Mt Hutt celebrates busiest day in 10 seasons after fresh snowfall and bluebird skies
Mt Hutt ski field in New Zealand recorded its busiest day in a decade following a significant winter storm that provided excellent snow conditions. Despite the congestion, the resort is optimistic about a long and successful ski season after a slow start.
Why it matters
This highlights the economic impact of weather patterns on the regional tourism and winter sports industry.
Canterbury’s Mt Hutt had its busiest day in a decade on Friday, following a slow start to the season.
More than 10,000 people hit the slopes over the three-day Matariki weekend, with around a metre of fresh snow and three pristine bluebird days helping set the new attendance record.
General manager James McKenzie said the conditions were some of the best they’ve seen at Mt Hutt for years.
“Really great coverage right across the entire ski field.
“All our off-piste terrain was open, as well as all of our trails in the basin; that’s a great place to be at this time of year.”
“We call it wall-to-wall, top-to-bottom skiing and riding.”
McKenzie said that with that many people shredding, “it’s also very congested, so not the sort of day we want a lot of, but we do our best to cope”.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in