Temple Basin abandons ski season due to lack of snow
Friday, 22 August 2025
Temple Basin ski area has called it quits on attempts to open this season after it failed to receive enough snow to safely operate rope tows - despite a 10cm dump overnight into Tuesday.
It is just the fourth time in the club’s history that it has not been able to open for a season, the others being in the 1980s, 2007 and 2020.
The Temple Basin Ski Club committee agreed earlier this month that if snow had not arrived by mid-August, the season would be abandoned.
“Everyone’s sharing the sadness,” said ski area manager Finn Bulman.
“It was a pretty straightforward decision. We were looking at the long-term forecast, and there wasn’t going to be enough for another couple of weeks.”
Temple Basin, in Arthur’s Pass, employs 10 staff, all of whom live on the mountain.
“It’s tricky when people are relying on this as their job and a place to live,” Bulman said. “We have to be quite empathetic as we don’t want to leave them high and dry.”
To manage expectations, she said there had been a lot of communication with staff, and a few part-time shifts were offered to help run up-coming courses.
Despite the season being cancelled, Temple Basin will still host three weekends of New Zealand Snow Safety Institute courses that were booked for this weekend and in September.
Dependant on staff and volunteer availability, they may yet run a “pop-up” weekend of skiing “if the snow gods grace us with a mega storm in the coming month”, Bulman said.
Last season the club had to shut after just a few weeks of being open due to a “terrible run of weather”.
About 100 people have bought passes for this season. They have been offered a full refund, the option to roll over their pass to next season, or to donate the cost to the club.
“I know a few people will want to support the club and leave the money as a token of support. And the community support has already been amazing, everyone’s sharing the sadness,” Bulman said.
The club is now considering climate resilience plans and more summer operations to reduce its reliance on snowfall.
Bulman’s biggest concern, however, is volunteer commitment.
“A lot of our work relies on volunteers who love skiing at Temple Basin. If the snow keeps disappointing, people might stop giving their time – which would be such a shame,” she said.
Elsewhere, Mt Cheeseman and Rainbow ski areas are still yet to open this season.
Earlier this month, Broken River and Craigieburn were able to open for the first time after a snowstorm, while Hanmer Springs and Mt Lyford also reopened.
Mt Cheeseman ski area manager Sam Timbrell told The Press earlier this month that snowfall has been “less than average, which is an understatement to say the least.”
“The amount we have had has been so sporadic that it has never stuck around for long due to the warmer weather – not ideal.”
At Mt Hutt, general manager James Urquhart told The Press last week they have the “best snow in the country”. A storm this week added 10cm, bringing their season total to 354cm.
Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone Ski Area also reported 15cm of new snow this week.
“2025 has been a lighter snow year across New Zealand, with most ski areas who have been able to open doing so with mostly man-made snow,” said Cardrona and Treble Cone chief mountains officer Laura Hedley.
The lack of snow has not affected the demand, as both resorts have had record visitation this winter, with more snow expected in late August and early September.