Steep, deep and cheap sums up Craigieburn ski field in New Zealand. The club field in the Southern Alps (about 1.5 hours north-west of Christchurch) is definitely not a “resort” as there are no frills and definitely no glitz or glamour. You won’t find any of the Prada wearing set here, as it’s reserved for hard-core ski enthusiasts and powder hounds. The famous mohawked skier Glen Plake loved the Craigieburn ski area so much that he joined the club. A run has now been named after him – “Plake’s Mistake”. If Glen Plake made a mistake, then it gives you a bit of an idea about the difficulty of the terrain at Craigieburn Valley.

Craigieburn Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Craigieburn Valley (or Craigieburn for short) has some of New Zealand's most challenging patrolled terrain. The Craigieburn ski terrain varies from steep narrow chutes to wide open powder bowls. There is no grooming except for the grooming that Mother Nature performs, so the ski area is all “off-piste”. Long runs resemble heli-ski runs when there is fresh powder. Heli-skiing for the price of a lift ticket - choice eh?

Of course Craigieburn doesn’t have the luxury of a helicopter, but rather a fairly primitive lift system. There are three nutcracker ropetows to transport skiers up steep pitches to cover 500 metres of vertical. The lifts are pretty fast, but the basic nature of them is great for keeping the crowds away. The major benefit of course is that there are more fresh tracks for those who are super keen (and super-fit).

If the steep nutcrackers on the way up don’t humble you, then the terrain on the way down might. This is not a ski area for families or beginners. Even strong intermediates would struggle with the terrain unless the snow conditions were absolutely perfect. Sixty percent of the terrain is under-rated as blue, but perhaps these runs are considered easy in comparison to the triple black runs which are described as “suicidal”.

Officially the resort has around 400 hectares of skiable area, but Craigieburn is a gateway to many more acres of back-country terrain. A bit of trekking is involved to get the best snow, but it is definitely worth the effort. Craigieburn and Broken River ski areas are “interconnected” via a hike of about 15 minutes, which opens up even more terrain.

Craigieburn Ski Area Accommodation

There is limited lodge accommodation at Craigieburn available to the public on mountain, which is ski-in, and “sort of” ski-out. There are private rooms and bunk style rooms with shared facilities. Part of the experience of skiing at Craigieburn is staying on the mountain and sharing your stories with the friendly club members at the bar after a big day skiing.

Or if you wanted to sample a few of the Canterbury ski fields, you could stay in the town of Springfield where there are a few options for accommodation.

Why Ski or Snowboard at Craigieburn NZ?

Craigieburn is not for the faint-hearted or unfit, but is incredible for those who love steep and relatively untouched terrain. Nicknamed by some as “The Big One”, Craigieburn is not as “big” as Jackson Hole in the United States (another “The Big One”), but considering the fantastic challenging terrain it certainly deserves the “Big” reputation.