The ski area was originally scheduled to close on October 6, but ski area manager James McKenzie said the snow base and conditions were so good a decision had been made to extend the date so people could plan their school holiday ski break and not have to compress it into the first week.

Celebrating 40 years of fun in the snow this season, Mt Hutt currently has close to a 3m snow base on its upper slopes and 2.3m on the lower slopes.

“Conditions out on the main groomed trails are skiing and riding spectacularly well at the moment” said Mr McKenzie.

“We’re announcing the date extension early because we’ve got a high degree of confidence that the substantial snow base we are enjoying across all our main trails will see us well into October and beyond.

“We hope that by making this decision now will give people to make plans for both weeks of the next school holidays.

“With seven weeks of the season still to go, we’re looking forward to some great spring skiing.”

Mr McKenzie said fantastic early snowfalls and further ‘top-ups’ had ensured a good season to date with plenty of Canterbury snow lovers and families supporting the ski area and a good, strong domestic market. 

“The hugely popular 10-and-under Kids4Free promotion has definitely proved a drawcard this year, where kids 10 and under receive free lift passes, so that should be perfect for those coming up in the school holidays,” he said.

For up-to-date snow conditions and further information go to www.nzski.com . For more information on the Kids4Free campaign, go to www.kids4free.co.nz