lovely places to hang out on sunny days, especially at Coronet Peak, which basks in all day sun.  

You can rent gear on both mountains, but we highly recommend hiring in Queenstown before you head up the mountain. It’s less stressful and the quality of rental ski and boarding gear we have at Outside Sports is far superior. We tune and wax our gear after every rental. 

The Remarkables has a wide choice of terrain from wide open gentle learner slopes to world-class steep chutes that challenge and excite even the pros. Because the Remarkables is in a basin with a very well integrated lift system you can range around the whole ski field easily and match your run to how you’re feeling. Want a challenge? Head up the Shadow Basin to the Alta Chutes. Need to give your legs a rest? Just cruise the easy groomers off the Curvey Basin or Sugar Bowl chairs.

The snow quality at the Remarkables is variable, like all resorts in New Zealand. In the middle of winter it can be icy, and in spring the north west facing aspect means the snow softens quickly from late morning. If you’re lucky enough to time your visit for the day or two after a snow storm rolls through, then you might get to enjoy some of the champagne powder that locals live for.

There are also large backcountry areas known as the Doolans and the Wye Basin which are accessible from the skifield - most easily using Curvey Basin or Sugarbowl lifts and crossing the ridge. But be careful out there they are unpatrolled and ungroomed, however plans are afoot to link the main skifeld with the Doolans via a tunnel and to add another lift out there.

Coronet Peak is a lot lower in elevation compared to the Remarkables and Cardrona and its snow quality can suffer a bit from that. However the entire field is covered by a very comprehensive snowmaking network so natural snow gets nightly top ups from the human-made variety. Because Coronet is mostly about skiing on the trails this isn’t too much of an issue for most visitors. However there are still exciting pockets of challenging steep terrain that can be skied when the snowpack has had time to accumulate through the season. Dreamy powder days are not unknown either, and when they happen several times a season the skiing and boarding at Coronet is unforgettable.

Coronet also offers night skiing several days a week.

Say you come to Queenstown and plan to ski at both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak and only want to have one ski. Something around 80 to 90mm underfoot with decent rocker will give you the versatility you need to cover most conditions from hardpacked groomed trails to medium falls of powder. 

If you’re planning to target the steeper freeride terrain at The Remarkables then a wider ski from 100 to 110cm underfoot would be a useful addition to your ski quiver. It’ll also be more fun on powder days, in soft spring snow, and the days after snowfalls when off-piste runs can still be lots of fun.  

If you’re here and we get a dump of fresh snow you can always rent pow skis from us at Outside Sports – they're called the heli skis in our online rental booking system. Check out our ski rentals here. 

Coronet Peak is primarily a mountain for skiing on the trails and occasionally heading to exciting pockets of off-piste terrain when the conditions allow it.  On the trails, Coronet snow can be hard and even a bit icy in places when there are cold conditions. For that reason choosing an on-piste orientated ski of 70 to 80mm underfoot with a long camber and not too much rocker tend will lead to the most fun for most skiers at Coronet – but if you want to include the Remarkable in your visit to Queenstown you could go a little bit wider with more rocker to open up more of the mountain to you. 

Outside Sports Queenstown Shotover Street store is the biggest and best outdoor adventure and snow sports store in Australasia, where you can see all the world's top ski hardware and apparel brands all in one place. Contact us here.