- Skiing at Mt Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, is an experience to be long remembered.
Imagine, if you will, a mountain clad in snow, on its side a glacier, a river of ice, slowly and inexorably flowing down. It is winter Nature at its finest (even when it isn't winter), with nothing but the snow and the sky and the sun in the icy stillness. And there you are, skiing the glacier.
Yes, you can do it.
You can ski the glaciers in the South Island of New Zealand, such as the Fox Glacier west of the mountain and the Tasman Glacier closer to the peak of Mt Cook itself.
There are other New Zealand glaciers but they do not all lend themselves easily to the thrills of skiing.
Skiing the glacier slopes
The Tasman Glacier, roughly north-northeast of the Mt Cook Village in the Mt Cook National Park, is a skiing magnet for those looking for something different away from the resorts, lodges and ski lifts.
At 27 kilometres, it is one of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
Go heli-skiing
Here, on the Tasman Glacier, what they call heli-skiing is all the rage.
You take a helicopter to the Tasman Glacier, the chopper sets you down high in the mountain, and whoosh! feel that wind against your body as you glide down a white and magical landscape. Skiing won't ever feel quite the same again after skiing at Mt Cook.
Skiing holiday
If you’re after a New Zealand skiing holiday, it’s a good idea to base yourself in Queenstown.
The ski resorts of Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Cardrona are not only close by but you can easily organise your helicopter flight to the Tasman Glacier with any of the innumerable booking offices in town. (You could, of course, also organise your heli-skiing adventure from Christchurch.)
Heli-skiing, ski touring, snowboarding and glacier exploration are activities you can enjoy in the South Island, at Mt Cook and elsewhere.
Level of skiing skills
For heli-skiing, you would need to know exactly your skiing skills, so you can pick the ski runs appropriate to your ability.
Know what heli-skiing entails and tell the heli-skiing operators your level of expertise.
Book your heli-skiing trip in advance, particularly in the winter season when skiers flock to Queenstown.
Be prepared to fly at the scheduled time unless weather conditions force a cancellation or postponement of your helicopter flight.
(You should also, of course, have already booked accommodation for the time you are in the New Zealand snow.)
Other heli-skiing areas
After skiing at Mt Cook, you can justly claim having skied New Zealand's highest mountain.
Of course there are other New Zealand heli-skiing areas, such as the Ruahine Ranges in the North Island and the Fox Glacier, Methven and Wanaka in the South Island.
For other New Zealand skiing areas, see Skiing in New Zealand.
Next page: South Island Map
