Snow Farm needs more love! Having never been skiing or snowboarding before, I was nervous before arriving at Snow Farm. But after spending a day cross-country skiing, I’m a huge fan of the place.
Before diving into the gritty details about Snow Farm, here are five reasons Snow Farm rocks:
- It’s affordable compared to the other ski fields (Snow Farm is a not-for-profit charity)
- The learning curve is shorter than downhill skiing/snowboarding
- Fewer people go here, compared to the crowded slopes of other ski fields (I shudder to see the queue for the buses to Coronet Peak)
- You get a workout while you’re at it (yet it’s a low-intensity activity)
- You get to spend actual time with your friends (it was like hiking with friends) which apparently isn’t so easy in downhill snow sports
This post will give you an idea of what to expect with cross-country skiing at Snow Farm for first-timers based on my experience.
I’ll also address my biggest worries beforehand, and other common questions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- My Experience (& Worries Before Arriving)
- How Much Does It Cost
- How To Get There
- What To Bring
- Map Of Snow Farm
- Info About The Huts
- Best Time To Visit
- Other Activities At Snow Farm
- Snow Farm Complete, What Next
MY CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING EXPERIENCE AT SNOW FARM
I was super excited to go to Snow Farm, but also worried!
My biggest concerns were…
Will I be able to stand up…and have any idea what I’m doing?
I didn’t exactly know what cross-country skiing was in advance, let alone know what it looked like, so I watched a couple of YouTube videos the night before, and they gave me the basics to be able to cross-country ski in the classic style (essentially walking).
I didn’t master turning or purposefully slowing down, but that wasn’t a biggy.
Will I get injured and/or fall a lot?
Fall? Highly likely. Injured? Highly unlikely (touchwood).
I fell over a lot. That was mostly my own doing by trying to go as fast as I could (which wasn’t fast, but beyond my skill level). With the snow though, all of my landings were super soft and I didn’t get bruises or cuts or anything.
As a beginner, you’ll never be going fast enough for anything to go really wrong. If anything, the biggest issue is collisions with others in your group. That’s easily avoided as long as you give each other space on the downhills.
Is it going to be super tiring?
Yes, and no. It of course will depend on how far you go and how long are there.
I’ve got some good endurance, but when I attempt swimming I’m out of breath straight away. This wasn’t the case at Snow Farm.
Towards the end of the day I was fatigued, but not in a sore way. More of a, wow this was awesome but I’m ready to have a beer. All of the group was pretty tired, with everyone looking forward to resting up at home.
MY LONG WINDED TRIP REPORT
Living in Queenstown, all the chat is about skiing and snowboarding at The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. And while it sounds cool, the idea of paying a tonne of money for something I wasn’t sure I’d like isn’t ideal (it’s at least $200 for one day of skiing at those places).
But at $88 for a full-day pass and rentals at Snow Farm, that is much better value. We made sure to book our spots in advance which was super simple.
Next up, getting to Snow Farm meant we took a bunch of cars up the hill carpool style where possible (there were 19 of us). The weather report mentioned that there’d be ice on the Cardrona Valley Road, and that 2WD vehicles may need to put chains on (everyone carried them). We got there no worries!
We arrived a little before opening at 9 am which was perfect to make sure we all had the right snacks/go to the toilet etc.
At 9 am the staff quickly found our bookings and we were passed on to the rest of the team to get our boots, skis, and poles.
This again was super easy, though I was confused as to why they were asking for my weight. It turns out that different skis are for different weights!
I was considering getting a lesson beforehand, and while I’m sure it’s a good idea I didn’t have time for a lesson. Pretty much the whole group had been cross-country skiing before, and I could either try and keep up or just not see them all day. I took the former options.
After learning how to clip my boots in and out of the skis we were off (I’m sure some staff will help you do this).
The first few seconds felt alright. I was constantly reminding myself it’s just like walking which I’ve done for a few years now.
So cross-country skiing is made much easier by the two tracks that are built into the snow on the loop we followed (I’m probably using really bad terminology here). This makes it way easier to keep the skis moving forward in a somewhat efficient manner for the classic style of cross-country skiing.
For the first ten minutes or so I was on struggle street and somehow kept lifting the skis out of the tracks and I’d fall over. Getting yourself standing was tricky at first, but after my first few falls I got the hang of it! If I can, you can.
Before long I found myself keeping up with the back of the group as we navigated the track towards Meadow Hut. Turning was awkward, but our group was in no rush so I could fumble around as I awkwardly changed direction. I was having a blast!
On the downhills, I felt confident in just letting gravity do its thing as I slid down.
Boom, and then we arrived at Meadow Hut. Taking off the skis was a weird sensation! After some well-deserved snacks, we spotted a couple of ice caves which was fun.
A few of them barely fit one person, but we discovered one where we could fit lots of people. That was satisfying.
Carrying on, I was getting the hang of it now. This section was also a gentle incline for a lot of it which I found easier going. It was also better to take in the surroundings which were amazing.
The next huts we arrived at were the Bob Lee and Daisy Lee Huts. This is where I think the best views are, and we could even see Mount Aspiring in the distance (seen in the photo below). I was surprised how long we stayed here but it was cool.
Continuing on, I was now getting more comfortable on the skis…still falling a bunch, but was able to really enjoy it as we approached the brand new Musterers Hut. This was a brief pitstop before we started the longish journey back to the base camp.
While I was jealous of seeing some friends go faster using the advanced cross-country skiing style, I committed to the classic style and was getting more efficient throughout the day.
The views and trails are so great at Snow Farm…although if it was icy like my friends said it was when they were there last year, that doesn’t sound quite so fun.
The last section back up to the Snow Farm building was a slog on tired legs and arms! Back at base and everyone was stoked. What a day. We were on the loop for right on 5 hours…the time flew by.
HOW MUCH DOES CROSS COUNTRY SKIING AT SNOW FARM COST?
A trip to Snow Farm is way more affordable than a day at The Remarkables/Coronet Peak/Cardrona/Treble Cone. And that’s a great benefit to going to Snow Farm vs Cardrona etc. Especially if like me you’ve never tried any snow sports before and aren’t sure if you’ll like it.
A big shoutout to the Pisa Alpine Charitable Trust. They purchased Snow Farm in 2012 and operate the place as a not-for-profit charity.
I paid $88 for the package. If I was going on my own or with friends who hadn’t been before, I’d consider getting the $99 package.
$88 | Trail Pass & Rental Combo
This trail pass will enable you to cross-country ski with rentals on our extensive trail system from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for one day.
*Students are $77, children $50.
$99 | Cross-Country Ski Experience- Full Day
If you’d like a little bit of instruction, the extra $10 lets you attend the group lesson that’s held at 10.30 am. Given they open at 9 am you could spend the first 1.5 hours figuring things out on your own if need be.
But do check out the booking page for all the options available (they do half-day passes). I love how many different options they have.
Are dogs allowed at Snow Farm? They sure are, you just need to buy a pass for them which is $20.
HOW TO GET TO SNOW FARM?
On Google Maps it’s here.
Snow Farm borders the Pisa Conservation Range on the eastern side of Cardrona Valley Road (Crown Range). You turn off just north of Cardrona village onto Tuohy’s Gully Road, and then head left up the 13km to Snow Farm.
The easiest way to get to Snow Farm is driving, but there are a couple of other options.
DRIVING TO SNOW FARM
Note: You can rent chains from Snow Farm
Snow Farm is reached via Cardrona Valley Road which goes over the Crown Range between Queenstown and Wanaka. The road to Snow Farm isn’t sealed which makes a 4WD the best option if you can, but 2WDs can definitely make it.
Chains are usually required to be carried at all times. Do check the website on the morning you go to see what is required chains-wise.
Our drive up the hill was on a beautiful morning. We had chains in the car but didn’t need to put them on. There was a little bit of ice higher up on the road, but nothing major.
From Wanaka: It’s about 36km from the heart of Wanaka to Snow Farm. It’ll take about 40 to 50 minutes as it’s slow going on the road up to Snow Farm after turning off SH6. Google Maps directions here.
From Queenstown: It’s just under 60km from the middle of Queenstown to Snow Farm. It took us right on 1 hour and 15 minutes…but put aside 1 hour and 30 minutes if you want to get there for the 9 am opening. Google Maps directions here.
HITCHHIKING
If you don’t have a car and are comfortable with hitchhiking, I would say it’s pretty easy to get a ride up to Snow Farm if you wait at the bottom of the road.
SHUTTLES
There are no regularly scheduled shuttles to Snow Farm at the time of writing, but you can give these companies a call and they can give you a quote on private charters:
- Yello! Phone 03 443 5555 (from Queenstown or Wanaka)
- Haula! Phone 03 4217788 (from Queenstown or Wanaka)
- Roam Wanaka Phone 021 226 4350 (from Wanaka)
- Queenstown Snow Transport Phone 0800 245 382 (from Queenstown)
- KT Sightseeing & Taxi Phone 0800 272 700 (from Queenstown or Wanaka)
- Wanaka Trike Tours and Luxury Transfers Phone (+64) 03 443 6595 (from Wanaka or Queenstown)
- Alpine Connexions Phone 03 443 9120 (from Wanaka)
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BRING?
The Quick Fire Packing List:
- All the warm clothes (and spare ones)
- Comfortable sports shoes/sneakers
- Sunglasses
- Gloves
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Snacks
I wasn’t too sure to bring really. This is what I learned:
Bring lots of warm clothes, ideally ski gear. But I’m that guy who wears shorts more or less every day regardless of the temperatures. I did have thermals in my bag if it got super cold.
In terms of shoes, I wore my trail running shoes. Bring whatever you’re comfortable walking in for longer periods. You’re given waterproof boots that clip into the skis, so there’s no need to bring intense hiking boots.
You can rent snow pants and jackets at Snow Farm for $20 per person. Make sure to add them to that to your cart/booking to ensure they have some for you when you get there.
Don’t forget to bring sunglasses, a hat, gloves, sunscreen, and a change of socks. I found these the most essential items. And snacks, bring lots of snacks and water. A cheeky flask of spirits didn’t go astray 😉
SNOW FARM MAP
When I look at the map of Snow Farm, I get overwhelmed. But once you’re there, the signage is great and navigating isn’t so hard (on a bluebird day at least).
This is the Snow Farm Trail Map showing the 55km of trails. Make sure to take a paper copy with you which you can collect at the office.
You can see the loop we took on Strava here.
This measured in at just under 16km and we got to visit all of the huts. The route (The Loop) took us right on 5 hours, but that included a lot of time hanging out at the huts and taking it easy (as you need to with 19 people of various abilities).
If you’d like the GPX file from my route, you can download the file here.
ARE THE BACKCOUNTRY HUTS ANY GOOD?
While I haven’t stayed in any of the huts (yet) we did spend time hanging out all of the huts on our loop. And they all seem amazing! That’s Meadow Hut in the two photos above.
They all seem well insulated. I’d choose to stay in Bob Lee Hut for my first overnight at Snow Farm (on the right in the photo below). I’ll be looking to book a night in one of the huts this winter.
That said, the new Musterers Hut (above) looks awesome. Being the largest hut it would provide a great atmosphere with a good group of friends.
That would be a cool trip though. Leaving in the middle of the day, cross-country skiing until late afternoon where you arrive at the hut a bit before sunset. Hang out the hut for the evening (who is bringing the mulled wine), and then had back out mid-morning the next day. Awesome!
You can book the huts online, as well as making sure to get the right gear rentals (from Midday the day of your booking, to the day following). You can even choose to have your overnight gear transported to the hut for you.
BEST TIME TO VISIT SNOW FARM
Snow Farm usually opens late June to late September, but the exact dates vary based on the snow levels. The best time to visit Snow Farm is when there has been some recent snow so you won’t be skiing on ice.
The friends I went with went last year towards the end of the season while it was icy, and said it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as this year. Of course, you’d like to have a blue sky day as well rather than a white out.
So for me, at the start of the season before all the school holidays works best, or in August post school holidays (in a perfect world).
WHAT OTHER SNOW FARM ACTIVITIES ARE THERE?
If you’re not sure about cross-country skiing is for you, then you could always try:
- Snow shoeing – everyone says this is super fun
- The Snow Fun Zone – build a snowman, have a snowball fight, fly down in a tube, all the classics (at $17 it’s great value)
And if you miss out on visiting in the winter, you can take to the tracks and go hiking and/or mountain biking in the summer.
RELATED POST: THINGS TO DO IN CARDRONA
WHAT TO DO AFTER SNOW FARM
After leaving Snow Farm, there’s one obvious place to head…the Cardrona Hotel. That can be bisy though, so if you are a gin lover you might prefer the Cardrona Distillery.
Yes, these places are all about having a drink…but cross-country skiing can be hard work. You deserve it.
I absolutely loved cross-country skiing at Snow Farm. I’m considering getting a season pass (if I drove it would be an easy yes)…and will be vouching for the place anytime someone asks whether Snow Farm is worth it.
If you have any more questions, leave a comment below or email jub@churnewzealand.com.
WHAT TO READ NEXT:
- OVERNIGHTING AT MEG HUT NEAR CARDRONA
- OVERNIGHT HIKES NEAR WANAKA
- ALL BEST THINGS TO DO IN NEW ZEALAND
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.