Mount Olympus Ski Area, dubbed "playground of the gods",[citation needed] is a club skifield in Craigieburn Range, on New Zealand's South Island. Near the town of Windwhistle, and in the vicinity of other club fields such as Mount Cheeseman and Broken River, it is approximately 2 hours' drive from Christchurch. The skifield is run by the Windwhistle Ski Club. Ranging in elevation from 1430m to 1880m, the terrain distribution is 10% beginner, 55% intermediate and 35% advanced. There are four rope tows, and with a bit of walking, 60 hectares of terrain is available.
Mount Olympus Ski Area | |
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Location | Canterbury, New Zealand |
Nearest major city | Windwhistle |
Coordinates | 43°11′33″S 171°36′23″E / 43.192446°S 171.606344°E |
Top elevation | 1,875 m (6,152 ft) |
Base elevation | 1,425 m (4,675 ft) |
Trails | Backcountry |
Lift system | 3 Rope tow |
Terrain parks | 0 |
Snowmaking | No |
Night skiing | No |
Website | http://www.mtolympus.co.nz/ |
In 2020, Mount Olympus was unable to open due to COVID-19 and a lack of snow. This was the first ski season since 1978 that Mount Olympus was unable to open. In 2021, the access road was badly damaged by an early winter storm. It was estimated that it will cost $30,000 to repair the road in order to open for the 2021 season.[1][2] Many donations were made and the road was able to be repaired in June 2021.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Devastating Canterbury floods hits already-struggling ski field hard". TVNZ. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Mt Olympus Ski Area racing to raise funds to repair access road after heavy rain". Stuff. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Flurry of donations after skifield road damaged in floods". www.msn.com. Retrieved 20 June 2021.[dead link ]
External links
edit- Media related to Mount Olympus Ski Area at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website