Coronet Peak ski field, Queenstown

Coronet Peak is the most developed ski area in the South Island. In 2008, it received a $30 million facelift and now features a bigger and more user-friendly base building, a bigger restaurant/cafe, more snowmaking facilities and even an airport style private lounge for members by invitation only. Even though it now looks more like a ski field you might expect to see in Europe or the US, Coronet Peak continues to be the locals' favourite.

The trails are spread across a broad mountain. There are many ways to get down Coronet through every type of terrain from a wide groomed run called M1, to mogul runs, to wide open back bowls. There is a huge beginners area with chairlift access, which copes with the biggest crowds (not that the crowds here are anything compared the lines found in the US!).