"Dealt Tough Deck of Cards"—Another Ski Area Won't Open This Season

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 7:12 AM ET

New Zealand ski areas are experiencing a ripple effect of bad conditions and early closures. Following Temple Basin and Mt. Cheeseman's announcements that a 2025 ski season probably wasn't in the cards unless they got a miracle storm, another ski area has thrown in the towel.

Rainbow Ski Area, which is in the northern corner of New Zealand's south island, announced on August 27, 2025 that they would not open this year. The ski area had planned to open on July 4th, 2025 and waited a patient 54 days for Ullr to turn the faucet on. However, Rainbow Ski Area has only gotten 29cm of snow since May 1, making skiing a pretty tough sell. As a result, the mountain will not open this season and has decided to instead direct resources to preparing for a hopefully better 2026 ski season.

While there is a storm on the way to Rainbow, the mountain's closing announcement noted that forecasts are calling for more warm weather following the storm. Even if what's on the way was skiable, it won't be for very long and doesn't quite warrant the resources it would take to open the mountain.

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In a very classy move, Rainbow Ski Area called out that Hanmer Springs Ski Area, Manganui Ski Area - Stratford Mountain Club, and Fox Peak Ski Area have all gotten enough precipitation to open and that Rainbow is excited for folks to enjoy their slopes.

The mountain is automatically deferring all 2025 Season Passes and three-day lift tickets to next season in hopes that things turn around next year.

A bad season is certainly a tough blow for any mountain, but especially for small, community mountains like Rainbow Ski Area, which is managed by the Rainbow Ski Club.

"Finally, and importantly, Rainbow is community powered and we are strong. We WILL ride again." said the the ski area's announcement. Here's hoping Mother Nature gives Rainbow, Temple Basin, and Mt. Cheeseman a little extra love in 2026!

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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