Day 1: Hitting the slopes
Temple Basin is situated right on the Main Divide, Arthur's Pass
National Park. You walk about 45-60 minutes (a goods lift carry's
your gear for you) up to the ski area from the car park on State
Highway 73, 4kms west of Arthur's Pass Village. Temple Tow and
Cassidy Tow are right beside the lodges, making for easy access to
the ski area.
If you have never used a nutcracker rope tow before, Cassidy Tow
is a great place to learn - it runs at a gentle speed. Head to the
day lodge for lunch - it's nice and warm and has great views up
Temple Tow. If you don't want to purchase your lunch, self-cooking
facilities are available. The canteen also has a licenced bar.
For your accommodation tonight, you can stay in one of the two
mountain lodges. They are both modern and offer share bunk style
rooms for up to 120 people.
Day 2: Full ski day then back to
Christchurch
Enjoy another day on the slopes before heading back to Christchurch
in the afternoon!
Key Links
Being New Zealand's largest independent car rental company, Apex
Car Rentals offers a large fleet of new and late model car hire
options. Contact Apex
for car rental information and booking.
AREA HIGHLIGHT
Temple Basin collects its snow from westerly weather systems and often catches snow that other ski areas may have missed.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Downhill Tow for powder snow, Temple Tow and Cassidy Tow for natural hits, and Bill’s Basin can take days to track out!
LOCATION
Temple Basin is 157km (2hrs) west from Christchurch on state highway 73, 4kms west of Arthur's Pass Village. A 45-60min scenic walk from the carpark takes you to the lodges and ski area while your gear goes up on the Goods Lift.