Mt Hutt will now enjoy one of the longest ski seasons in the South Island this winter by closing at the end of the school holidays on October 11. The new snow looks set to time its arrival perfectly, with Ski Area manager James McKenzie saying staff are “thrilled” to extend the season.

“Snow conditions have just got better and better as the season has gone on, and looking ahead it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ more snow will arrive but ‘how much’,” he says.

“Between 10 and 20cm of new snow is forecast on Saturday and this will further complement our already impressive snow base of 1.8m.

“It’s been a number of seasons since we’ve had all terrain open at this time of year; we even saw guests heading out into remote areas like the Rakaia Saddle Chutes last weekend for the first time since early 2013.”

Mt Hutt ran a Facebook campaign two weeks ago to test the appetite of its followers for a longer season. The Facebook post reached its target of 1000 likes in less than an hour.  Click to see the video here.

McKenzie says “everything stacks up”.

“We’ve had awesome support from Cantabrian skiers and riders,  we’ve got an amazing snow base and with our Spring deals there’s been no better time to get out and enjoy the white stuff”.

Subject to conditions, all lifts, rental, retail and food outlets and the snow sports school will remain open until October 11 with only the Skiwiland crèche and Hubers restaurant closing for the final week.