FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Cross-country skiing
Cross country skiing is a sport for everybody. The Snow Farm has ample, flat beginner terrain to get you started and our excellent instructing team is sure to get you comfortable with more challenging terrain. Overseas, the sport is enjoyed by people of all ages from 2 years old to 102!
There are no hard and fast rules, and conditions at the Snow Farm can range from a bitterly cold windy winter’s day to a balmy spring snow day. You need to take this into account and check the weather before you come up. If we are open and you dress to the weather you can stay warm and have a fantastic time. If in doubt bring too much – you can always take a layer off.
The minimum gear list for a day visit should look like:
- Wool/polypro hat/beanie.
- Gloves – windproof. Thick warm ones if it’s really cold. Thin polypro gloves are generally not warm enough.
- Sunglasses or goggles are essential to protect your eyes.
- Sunscreen. In August and September it is essential to apply sunscreen and lip screen/balm – may not be essential in June/July.
- Base layers, merino/polypro, that can be added or taken off. Leave the cotton T shirts at home!
- Windproof/waterproof top. Thick downhill jacket would be OK but could be a bit bulky.
- Warm windproof/waterproof pants. Definitely not jeans. Thick polypro/merino pants, winter cycling pants or even downhill pants would all be OK
Parents/caregivers – please check the gear for any children that you’re responsible for.
While cross country skiing is often cited as one of the toughest aerobic sports available, the truth is you can take it at your own pace. You certainly do not need to be in great shape to enjoy our trail network. We have skiers at all fitness levels enjoying our trails on a daily basis. If you can walk, you can certainly cross country ski!
Yes, you can! Cross country skiing is a great introduction to the sport of skiing. It takes away the intimidation factor of having to ride lifts or descend mountains. You start moving on a flat and level surface and develop your skills to where you can cope with moderate hills.
Generally, skiers have no trouble with skiing to Meadow Hut after only one day on skis. We do suggest that you take advantage of our Cross Country Ski Experience package as the skills taught during the lesson will certainly help you en route to the hut.
In general yes. Cross country skiing is a very low impact form of physical activity, perfect for people with dodgy hips/knees etc. However, if you are concerned, you should always consult your doctor before trying a new form of activity.
Yes, we welcome dogs to the Snow Farm. However, to ensure that everyone gets along well together – there are rules! If you are going to bring your dog please sit down with your dog and both read the rules carefully! Please see our dog passes section on the website https://snowfarm.nz/dogpasses/
The short answer is no. However, we do recommend that you begin learning how to ski with the classic style as it’s more akin to walking and hence easier to pick up.
Not at all. While downhills are a little more difficult than you may encounter with traditional alpine skis, the Snow Farm terrain is selected to be cross country-specific. You will rarely need to use any alpine techniques such as parallel or wedge turns to navigate your way around our trail system. You will only encounter short gentle slopes on our beginner and intermediate terrain. All of these slopes have good run-outs, so often you won’t find yourself having to snowplough or slow down at all.
Our backcountry skis are not touring skis. They are heavy duty cross country skis. You must use cross country-specific boots and there is no way to clamp your heels down like standard alpine touring skis. Our backcountry skis are perfect for exploring the gentle hill terrain of the Pisa range, they are much lighter and therefore you can travel faster than you can on alpine touring skis.
Snowshoeing
All of our Snowshoe packages include a quick guide on how to fit them and where to go. This is typically enough for most people to confidently make it around our two marked trails. If you can walk, you’ll have no problems with getting out there with our lightweight snowshoes.
We have a good selection of winter boots that you can hire for the day, and they are perfect for using with the snowshoes.
Yes, you can snowshoe on any of our trails, however, we ask that you avoid walking on the classic track as this takes away from the enjoyment of other skiers.
Snow Fun Zone
Children up to 10 years of age can have fun in our Snow Fun Zone. The area is unsupervised by Snow Farm staff but is nice and gentle – a perfect way to get used to the snow!
No, unfortunately, we don’t allow you to bring your own sled or toboggan, we have plenty of tubes available for hire to use in the Snow Fun Zone.
We have a good selection of winter boots, jackets, and snow pants that you can hire from us! You can reserve your clothing rentals online ahead of time.
No – you have to take your own pics! We don’t have any photographers onsite but our lovely team are more than happy to help you take that perfect family snapshot.
snow farm
All vehicles travelling to Snow Farm must carry chains and fit them on the road where indicated. These can be obtained from your rental car company or bought from local service stations or hardware stores.
You can access the Snow Farm via road or air. See getting here for more information. If you come to the Snow Farm in winter (June to September here) you need to be prepared for driving on an unsealed alpine road. You should check the weather forecast and always carry chains and know when and how to put them on. If you have a 4WD vehicle, assume that you will still need chains, as conditions can change rapidly. Drive to the conditions.
Our scheduled opening is usually the third or final week of June and we usually close in the third week of September. Of course, this all depends on snow cover and weather!
The name is a link to our rich history. The Snow Farm facility was originally part of a high country sheep station supporting a healthy number of the iconic South Island Merino sheep. This sheep station is still active today with the Cardrona side of the mountain being used to graze Merino sheep.
The Snow Farm has been serving the needs of New Zealand’s cross country skiers since it was developed and opened by the Lee family in 1988. In 2012 it was purchased by the Pisa Alpine Charitable Trust, who continue to operate the facility as a not for profit charity to this day.
The fences are part of the magic of the Snow Farm. They help to keep snow on our trails year-round as they enable us to harness the wind and create snowdrifts right where we want the snow. We are reliant on these fences as we don’t have any form of artificial snowmaking.
Yes. The car park is pretty safe for a modern and locked car. It is at the end of a 13 km unsealed road.
We hang on to lost property for a couple of weeks before we donate it. If you’ve lost something up here, you can fill out our Lost Property Form, and we’ll try to get it back to you!
backcountry access
Please read our website information before contacting our staff.
dog sledding
Commercial dog-sledding currently does not happen at Snow Farm. Private owners of dog teams are welcome to bring their dogs up with a valid dog team pass.
cancellation policies
To receive a full refund minus a $30 service fee, guests must cancel within 48 hours of booking, and the cancellation must occur at least 30 days before check-in. If you cancel more than 30 days before check-in, Snow Farm will refund 50% of the booking amount. If you cancel after that, there will be no refund.
Date changes can only occur 30 days before booking date if available space exists and must be for the same hut and quantity of guests. Guests are responsible for using the booking calendar to find an alternative date before October 31st.
All date changes and cancellations incur a minimum $30 service fee. After making a booking you have 48 hours to cancel the booking for a full refund minus the booking fee of $30.
Backcountry Hut bookings cancelled by the management of Snow Farm NZ will be fully refunded, except during the winter season where the guest has failed to arrive and check-in at Snow Farm before 12:00 pm.
We may need to cancel your booking due to snow safety and or weather conditions, and reserve the right to cancel any such booking at any time.
Bookings can be rescheduled with no charge with more than 24hrs prior notice
There will be a 50% charge for lesson bookings that are cancelled between 2 & 24hrs notice prior to the lesson taking place.
There will be no refunds if the booking is cancelled less than 2hrs before the scheduled start time of the lesson, or in a “no show” situation.
Snow Farm NZ will run lessons unless Resort is on hold or closed due to weather conditions and Snow Farm NZ reserves the right to cancel any lessons at any time.
- If the Snow Farm is closed or on hold when a booking applies, a full refund will be provided.
- When in the opinion of Snow Farm the weather is unsuitable for young children but the Snow farm is open, e.g., cold and strong winds, we may, at our absolute discretion, refund fees for a booking involving young children.
- The Snow Farm will allow a transfer of a booking to an alternative date in that season provided that we have capacity/availability. We will not transfer a booking to the following season.
- No booking will be transferred to an alternative date more than once.