All you need to know about the top New Zealand snow-sport resorts

Queenstown in New Zealand's South Island has enough adrenaline coursing through its picturesque streets to give a buzz to the entire town. There are so many thrilling activities to choose from in any season. But my main reason for crossing the Tasman was to learn to ski. My first glance of the magnificent snow-toppped mountains from the plane left me with no doubt as to why New Zealand's South Island is a favourite amongst Alpine adventurers.

Sensational snow
There are a handful of alpine resorts in the region spoiling snow enthusiasts for choice. Since I was a complete beginner and my partner heading towards intermediate, we opted for the centres that catered for the entire spectrum of skill levels. Here are our impressions:

Coronet Peak      Cardrona       Remarkables

Coronet Peak

Style Rating: The Aspen of South Island. Think mugs of spicy gluhwein and designer ski gear. Who should ski here: Those who like a bit of sophistication sprinkled in with their skiing would love Coronet Peak. The resort caters for all levels of skiers and snowboarders and has a kids zone making it family-friendly. Getting here: Coronet Peak boasts the best mountain road in the region. It's paved all the way and it takes under 30 minutes to get to the top from Queenstown. We took the bus from the Snow Centre, which makes the trip even more convenient. Its easy access gives this resort an extra 10 bonus points, making it my favourite ski centre on the South Island. The Snow: Pristine snow conditions. On the day we visited, it had snowed two weeks back but with the highly advanced snow making facilities, we couldn't tell. The trails were beautifully covered with soft new flakes making it a pleasure to ski here. The resort has over 200 automatically operated snow machines meaning that come rain or shine, there's always fluffy snow on the trails. Beginner's View: I joined a group lesson in the morning and the afternoon. The first-timer lessons were packed - with three classes of about 15 people in each. While I spent more time standing around than skiing, it was a relief to see that there were skiers worse than me. Our American instructor taught us the basics within the two- hour tutorial and by the end of the day I could reproduce a good enough ski plough to come to a halt. Intermediate view: Coronet Peak offers some excellent long green (easy) runs which I warmed up on in the morning. Best to skip the long queues of the two-seater Meadows Chair and head straight for the express chair to access the spagetthi of blue (intermediate) runs. There was excellent snow coverage throughout the runs with plenty of space to venture off-piste for some variety. Food: Most visitors seem to spend half of their time on the slopes and the other half in the restaurant areas. Coronet Peak has the pick of cafe's with the most magnificent view of the activity on the slopes. I was mesmerised watching through the huge window as the skiers and boarders weaved effortlessly down the mountain. It looked so serene and romantic and a world away from my hesitant attempts at mastering my skis. But I guess you have to start somewhere. My overall impression of ski resort food is pretty dismal. It appears that restaurants cater for people who value their skiing way over their stomachs. The focus is on hearty, filling foods to fuel up for the next session on the slopes. There is a fair selection of meals to choose from at Coronet Peak, with a cafe, Mexican restaurant and self-service cafeteria. But don't get your hopes up for any gourmet revelations. What they do right: The hiring process was trouble free and there were plenty of friendly staff to help me find the right size. Apparently the correct fit of the boot is the most important aspect in mastering a good ski style so spend a bit of time finding the perfect size. The team here are professional and very helpful. It amazed me how huge crowds arriving on the mountain could buy tickets and get kitted up within 15 minutes. Another good thing is that the owners of Coronet (NZ ski) also have a stake in the nearby Remarkables. So we could hire gear on Coronet and return it to the Remarkables. Something to keep in mind is that Coronet Peak is also open in summer offering fantastic mountain biking trails. What could be better: Coronet Peak is one of the most popular resorts in the area with over 3,500 skiers on the slopes the day we visited. During peak times, Coronet Peak can get over 7,500 snow enthusiasts per day. The beginner area was crowded and I spent most of my energy avoiding crashing into fellow learners. Much of the time, my dodging efforts were in vain as I bashed into a group of newbie snowboarders or a renegade skier clutched onto me for balance. The queue for the magic carpet up to the beginner slope was long and I could stand for a nerve wracking 20 minutes before hitching a ride on the travelator. The waiting times for the double chair lift were also too lengthy and each time my partner wanted to try out the green (easy) slopes, he became impatient and instead used the quicker express quad chair. I'm not that great with heights so if it was up to me I would put a six foot steel wall around the mountain to ensure that there was no way that I could ever fall off. In my (slightly phobic) point of view, none of the ski centres I visited had adequate fencing . Most people would probably think I was being ridiculous as the barriers were sturdy enough to prevent any accidents but open enough to allow panoramic views of the scenery. But, I couldn't help directing my skis away from the edge. For the record, nobody else seemed the slightest bit perturbed. Price: New Zealand stands out as a very affordable ski option when comparing lift pass costs to those in Australia. Coronet Peaks' prices are slightly higher than surrounding resorts but it's barely a couple of bucks difference. Expect to pay $93 for an adult day lift pass. More info Coronet Peak is expected to open until 4 October. Visit the Coronet Peak website

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Cardrona, Wanaka

Style Rating: The family friendly ski destination. This has a cheerful, focus-on-fun atmosphere. Who should ski here: This is one of the best resorts for families as it boasts an impressive kids zone ski school as well as daycare for children from the ages of three months to 12 years. It also has a good beginners area and some excellent youth programmes. Getting here: We made the mistake of driving up to Cardrona. If you're a confident 4WD navigator then the curvy gravel mountain road wouldn't prove too challenging. But being infants in the world of off-road, we were wracked with nerves that it would start to snow (we had no clue how to use the wheel chains). Some people even chanced it by driving up in sedans but we passed an unfortunate number of these cars with punctured tyres on the way up. I would recommend catching the Wanaka bus to the ski resort. It takes all the hassle out of the trip. Cardrona is about a 30 minute drive from the gorgeous town of Wanaka and about an hour out of Queenstown. The Snow: Excellent snow conditions. It was a beautiful sunny day when we visited and it was such a joy to play amongst the fluffy flakes under bright blue skies. I even had to derobe some layers as the sun approached midday. The snowmaking facilities are advanced so even if Mother Nature doesn't oblige there's always heaps of the white stuff. Beginner's View: I had a private beginner's lesson at Cardrona. My teacher was patient and good at allaying any of my doubts. While I definitely got more opportunity to ski in a private tutoring environment, I missed having other people in the same boat as me. I would recommend organising a private lesson for a group of friends or for your family. Unfortunately since it was my very first time on ski's I only had time to climb on board the very basic Magic Carpet to ease down a gentle slope. I would definitely like to return to try out the more advanced beginner's terrain. Snowboarder's view: My partner decided to ditch his ski's temporarily to find out what all the big deal is about snowboarding. He joined a beginner's group lesson and they headed to the wide expanse of gently-sloped snow for some practise. The magic carpet and t-bar provided convenient transport back to the top of the hill. After a couple of minor spills, he mastered his linking turns, ending the session on a high note despite the few bruises picked up along the way. The lesson is definitely a must for first-time boarders. Food: There are three places to eat in Cardrona - a casual cafe with a great view, a takeaway cafeteria and a noodle bar. There's also a juice bar for some liquid energy. As in the other ski resorts, there isn't too much to write home about when it comes to the food. It's all about fueling up our bodies with warm wholesome meals What they do right: Since this resort is slightly further out of Queenstown, it's not as popular as Coronet Peak. This is a good thing as Cardrona feels a lot more spacious and open. With only 4,000 skiers on the busiest days, it means that you won't be waiting very long for lifts or ski chairs. I didn't wait at all for my trips on the magic carpet. There was also less chance of colliding with other fellow learners, which makes for an overall more enjoyable skiing experience. There are still throngs of enthusiastic skiers and boarders to add a warm atmosphere to Cardrona but it's much more pleasant having a little more slope to yourself. It was also a pleasure to get ourselves all kitted up here. Very efficient and quick. The staff here are very helpful and friendly. You can see that they love their jobs. I guess getting easy access to some of the world's most scenic snow runs makes for a satisfied employee. It definitely beats an office job. Another good aspect of Cardrona is its proximity to Wanaka, which is one of those charming alpine towns that you would imagine in the movies. It's small enough to navigate without wheels and yet has all the shops and restaurants you would expect from an affluent country town. What could be better: I've already mentioned the road so besides that I can't think of anything else that would stop me from returning. Price: Expect to pay $81 for an adult daily lift pass More info Cardrona's trails will be open until 4 October. Visit the Cardrona website

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Remarkables

Style Rating: More basic facilities give this resort a grassroots style. If you prefer snow without the (often distracting) frills then Remarkables is for you. Who should ski here: Youthful daredevils and families looking for an affordable day out on the slopes. The terrain park and the wide variety of black (difficult) runs at Remarkables have given this resort an edge in the eyes of the advanced skier and boarder. However it has a large beginner area so it's also well fitted out for the new snow sporter. The Kiwi Kids daycare makes this an attractive centre for younger ones. Getting here: It's pretty well known that the road to the Remarkables is hairy. While the owners have invested millions in improving the barricades along the windy gravel mountain pass, it still requires a very slow and careful drive. The company is pushing the bus transport and are hoping that most skiers will opt for this convenient way to get to the resort. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the base of the ski centre from Queenstown. The Snow: It started snowing while we were at Remarkables so nothing can beat the texture of real flakes. However, the resort is well equipped with snow guns to ensure a good coverage of the slopes Skiing and non-skier activity: I must admit that while the beginner area looked very tempting, my muscles needed a rest after two full days of skiing. Being close to the car park, the beginner area is not built for the view but it also means that there weren't any scary drops nearby. There is a wide flattish expanse for beginner skiers and a steeper area for snowboarders, so there's ample room to slide about without crashing. Instead of skiing, we went to check out the tubing park, which is perfect for non-skiers or those who need a break from the slopes. Unfortunately it's not as accessible as I hoped and you need to climb on board a chair lift to get there. This isn't a bad thing though as the view from the aerial travelator is very special. Once off the chair, it's a short clamber through the snow to the tube park. We were kitted up with helmets and plonked in the middle of an inner tube while the tube was mechanically winched up the hill. Once at the top, you sit or lie in the tube and whoosh down the hill. I built up a thrilling speed and a good shot of adrenaline. We then repeated the process all over again for our hour-long slot. It's the most fun you'll have without skis. Food: There's one main cafeteria at Remarkables. It's pretty basic and doesn't offer much of a view. I had a thick pumpkin soup and bread for lunch. What they do right: The Remarkables is proud of its identity and doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is. The resort may not be as flash as the other resorts but it offers some the finest trails in the South Island. It also has a fantastic terrain park for some impressive stunt work. Hiring equipment is easy and efficient. Staff are friendly and always on hand to help. There's a really good kid's programme which runs throughout the season and prepares littlies on the snow. They can even eat lunch together chaperoned by the instructors. What could be better: The access is one of the major drawbacks to the resort. But the convenience of the bus service cancels the hassle away. Price: Expect to pay $87 for an adult daily lift pass. More info Remarkables will be open until 11 October. Visit the Remarkables website

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