In the north-western part of the Southern Lake District on the South Island of New Zealand lies Wanaka on the lake of the same name. The panorama is at least as impressive as in relatively nearby Queenstown, but the atmosphere is a little more relaxed and less touristy. The nearby ski resorts of Cardrona and Treble Cone are two first-class ski resorts offering everything from freeride to world-class freestyle. And the town of Wanaka itself also has plenty to offer besides the lakeside promenade, from bars to leisure activities, because it's not for nothing that New Zealand freeski stars such as Jossi Wells, Janina Kuzma and Sam Smoothy live here.
Wanaka
Although Wanaka was settled by the first Europeans more than 150 years ago, growth has only increased significantly in the last 15 years. Since 2001, the population of the town at the entrance to Mount Aspiring National Park has almost doubled and now has over 6,000 permanent residents. Compared to Queenstown, this still seems tranquil, but Wanaka is also a "resort town" and thrives on tourism: although Lake Wanaka is much more tranquil than Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. The two tourist hotspots of the Southern Lake District are connected by the road over the Crown Range. The beauty of this area has not gone unnoticed by Hollywood and some of the spots and views of this mountain range may be familiar to fans of opulently filmed heroic sagas from box office hits about little people with big feet and their journeys. Once you arrive in Wanaka, the lake is hard to leave behind: whether you end your day at the nearby Treble Cone ski resort on the shores or use a downday for activities on the lake.
There is a lakeside promenade along the lake with various (snack) bars and restaurants. It's not just the locals who recommend Francesca's Italian Kitchen for a nice Italian dinner and if you fancy a drink or two after a day on the mountain, the Water Bar is a great place to hang out. In addition to water sports on the lake, such as kayaking, sailing or SUP, you can pass the time cheaply and well in Wanaka, as in Queentstown, by grabbing a Frisbee and playing a round of disc golf at Linsmore Park Disc Golf Course. Mountain bikers can also let off steam not only on down days in Wanaka; in addition to the trails around the Trebel Cone ski resort (which are more suitable for the New Zealand summer due to their altitude), there are other trails that can also be ridden in winter, such as the Sticky Forest, the Glendhu Bay Track and others. Due to the countless winding paths in the Sticky Forest, it is worth having a map to hand for the first exit or joining a local for the first exit.
Cardrona
On the way from Wanaka to Queenstown, across the landscape of the Crown Range known from the Lord of the Rings films, you reach a crossroads after approx. 20 km. If you take the left fork, you will reach the snow farm. There you can do a few laps on cross-country skis (who can say they've been cross-country skiing in the southern hemisphere) or watch car manufacturers test their vehicles.
Unfortunately, the mighty park, which became famous as Snowpark NZ thanks to "That's it, that's all", no longer exists. Things get a lot more interesting if you take the right-hand turn-off and drive up Skifield Road to the Cardrona ski resort. Cardrona is one of the largest commercial ski resorts in the southern hemisphere and accordingly offers a well-developed infrastructure with four chairlifts, cafes, ski schools, etc.. In "Cardies", as the locals call it, even the shuttle from the parking lot to the ski area is a bit of an adventure. Unlike in Europe, you don't take the ski bus here, but instead join a small tractor trailer and ride up the bumpy road. The infrastructure also opens up quite a few slopes and even skiers spoiled by Europe won't get bored so quickly on a day on the slopes in Cardrona. However, Cardrona has become famous in recent years for its freestyle offer. And while so many of the ski resorts in the southern hemisphere look rather old in terms of slope kilometers and freeride options compared to the giants in Europe, the park in Cardrona is more than competitive. In addition to a nice easy line and a fairly long medium line with a few kickers and lots of well-distributed obstacles, there was a mighty 3-kicker proline with tables measuring 20 m each in season 204.
And Cardrona is going one better here. Towards the middle to end of the season, a superpipe and a big air kicker with a 25m+ table will be added to the park. So it's no wonder that on a normal day in the Cardies park you can not only meet the Wells brothers but also one or two pros from Europe. The maintenance of the park is also world-class: several times a day you can see the shaper crew in the park touching up the jumps and landings. This freestyle offer and the central location between Wanaka and Queenstown are among the reasons why Cardrona has been the venue for the NZ Open freestyle competitions for several years. Even if Cardrona is not (yet) known for this, it also offers freeriders a number of options. The inbound variants range from short, but quite crisp runs between the pistes to longer runs on the edge of the ski area. However, these reach quite deep down the mountain and should therefore only be skied when there is sufficient snow, otherwise the way back to the ski area can turn into a short day of hiking through snow, mud and grass. A variant outside the patrolled variants in the ski area is the area behind the mountain station of the Captain's Express lift: Hiked along the ridge to the northwest, you can enjoy a long, not-too-steep descent from Mt. Cardrona to a valley floor.
From there, you can reach a few short but very rewarding runs with skins. You then return to the ski area after a 30-45 minute ascent. The ski resort operators are currently planning to offer cat skiing in this area in the medium term. Until then, however, the area can often be used in solitude, as many freeriders are put off by the fact that they need skins to get back up. Whether freestyle is your thing or not, a day at Cardies is a good option if the snow conditions are not so plentiful and you run out of ideas for tours and freeride variations. The atmosphere is good, the park offers everyone the opportunity to work on their freestyle skills, and a few laps on the slopes are also great fun. Even if you can't make the detour to the ski area, you shouldn't miss out on a trip to the Cardrona Hotel, located on the Straße Tal. The hotel, which is over 150 years old, is Cardona's après-ski hotspot. But don't worry: après ski in NZ has nothing to do with bad music and overpriced, nasty mixed drinks. In Cardona, it means sitting by the fire in the house or the open fire pits in the garden, drinking a beer and eating the legendary potato wedges.
Treble Cone
If you follow the road northwest along the lake for 23 km from the center of Wanaka, you will reach Treble Cone, or as the locals call it "TC". Two chairlifts provide access to around 550 hectares of inbounds skiing in the "Home Basin" and "Saddle Basin", which extend over an altitude difference of around 500 meters (that's quite something for NZ and roughly twice the size of comparable resorts in the southern hemisphere!
The challenging and unpatrolled terrain of the Motatapu Basin significantly increases the freeride terrain. Due to this offer, it is not surprising that many New Zealand freeride greats such as Sam Smoothy, Nat Seagal (actually from Australia but now a Wanaka adoptee) or Fraser McDougall call TC their home resort. The drive to TC leads up the mountain via a very steep skifield road from the road to Mt. Aspiring National Park. Many accidents have happened here, unfortunately some of them fatal. So be careful! Once at the top, the chairlift takes you up the mountain next to the obligatory café. You can already see the freeride potential of TC on this first ride. Between the slopes there is a multitude of variants, which can be ridden even with very little snow due to the typical New Zealand grass-covered ground. A video from Closing Day in 2012 shows just how much fun it can be with very little snow (this video gives you an idea of where Sam Somthie might have got the idea for his FWT-winning run from the 2015 season). If you head west from the top station of the Home Basin Express via the High Street ("High Street"), you will reach Saddle Basin and the chairlift of the same name. Saddle Basin is home to some more difficult freeride runs and this area is also the most popular with freeriders in TC. However, depending on the snow and avalanche situation, this area is often closed. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find out in advance if and when this area will be open. However, if the conditions are good and Saddle Basin is open, many freeriders will quickly track it down.
It can therefore be worth heading to TC on days when an opening is not necessarily expected and, with a bit of luck, perhaps enjoy the runs with quite a few freeriders.
Things get even more challenging in Motatapu Basin. Skill is required in this rocky terrain. The area can be reached via two gates and must not be ridden alone. However, there is plenty of freeride action and runs with names like "The Fickle Fingers of Fear" waiting for you. The other side of the coin: Motatapu Basin is only open in very good snow and weather conditions and once you've reached the end of the run, you have to walk back up to the ski area. TC Team athlete Nat Segal says: "TC is my home resort in NZ. I love it because it has such fun, playful and interesting terrain inbounds that is great for freeriding. On top of that there is a whole range of sidecountry and backcountry that is super easy to access by the lift system. And did I mention that it has one of the best views from a resort in the South Island" But Treble Cone doesn't just have a great freeride offer. If you ever want to meet a kea, the clever and very cheeky mountain parrots of New Zealand, you have a good chance at the TC Cafe. Just follow the children's cries of "Kea Kea!" and you'll soon see one of the green birds, probably trying to get hold of something edible. And don't forget to mention the view from the TC ski area. If you have time to let your gaze wander during your freeride runs, which usually demand your full attention here, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking panorama around Lake Wanka.
