Wānaka’s Winter Playground Just Got Bigger

Accessible via McDougall’s Chondola or behind Captain’s Express, Soho Basin offers the perfect mix of groomer blues, advanced blacks, and playful, off-piste terrain designed for intermediate to expert riders. With rugged, natural lips and dips from top to toe, staff on the slopes reckon it’s ‘like Captains, but wilder’.

Back at Main Basin, Cardrona’s not slowing down. They’ve added a new T-Bar between McDougall’s and Whitestar, so park riders lapping Big Bucks, Lil’ Bucks, Gravity Cross, and Racecourse will have a new lift back to the top of their run. Quicker laps for race and park, less congestion on Whitestar. Win, win.

Off the slopes, Cardies has also polished up with a new café and retail store awhole new Noodle Bar, and improved facilities for locals and holiday-makers alike.

Bonus: Here’s a Quick Guide to Wānaka Ski Areas for more on all the places to shred this winter.

As kaitiaki (guardians) of the maunga (mountain), sustainability and caring for the native flora and fauna are top priorities for Cardies and TC. Here are a few sustainability initiatives happening at Cardies that show big mountain experiences can go hand in hand with meaningful environmental action.

1.Reducing environmental impact in Soho

Resource consents for earthworks and vegetation clearing in the Soho Basin were created with expert ecological guidance. Sensitive wetlands, cushionfields, and lizard habitats were deliberately avoided in trail routing and chairlift placement, instead designing trails along existing roads and tracks as much as possible to minimise environmental impact.

2. Native regeneration

Through the Plant a Seed Project, more than 6,300 native plants and tree species have been planted at Cardrona and Treble Cone, enriching biodiversity across disturbed slopes and creating habitats for birds, invertebrates and reptiles. Cardrona is proudly committed to restoring and enhancing the natural, native landscape and reducing their carbon footprint.

3. Waste minimisation

Cardrona has been on a steady journey toward zero waste since 2013, proudly saying no to single-use cups, cutlery, plastics, plastic bottles, and landfill bins – you take it in, you take it out. Now, they save over 24,000 plastic packets and 52,000 plastic bottles from landfill each year, and in 2024 alone, the introduction of post-mix drink systems and on-site composting diverted over 5,000kg of waste. 

4. Sustainable transport options

Cardrona offers free shuttle buses, cutting per-passenger emissions by two-thirds and encourages carpooling to lower road congestion.

Contrary to popular disinformation, these sustainability efforts only further enrich the Cardrona experience for guests, staff, and ski bunnies alike. How?

• The Soho expansion and the new T-Bar in Main Basin improve mountain flow, spread visitors across more terrain, and reduce bottlenecks on existing lifts even during busy periods. Think less waiting, more riding, and smoother flow.
• No landfill bins on-mountain creates a cleaner, tidier resort with less litter and more pride in shared spaces.
  
• Composting and post-mix systems reduce groomer and freight traffic that would otherwise haul thousands of kilograms of waste up and down the hill. Aka, less fuel use, less noise, and more peaceful slopes.
  
• Carpooling incentives and upgraded shuttle systems mean easier access to the slopes and shorter queues in the car parks.

Cardrona is all about balancing development with environmental stewardship. Backed by a multi-year master plan, their vision includes expanded infrastructure to enhance guest experience and on-mountain comfort, expanded snowmaking infrastructure to include future reservoirs and guns in Soho Basin for consistent conditions, and ongoing investment in wildlife conservation and biodiversity initiatives.

Rooted in stewardship, Cardrona warmly embraces the whenua (land), whakapapa (genealogy), and wairua (spirit) of the mountain in everything they do. And while it’s awesome to see Cardrona doing their part, it’s also up to locals and visitors to share the load. Bringing reusable containers, using the free shuttles or carpooling, and respecting their zero-waste ethos by taking out what you take in are just a few of the ways we can continue to ensure our mountain stays just the way we like it, long into the future.

Images Supplied from Cardrona Alpine Resort.