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Surprise Snowstorm Saves New Zealand Ski Area From Early Closure

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 1:28 PM ET

It appears the prayers of Temple Basin Ski Area, New Zealand, have been answered.

In August, the ski club announced that because of low snowfall, it wouldn’t open for skiing and snowboarding during the 2025 austral winter.

But Temple Basin left the door cracked, writing on social media, “If the snow gods do grace us with a mega storm in the coming month, it is possible we will look to spin tows and run a pop-up weekend.”

That’s exactly what happened.

After about a foot and a half of snow fell last week, the ski area announced that it would open for the weekend. It ended up running all three of its lifts, The Press reported.

“It was very surprising but so exciting to get back up there,” Temple Basin Ski Area president Peter Marriott told The Press, adding that around 50 people visited the mountain.

Temple Basin now plans to reopen next weekend and is accepting bookings for its lodge.

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Several ski fields across New Zealand’s South Island have been forced to close this year without regular snowfall, including Mt. Cheeseman and Rainbow Ski Area.

Hydrological forecasting scientist Dr. Jono Conway called New Zealand's winter “abysmal” snowfall-wise in some areas in a report published by Earth Sciences New Zealand.

“Our high elevation weather stations tell us it’s been a mixed bag for our alpine regions,” he said, adding that mountains in the north of the South Island were particularly bare. “Some places saw near-average snowfall, but what stands out is the number of low or record-low total snowfall readings.”

Still, some ski areas have benefitted from late-season snowfall.

Treble Cone, one of New Zealand’s largest ski areas, hosted the Backcountry Invitational on September 3, an international freeride and freestyle competition. During the event, competitors encountered fresh snow.

Outside of the competition, social media lit up last week with videos of professional skiers flipping and tricking their way around Treble Cone.

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

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