Skiing in January in New Zealand

Can you ski in New Zealand in January?

No. January is the middle of summer in New Zealand, and there is no lift served skiing anywhere in the country. The ski season runs from June to October, peaking in the southern winter of July and August, so by January the resorts have been closed for months, the snow is long gone from the runs, and the mountains are firmly in their green season. Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona, Treble Cone, Mt Hutt and the rest are summer landscapes in January, not ski fields.

This is not a marginal or weather dependent situation that might change with a cold snap. It is a fixed seasonal fact driven by the calendar: New Zealand sits deep in the Southern Hemisphere, so its summer falls in December, January and February, exactly opposite the Northern Hemisphere. January is peak summer holiday season across the country, with warm temperatures even in the alpine resort towns and no skiable snow at resort elevations.

If your goal is real January skiing, the honest answer is to look to the Northern Hemisphere, where the season is at its deepest and most reliable.

Why is there no skiing in New Zealand in January?

The reason is simply which hemisphere you are in. Seasons are reversed south of the equator, so when the Northern Hemisphere is in midwinter, New Zealand is in midsummer. January in New Zealand brings long, warm days, peak summer tourism and no winter weather in the mountains, which is the polar opposite of the cold, snowy conditions that skiing needs. The winter snowpack that builds from June melts out through spring, and by January nothing skiable remains at the resorts.

The resorts respond by running their summer operations. The alpine towns of Queenstown and Wanaka are at their busiest and brightest in January, full of hikers, bikers, lake visitors and summer holidaymakers, and the lifts that turn are for sightseeing rather than skiing. There is no plan or expectation to ski in January, so unlike the uncertain edges of the shoulder season, this is a settled part of the closed half of the year.

In short, New Zealand skiing is a June to October affair, and January sits squarely in the warm, closed summer opposite the ski season entirely.

Where can you ski instead in January?

January is the peak of the Northern Hemisphere winter, which is exactly where to go for snow this month. The Alps are in their most snow sure stretch of the year, with deep, reliable cover across France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, and January, especially after the New Year holiday, offers some of the quietest high snow weeks of the whole season. North America and Japan are also in full midwinter swing. See our guide to skiing the Alps in January for the snow, the crowds and the costs.

For the deepest, driest powder on earth, Japan in January and February is hard to beat, and the famous Japow of Hokkaido and the Hakuba Valley is at its midwinter best. From New Zealand, any of these means a long haul flight north, but it swaps a closed summer mountain for the heart of the ski season. The point is unavoidable: a January ski trip means flying to the Northern Hemisphere, not staying in New Zealand.

If a long haul winter trip is not on the cards, the smart move is to use January to plan and book your New Zealand ski trip for the coming southern winter.

What should you do in New Zealand in January if not skiing?

January is one of the best times to be in New Zealand, just not for skiing. The country is at the peak of its summer, and the same alpine regions that host the ski season become superb summer playgrounds: hiking and biking in the Southern Alps, boating and swimming on the lakes around Queenstown and Wanaka, wine country touring and long warm evenings. For an active outdoor holiday in stunning mountains, January is a high point of the year.

It is also a sensible time to plan a winter ski trip. New Zealand's best ski weeks in July and August book up well ahead, so using January to research resorts, secure lodging and lock in your dates puts you in a strong position for the coming season. If you are weighing a premium stay near Queenstown or Wanaka, this is a relaxed window to start the enquiry long before the rush.

So January in New Zealand is a clear no for skiing but a strong yes for summer in the mountains, and an ideal moment to plan the southern winter ski trip you actually want.

January in New Zealand: the case for and against

Common questions