Coronet Peak

This is the year I decided to learn to ski.

My girlfriend was over the moon, which was a nice incentive, too. She’s a great skier, so I had big expectations to fill.

The first day at Coronet was -9 Celsius. Not too cold, or so I was told, but I later found it was the coldest temperature the staff there could remember. However, I was none the wiser at this stage so I soldiered on.

Coronet have a great ski school which teaches everyone from beginners to pro’s. Group lessons run in two stages, then private lessons thereafter are the best way to go.

My instructor was Frederik. Fred was Swiss and had been skiing for 21 years, ever since he was 2. I hoped that by the end of day one I’d be able to stand with my skis vertical and my body parallel to the ground, balancing on my poles like he could. As I said, my expectations were high.

Lessons run for 1.5hrs each and there’s one either side of lunch. Once you’re confident you’re not going to totally arse over you can do small runs on the beginner slopes, aided of course not by chair lifts to get to the top, but by the ‘Magic Carpet’, my favourite new outdoor travel mode.

The crowds at Coronet were pretty big, but this is because to most regular skiers, Coronet Peak is the best ski field around. The others are in Wanaka and The Remarkables, but advice from Miss Pro Skiier was that Coronet was the way to go.

From Queenstown central it’s a 40-45min car trip all the way, including up the mountain to any of the six car parks. Shuttles run from each car park to get you to the admin building, so you don’t have to walk too far in ‘those’ boots.

On that note, the gear you wear skiing is awesome. Next to the amazing views and crystal clear air it’s the next best reason to go skiing.

I’ve always wanted to learn to ski, but for some reason it’s taken me 28 years to start. My advice now to you all: start learning early!

I can’t say I’m a great skier after 3 days on the slopes. I did make it onto the intermediate slopes, but to say I made it DOWN the intermediate slopes would be lying.

www.nzski.com/coronet

For real-time views of the mountain www.nzsnow.com/html/coronet-peak-webcam.htm