Other lift pass options

Multi-day passes

The value of a good multi-day pass is two-fold: it'll save you waiting in queues at the beginning of the day and it should save you money.

Strangely, sometimes a multi-day lift pass doesn't work out cheaper. The Remarkables snowfield even has a deal where a two-day lift pass works out to be $6 more expensive than two single-day passes, although it can be used at Coronet Peak.

Savings elsewhere are minimal: Mt Hutt's two-day doesn't help (although the three-day pass will save you $9 all up). On Ruapehu, you save $3 per day on a two-day pass and $4 per day on a three-day pass. Treble Cone's three- and five-day passes make more sense. You'll save $14 and $19 per day respectively.

Conditions on the slopes can change dramatically in a couple of hours. That makes it almost impossible to predict whether you can ski on the fourth day of a four-day pass. Several ski fields offer flexi passes where you're allowed to ski four of any six days or two of any three.

Many of the major South Island ski fields fall under the NZ Superpass, which allows you to swap a day on the mountain for another activity if the weather is foul. Ask if your multi-day pass is flexible. It isn't? Then check whether there's a "cash-in" point if the weather packs up.

Season passes

The value of these will depend on the field. Next year keep an eye on "early bird" sales and snap them up around February and March. The savings made on these purchases are significant. For example, an early-bird season pass to Cardrona's ski fields was $515 before 18 March. It'll cost $1245 now that the season has started. At that price, you'll need to ski 16 days to break even.

Most ski fields are still offering season passes (although the variety of deals is now limited). Some passes are still worth considering. Ruapehu's $719 season pass gives unlimited access to Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields. That's excellent value when compared to, say, Cardrona's $1245 peak-season pass.

Coronet Peak, Mt Hutt, the Remarkables and Ohau snow fields all fall under the NZSki season pass. For $1499 you can ski unlimited days at any one of the four fields, but it'll take around 18 days to break even. At $1299 you can buy a Queenstown ski pass that allows full access to Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Ohau snow fields (around 16 days to break even).

Package deals

There are often three or four package deals available at each ski field. Nearly all include lessons of some description. Only Cardrona and Treble Cone offer a simple lift pass/rental equipment option, which will save you $13 and $21 respectively. The rest are various combinations of rental equipment, lessons and lift passes.

Kids' programmes are also offered at most commercial ski fields during the school holidays, although they vary in length and price between fields. Ruapehu's holiday programme includes four hours of lessons every day, for five days ($299). At the luxurious Treble Cone, you can sign the kids up for a five-hour programme that includes a supervised lunch, lift passes and full equipment hire ($133).

If you can't bear being without the kids for an entire day - or you're just scared they'll come back better than you - you'll find shorter two-hour programmes are also offered. The ones at the three NZSki Limited ski-fields - Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Mt Hutt - are around $40 per lesson.