Ultimate Guide to NZ's Biggest Alpine Playground

Together, Cardrona and Treble Cone make up New Zealand's Biggest Alpine Playground. With one pass, you’ve got access to more terrain, more variety, and more ways to have a very good winter.

Cardrona brings the cruisers, learner zones, world-class parks and pipes, and even more room to roam with Soho Basin. Treble Cone brings the long runs, big-mountain feel and those show-offy Lake Wānaka views.

So whether you’re chasing first turns, park laps, steep lines, long lunches, or a bit of everything, this is your guide to the biggest playground around.

Two mountains, one very good decision

Cardrona and Treble Cone each bring their own flavour to winter, and that’s exactly what makes the combo so good.

Cardrona is the all-rounder. Wide-open terrain, learner-friendly zones, a huge mix of runs, and a mountain setup that works whether you’re a first-timer, a family or a park regular.

Treble Cone is the one with edge. It’s known for its long vertical, legendary off-piste terrain, and some of the longest groomed runs in the Wānaka and Queenstown region. It’s the mountain for big turns, big views, and that proper high-alpine feel.

That’s the beauty of New Zealand’s biggest alpine playground. You’re not picking one kind of ski day. You’re giving yourself room to have all of them.

More room to roam

If terrain is high on your list, this is where Cardrona and Treble Cone really shine.

The opening of Soho Basin in Winter 2025 added a whole new dimension to Cardrona’s already impressive terrain. Soho added 150 hectares of skiable terrain, a brand-new 6-seater detachable chairlift, and 380 vertical metres of descent. The terrain is aimed at intermediate to advanced skiers and riders, with playful groomers and off-piste options that build on the mountain’s already broad mix. The addition of Soho Basin also official crowned Cardrona New Zealand’s biggest ski resort.

Then there’s the rest of the mountain. Cardrona boasts 615 hectares of skiable terrain across five basins, with 47 groomable runs, six chairlifts, three carpets, a T-bar and a platter tow. It’s the sort of mountain where every group can split up for a few hours, do their own thing, then meet back up grinning.

Treble Cone is home to the largest vertical rise in the region, which translates to longer runs and a more dramatic alpine feel. Many of the trails are steeper than Cardrona’s, creating a more technical skiing experience. TC’s terrain is particularly loved for its big open faces, natural bowls and off-piste opportunities. These areas give confident skiers the chance to explore beyond groomed trails and enjoy the kind of freeride terrain that New Zealand is known for.

A handy way to think about it:

• Cardrona for range, progression, cruisers, families, parks and all-rounders

• Treble Cone for long descents, off-piste adventure and a more rugged feel

Put them together and you’ve got terrain that covers a lot of bases.

Home of park and pipe

Cardrona is home to the Southern Hemisphere’s most extensive terrain park and pipe facilities, with features for every level. Whether you are skiing, riding or spectating, Cardrona’s terrain parks have something for everyone, including the only full-size Superpipe and World Cup slopestyle course in Australasia.

This is a setup with range. Lil’ Bucks is the place for first park laps, with mellow jumps and ride-on jib features for beginners finding their feet. Antlers Alley steps things up with intermediate lines, bigger jumps and a slopestyle feel, while Stag Lane is packed with rails, boxes, bonks and wall rides for people who want to mix things up. Then there’s Big Bucks, home to the biggest triple line in the Southern Hemisphere, plus Big Air and two halfpipes, including Australasia’s only full-length 22ft Superpipe.

And because a good park day is all about hot laps, Cardrona’s new T-bar is worth a mention too. It means faster laps for Lil’ Bucks, Big Bucks and Stag Lane, which is exactly the sort of upgrade our park fans appreciate.

Even if park isn’t your thing, it still adds to the buzz on mountain. There’s always something to watch, someone sending it, and someone else in your group suddenly getting ideas above their station.

Learners’ paradise

Learning to ski or snowboard should feel exciting, not wildly intimidating. Cardrona and Treble Cone both make that easier, in slightly different ways.

Cardrona is home to the most beginner-friendly terrain on the South Island, making it the perfect place to learn to ski or snowboard. With expert instructors, a relaxed, welcoming vibe, and slopes designed to build confidence, you’ll be cruising in no time. It’s also one of New Zealand’s favourite family mountains, with a welcoming environment for young learners and extensive kids’ programmes available for your littlest tot right through to teens.

Treble Cone offers a different kind of beginner experience. With a quieter, more spacious feel and fewer crowds on the slopes, it can be a great place for first-timers to settle in, take their time, and build confidence at their own pace.

Both mountains offer First Timer Packages, with a first timer lesson, learner lift access, and rental gear bundled into one easy booking. Add in patient instructors and purpose-built beginner areas, and you’ve got everything you need to start strong. Whether you begin at Cardrona or Treble Cone, you’ll finish the day with more confidence and every reason to come back for more.

Mountain meals done well

A big ski day runs better with decent food, good coffee, and somewhere to stop for a mid-morning reset that accidentally turns into a long lunch. Across Cardrona and Treble Cone, there’s plenty to choose from.

Want a quick refuel and back out the door? Easy. Want noodles, pizza, cocktails, a good coffee, or something that feels slightly more civilised than eating chips in your gloves? Also easy.

A few crowd-pleasers worth calling out:

• Noodle Bar for flavour-packed bento bowls with a killer view

• Captain’s Pizzeria for ski-in, ski-out pizza and local beers

• The Mezz for a slightly fancier lunch

• Base Café for hearty mountain meals on the go

• Vista Bar for a top-of-the-mountain cheers moment

• Altitude Bar for the highest craft beer in New Zealand

There’s good news for dietary requirements too, with plenty of veggie, vegan and dietary-conscious options across the mountains.

And if your perfect end to the day includes a drink and a debrief, Cardrona has that sorted as well. Guests can head into Wānaka to Après at 50 Cardrona Valley Road for pizzas, sharing plates and a proper post-ski catch-up.     Across both mountains there's enough good food and decent coffee that lunch is genuinely something to look forward to. Fuel up right and you'll be back out there before the lifts know you were gone.

Getting here made easy

Getting to Cardrona and Treble Cone is refreshingly easy, especially if you’d rather skip the mountain road and let someone else do the driving. With ski bus services running from both Queenstown and Wānaka, plus free mountain road shuttles at both mountains, there are plenty of simple ways to get up the hill.

From Queenstown and Wānaka, there are bookable bus services to both Cardrona and Treble Cone, with multiple pick-up points across town so you can hop on without mucking around.

If you are driving part of the way, both mountains also offer free mountain road shuttles from the bottom carparks. For Cardrona, that’s The Pines carpark, and for Treble Cone it’s the carpark at the bottom of the access road. No booking required - just park up and hop on the next available shuttle.

If you’d rather hit the road yourself, both Cardrona and Treble Cone both have gravel access roads with carparks at the top of the mountains. Make sure to always carry chains and check the daily road reports before you set off.

Looking after the playground

Looking after the maunga matters. It’s what makes this place special, and it’s something Cardrona and Treble Cone take seriously year-round. Across both mountains, that means real work going into regeneration, biodiversity, waste reduction, and finding better ways to operate on and off the hill.

That work shows up in plenty of ways:

• More than 7,000 native seedlings planted

• Over 800 pests removed

• All single-use plastic in food and beverage outlets removed

• All landfill bins removed from the mountains

• A modern grooming fleet that are diesel-electric

...and much more.

It’s all part of the bigger picture. We’re committed to being kaitiaki (guardians) of the maunga (mountain) every day, so this playground stays in good nick for plenty more winters to come.

Why it all adds up

Cardrona and Treble Cone aren’t just big on paper. They’re big where it counts.

From big terrain and beginner-friendly zones to park laps, long runs, and plenty of choice between the two mountains, this is what New Zealand’s biggest alpine playground looks like in practice. All that’s left to do is choose the pass that suits your winter best.