Cardrona to install NZ's most pointless lift

This will offset the cost of the lift a little

http://unofficialnetworks.com/2017/...ea-literally-strikes-gold-during-construction

 

What's the date?

 

Now that I've seen it. Something is not right about this. Gondola in NZ???
It's going to be weird

 

will be great for summer tourists....

 

I have an idea. They should keep the covers on a few and market them as the mile high club cars.

Then again it's at Cardona, so you wouldn't have time to get your fly down.

 

There you go. Another thing that's easier in snowboard boots.

 

Whistler peak to peak is doable .

 

Are you speaking from experience?

 

Matt gave me the lowdown .

 

Can buy the first Chondola ride here http://www.trademe.co.nz/travel-events-activities/activities/auction-1327119213.htm

 

I 'spose one positive is now the chair is faster.

 

For the kiddies. Well positioned from a marketing perspective.

 

Dem group tour bundled discounts with Real Journeys. Wilderness (Milford)......tick, Lake / Farm etc (Queenstown Earnslaw).........tick, Snow experience (Cardrona).........tick. They must be one of NZ's biggest group tour specialists now and the Asian market continues to grow.

 

Rode it today. Why not...
The situation at the top is definitely much improved with the new chair offload. Actually the gondola wasn't really popular.. More people queueing for chairs

 

Yes
Having seen it makes a lot of sense for in particular beginner snowboarders who might not yet have confidently progressed to a chair

 

https://www.cardrona.com/winter/our-latest/posts/whats-new-for-winter-2018/

Caldrona talking about 'repurposing' the old MacDougalls chairlift to access more advanced skiing/riding as part of a $20m spend over the next two years. Any thoughts about where this is most likely to go? Good to see they're investing and developing the resort.

 

Thanks for that and I think you're probably right. That's good terrain over there but I haven't skied it as yet. Would the access from Captains be a bit tricky getting into the bowl. I thought it would involve a bit of a hike but maybe not.

 

It’s pretty easy to access from the top of the captains at the moment it’s a mix of timber wind fences and rope out of bounds signs that if you enter high enough you can ski down and pop out near the secret chute.
I skied it briefly this season but from what I remember a lot of it is pretty steep into a Valley.

There is also another great spot top left as you drive up that people often ski basically a 45 degree angle from the bottom of the valley view but the road chops through it a couple of times so I don’t think it will be there.

I don’t think soho will ever have any assistance from Cardrona or vice versa plus I would hate to see soho get a lift it’s the best car park accessed back country in NZ

 

I'm looking forward to Cardrona adding some solid black terrain to their network, it has a good supply of greens and blues already.

Having peeked over the ridgeline (skier's left of Captains), there's some pretty gnarly-looking terrain in the basin. Cardi could well take some market share from TC - which lacks the softer terrain so appealing to young families.

 

I wonder if they're considering Arcadia Basin for the old Macdougalls chair? Some nice runs in there but the traverse back to Whitestar is a PITA plus that lift gets seriously long cues, even mid week outside school hols.

Hopefully though they'll open some new terrain as mentioned by posters above.

 

I recon they've dusted off an old plan a previous manager had for the old lift....

 

Whats the "old plan"?

I was wondering if a lift could work right up the guts of Arcadia basin to the summit?

Otherwise to skiers left of captains, down past the Cafe a little?

 

There was a plan for the old double chair that came out a long time ago...

 

*cough cough*bump

It goes into the myth as reality file for the Southern Lakes region along with
1.They'll never seal the Crown Range/Remarks Access
2.You can't build a road around the back of the airport on the escarpment

 

I'm still not sure why they sealed the Remarks access road, summer maintenance is apparently an absolute bitch now (which they should have figured from Coronet...), but as long as you Aussies tolerate the ever increasing lift tickets...

Crown Range being sealed was a no-brainer, you think that road gets busy in winter, you wanna see it in summer.

 

As for Soho, Darby has played this pretty well. He's pretty much put RJ in a position where they had no choice (which is what I'd suspected he'd try). But yeah, they were definitely holding out.

 

Gotta have those frickles at cardies.
It's a conga line of inconsiderate juicy vans and sparkling Toyota highlanders

 

It's all good. Coronet is like a locals hill again now. And more expansion at Cardies will take some pressure off remarks.

 

Everyone getting a bit 'sniffy' about Cardies but for most the development will be welcome. Good to see expansion and new terrain being opened up (apologies to the bc brethren). Cardies will become huge and hoover up the tourist market which must be a bit scary for the others.

 

I love compulsory chains day at Remarks

 

I've had a 1.5 hour trip up the remarks road. Chains on all vehicles from the bottom. That was after having to drive with chains on from five rivers to garston earlier that morning. Opening day 2013, was pretty good.

 

I don't think they'll be all that worried. Cardies expanding is great for people looking for the cardies experience, but lots aren't.

Cardrona and NZSki have quite a positive history of working together on quite a lot of stuff, though I'm not sure what impact the dog derby may have had on that.

 

This excellent for us Aussies as we run out of gradually snow(?). I love Cardi, a great all rounder, they do most things well perhaps without excelling in many except half pipes/ terrain parks.

Staff treat you well, fair policy for bad weather, good creche - happy son! - and overall very good snow quality. Perhaps lack black runs, biggest neg - maybe this will be corrected with expanded terrain in Soho???

 

The new/ old Pringles lift.

 

Wow, go Real Journeys!!!!
One can only hope they buy Treble Cone as well!!!!!

 

I've meetings with Cardrona and TC the week after next.

I believe TC have some things in the works. Not sure what yet but be interested to find out.

Will only share if not commercial in confidence.

 

TC have had "things in the works" for decades.

Real Journeys are a progressive company though. Can't fault them on that. Though their connection to some pretty dubious planned development in Fiordland National Park has me finding a little less time for them.

 

Does this add to the skiable terrain we discussed previously?

I think you accounted for the Pringle lift terrain in your research. Yes / No?

 

Nope, wasn't in that, so new terrain! That said, the face below arcadia holds snow pretty relative to the area of chutes below captains.

 

So maybe their totalled skiable terrain is starting to add up closer to their quoted figure.

 

Maybe. That said, it's a number they've been throwing around for at least a decade.

 

Putting it just above Valley View up to the telecom tower would've been the go if you were really being legit about taking some of the loading off Whitestar and Captains.