Christchurch Skiing, Snowboarding and the Southern Alps

(Christchurch, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand NZ)



Christchurch Skiing and SnowboardingExciting skiing trips and excursions from Christchurch are extremely popular during the winter months of June, July and August, particularly skiing in the Southern Alps in Canterbury, around Mount Cook - the tallest mountain in the Southern Alps and throughout New Zealand, and on the nearby Tasman Glacier. Many of the skiing resorts and destinations near to Christchurch are open from May to October and generally feature good facilities.

Winter in Christchurch is actually summer in Europe and America, and winter resorts close to the city are always busy at this time of the year.

There are a number of excellent ski resorts located near to Christchurch, in areas of Canterbury and the Southern Alps, attracting crowds of tourists and visitors from around the city and beyond.


Christchurch Skiing and SnowboardingSkiing in the Southern Alps, nearby Christchurch, is just a short drive and these resorts can usually be reached in around one hour from the city centre. The Southern Alps stretch along the South Island and include a number of magnificent mountains with good skiing and snowboarding facilities, including Mount Cook, one of the tallest mountains on New Zealand's South Island with impressive glaciers and large lakes.

The winter resorts and destinations close to Christchurch contain a good range of hotels, offering inexpensive accommodation and lodging. There are also useful tourist information centres, providing the latest tourism information for the area. Skiwear is available for hire and purchase in most skiing resorts, with rental ski shops offering numerous different skis and affordable accessories, good quality snowboards, snowshoes, jackets and many stylish goggles.

Christchurch Skiing and SnowboardingThere are an enormous variety of winter sports and other popular activities available at the Southern Alps. These include guided tours of the Mountains around the Southern Alps, exciting floodlit night skiing, leisure and fitness centres, outdoor adventure schools, horse trekking, scenic walking and tramping trails, mountaineering, abseiling and rock climbing.

During the milder summer months of December, January and February, outdoor activities at the Southern Alps and skiing resorts nearby Christchurch include bobsled, local excursions, fishing, children's playground areas, cycling, swimming, tennis, athletics and many other exciting activities.

Major winter holiday destinations within easy reach of Christchurch are often connected to the city with regular door-to-door shuttle buses and coaches. Some of the most popular mountains and resorts nearby include: