Photo: CUHRIG/Getty Images

New Zealand Has a New Largest Ski Resort

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 5:40 PM ET

A significant expansion and new chairlift is set to open at Cardrona, a New Zealand ski resort.

Called Soho Basin, the lift improvement and expansion includes a new, high-speed six-person chairlift that will service runs catered to intermediate and advanced skiers and riders. Covering about 370 acres, the Soho Basin area increases Cardrona’s total skiable terrain to 1520 acres, making it the largest commercial ski field in New Zealand.

The Soho Express Chairlift hasn’t opened quite yet, but this past Sunday, it was blessed by representatives from Kāi Tahu in a ceremony, the Lakes Weekly Bulletin reports. According to the Bulletin, the Doppelmayer lift is capable of ferrying 3000 passengers per hour. It has a vertical descent of 1,247 feet.

Cardrona opened for the season earlier this month and already has six of its nine lifts spinning (one, the Valley View, is only being used for uplifts). In an update posted on social media, the ski resort addressed when the Soho Express might take its inaugural flight.

Heath Richmond, Cardrona’s manager, said that, for the time being, Soho Basin had limited snowmaking compared to the rest of the mountain. That means opening the area will take a bit longer. Still, he said, “one more medium snowfall” is all the Basin needs before skiers can start riding the Soho Express.

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cardrona Alpine Resort (@cardronanz)

According to RNZ, the Soho Basin expansion has been in the works for a long time. Planning started a decade ago, and building the Soho Express took two years. There are no roads in the area, so Cardrona had to bring the lift towers in using Blackhawk helicopters.

More improvements are joining the terrain expansion, including a new T-bar and modern retail and restaurant building.Further upgrades to snowmaking, parking, and roads are part of the overhaul, as well.

Cardrona is a major New Zealand ski resort. It typically remains open between June and early October. If you had the thought of booking a flight and taking advantage of the southern hemisphere winter, the months to ski in New Zealand are typically July and August.

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

More must-reads: