Nothing excites us more here at The Park Hotel than when we start to feel that fresh, wintry chill in the air. An icy breeze can only mean one thing: snow is well and truly on its way. When we look out to the white-peaked mountains in the distance, we can already tell that the 2019 Mt Ruapehu ski season is going to be one you won’t want to miss.
Come June 1st, snow-goers will be able to access Whakapapa’s famous Happy Valley skifield.
When June 22nd rolls around, the entire mountain will be open for use.
Turoa ski field opens one week later on June 29th.
In just a couple of short months, we’ll be gliding down the slopes with fresh, powdery snow beneath our feet. We can’t wait!
The Mt Ruapehu ski season is always a highlight for visitors to Tongariro National Park but there are a few reasons why 2019 looks like it’ll be the best yet!
The Sky Waka gondola is a game-changer for Whakapapa
The long-awaited state-of-the-art Sky Waka gondola is almost here. While skiers can look forward to travelling up Whakapapa ski field in style, the gondola will also allow non-skiers to access the Knoll Ridge Café from the comfort of a 10 seater luxury glass cabin.
The Knoll Ridge Café is New Zealand’s highest eatery. At 2,020 metres above sea level, visitors are indulged with some of the country’s best views. This season, Whakapapa will introduce Winter Sightseeing from 9 am to 4 pm daily. On board the Sky Waka, sightseers can sit back and enjoy the technically-advanced gondola before settling in for a meal at the Knoll Ridge Café.
Quickly but carefully, construction workers have installed the gondola’s towers and are now working towards completing the structure. Although there have been plenty of geotechnical obstacles, the team have overcome the issues and are on track to completing the gondola in time for the 2019 Mt Ruapehu ski season.
We’re so excited to try out the Sky Waka and we’ve kept ourselves updated throughout the building process.
Not only will the new structure transform the way we travel up the slopes, but it will also make Whakapapa accessible all year round.
Happy Valley’s snow factory is officially turned on
As Happy Valley is the first ski field to open, it can be accessed significantly earlier than the rest of the mountain. To ensure there’s plenty of snow to enjoy, Mt Ruapehu’s snow factory is now blasting the ski field with new snow.
A snow factory is a snow-making machine that allows Happy Valley ski field to have the longest season of all fields on the mountain. The snow factory prepares the field early and keeps it lush with fresh snow right through to the end of the season in October.
Steady snowfall is creating perfect ski conditions
We can see Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro from the view here at The Park Hotel. As the weather begins to drastically cool down, the mountains become more and more blanketed in snow by the day.
Looking at previous snow falls, we can see that there has been a range of moderate to heavy snow showers in the last two weeks. This is steadily creating optimum skiing and snowboarding conditions and the level of snow deepens with each drop.
There’s still a couple of months before all ski fields are open and it’s a good sign that there’s been a steady drop already.
If you’re hoping for plenty of fresh snow in the upcoming Mt Ruapehu ski season, it looks like you’re in luck.
Mother Nature has certainly given us a taste of the epic winter to come.
2019 Mt Ruapehu ski seaon is gearing up
We love winter and we love watching the snow collect on the mountain peaks in the distance. The more snow there is, the better the season will be. So far, we can see that the 2019 Mt Ruapehu ski season is going to be a cracker.
Winter is a busy time of year for us as snow goers choose our central, quality accommodation. As we are located in the heart of Tongariro National Park, you’d be hard pressed to find a better location for enjoying Mt Ruapehu than at The Park Hotel.
Our on-site restaurant and bar and outdoor hot tubs are also extremely appealing to visitors during the ski season. There’s nothing better than unwinding at the bar or in a hot tub after a great day on the mountain.
2019 will be a historical year for Mt Ruapehu with the opening of the Sky Waka gondola.
Come along and be a part of history and call us today to book your ski season accommodation.