Start ski season in summer by sliding over to New Zealand

Ten thousand miles away, south of the equator, ski season has already come and gone. In Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand, spring is turning into summer. But if you want a slice of its otherworldly slopes next season, you’ll need to start planning upside down. 

“The ski season seems to be getting later,” said Sarah Farag, the owner of luxury travel agency Southern Crossings New Zealand. “My recommendation would be to come in August or September when you aren’t competing with Australian school holidays.” 

Down here, ski season kicks off in June in the four main ski fields — Coronet Peak, the Remarkables Ski Area, Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone.

An easy, direct flight with Air New Zealand from New York or Los Angeles means that you can create a nearly year-round ski season for yourself — or just have a break from the North American summer heat on these Southern slopes. 

But don’t expect Whistler’s deep powder. These rugged mountains more closely resemble the pistes of New England — that is unless you get airborne. 

“If you want steeper terrain, you want to be over at Treble Cone,” said Farag. “If you’re into snowboarding, you’d go to Cardrona. Coronet and the Remarkables are on Queenstown’s doorstep, but the last couple of years the snow has been a bit light. So if you want to get into some deep off-piste snow just jump into a heli and you’ll find it.”

The majestic areas surrounding Queenstown (pop. 29,000), beauteous Lake Wakatipu and the 25-mile-long Remarkables mountain range — all the way to the world-famous fjords of the Milford Sound — are loaded with glaciers and snow-capped peaks. You can reach them all via helicopter while soaking in what are, perhaps without exaggeration, the world’s most awe-striking vistas. For instance, Southern Lakes Heli Ski offers 800 runs spread across 17 mountain ranges and the highest heli-skiing terrain available in the region at over 8,400 feet. Local operator Alpine HeliSki is another solid option. 

You’re extremely likely to fall in love with what’s beneath your feet, and that’s exactly what the government wants you to do. They’ve rolled out a new golden visa and eased up foreign property ownership restrictions in hopes you’ll stay. That, plus an extremely favorable exchange rate of $0.57 NZD to the greenback, are likely to lure record numbers of well-heeled Americans to this, at times, slightly shaggy backpacker hub. 

Until recently, Queenstown was a place where jet boats, skydiving, shredding the slopes and crushing craft brews counted as high culture. Accommodation wasn’t necessarily cheap, but it primarily catered to a thrill-seeking audience. Now, it has a hacienda fit for the denizens of Park Avenue. 

In September, the five-star lakeside Roki opened with 15 massive suites — ranging from one- to four-bedrooms — and nothing smaller. Built from scratch, the resort is an experiment in how far you can push the concept of serenity before your heart stops. It’s glazed and insulated to be deafeningly quiet. Its color palette is so soft and so neutral that the pops of color, paintings, moments of gold and chandeliers in its comfy living room-style lounge and adjacent library bar seem to hover in space (or maybe that’s the champagne talking).

The picture widows looking out at the lake and mountain range suck the outside deep within this vortex of calm. Its spa, Pure, is based off a pool that’s Roman in style but utterly Enya in spirit — you feel like you’re floating even outside the water. The treatments here — excuse us, rituals — are longer, more thorough, better planned and more personalized than many of the places that now market themselves as “wellness resorts.”

Room rates range from roughly $1,600 to $18,000 per night.

All that tranquility means that when you sit down to eat — which is the primary activity during a stay — you taste like a blindman hears. British-born award-winning Chef Paul Froggatt is behind the signature dining room Essence and more casual indoor-outdoor Terrace, and he’s created a playful yet decidedly haute menu bursting with the best of New Zealand’s famously superior produce. 

Things only go downhill from here, fortunately. The resort offers an exclusive heli-ski experience that starts with a ride to the airport in their house whip, a brand-new Rolls-Royce Cullinan. You’ll get the best guides, the best runs and a private mountain-top lunch while gazing out on New Zealand’s most dramatic and lesser-seen landscapes.

Après-ski doesn’t get any more exclusive.