Cardrona Alpine Resort

Cardrona is the closest "ski field" to Wanaka and where we have a seasons pass. The easiest way to get to Cardrona is to hitch hike from town because our van isn't really made for mountain roads and it saves a lot on gas. We park our van in a parking lot in the center of town, then walk up to the corner where everyone waits with their thumbs out. On an average day, it takes about 10 minutes to get picked up, usually by a local kid or the occasional family headed to the mountain. From hitching rides, we have made all of our friends in Wanaka, because it gives you about a half hour to talk on the ride up. After a 25 km easy drive on a paved road lined with sheep, you head up the side of the mountain on a winding dirt road for about 13 km until you reach the top. The snow line here is much higher up, so all of the skiing is done on the very tops of the mountains, where there are no trees. With only 4 lifts, Cardrona is not a very big mountain, but its filled with a good variety of terrain. Its nice because its always sunny there, even when its cloudy in Wanaka. We haven't had too much snow yet, so the mountain is a bit bare and icy, but hopefully a storm is on the way. On the front side of the mountain you can see all the way down into Wanaka and if you look over the back side, you can see into Queenstown. Its definitely much different than what we are used to in Utah. At the end of the day when were ready to leave we hitch a ride back into Wanaka and meet new possible friends.