Why Go Skiing In New Zealand?

Rob Stewart of the Skiing Department Blog has extensive knowledge of the skiing industry and he has put this post together on why you should go skiing in New Zealand including some of the extra benefits you may not have previously thought of.

Once the snow starts to melt on the ski fields of Europe and North America the thoughts of spring arrive with the flowers and warmer weather. Most people are looking forward to the beach, wearing t-shirts or doing whatever they do in the summer months.

But some people are getting ready to head half way around the world to carry on skiing and snowboarding in a perpetual winter that never stops. If you live in Europe, then New Zealand is 12,000 miles away on a double 12-hour long haul flight. You need to really love skiing or snowboarding to miss out on the summer back home. Or do you?

Of course, we love skiing and snowboarding anyway, but there is also a lot more to offer down under once you get there. Both the North and the South Island of New Zealand has an abundance of activities on offer that will keep you occupied if the action on the slopes just isn’t enough. From Bungee jumping to White water rafting and Canyoning to Whale watching there is something for everyone.

The winter season in New Zealand usually starts in June and goes onto the end of September and even into October, which is their spring. The South Island has ski fields scattered almost the entire length of the long spine that forms the Southern Alps. Although the areas are not as extensive as in Europe or North America, there is something to offer every rider of all abilities and the scenery is always spectacular. Skiing or Boarding in New Zealand often has a more social feel as the size of the areas keeps everyone together, but there is plenty of scope for getting away from the crowds with excellent touring and Heli opportunities too.

Because New Zealand is a little further away than you might be used to it makes a good excuse to stay for a bit longer, and that’s why it’s a perfect country to complete a winter season in. If you are thinking about becoming an instructor then New Zealand has many benefits as a place to start. Living costs are relatively low and right now especially so as the exchange rate between the pound and the NZ dollar has not suffered as much as the euro. Everyone speaks English, sometimes it even looks and feels like you are in Britain, and the locals are great fun and very friendly!

Travelling to New Zealand is not so hard either and in fact stopping off in California or the Far East is easy to do. Most flights go directly to Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’ and if you arrive in May or June, don’t expect to spend time on the beach, but enjoy the lively cosmopolitan city which has a lot of character. Combining a winter season with a trip to the South Pacific, adrenaline fuelled activities and some exotic stopovers along the way is the trip of a lifetime and an unmissable experience.

Rob Stewart has extensive knowledge and experience of winter sports and has been qualified to instruct and teach Alpine Skiing for over 20 years. He uses this knowledge to provide information on snowsports on the blog > The Skiing Department and various other media and web based publications.

If you are interested in going skiing in New Zealand then check out our 10-week ski instructor course that starts this June.