Mount Ruapehu Advanced & Expert Skiing

Depending on the mood of the volcano it is possible – and safe – to climb to the crater lake (45 – 60 minutes) from either side and ski down. Whakapapa’s more interesting terrain is on the snow-encrusted Pinnacles area, where good visibility is essential to avoid bluffs and drop-offs.

This double-black steep and exhilarating area, reached in part via the Valley T-bar (but eventually more accessible with when the proposed six-seater Valley Express chair is finally built), gives the resort its special cachet. It is best skied in powder or spring snow – in icy conditions it can be dangerous.

At Turoa, chutes, natural halfpipes and surreal ice-and-snow structures higher up the mountain provide experts with plenty of challenges. There’s a vast area below the rugged, snow-and-ice encrusted Girdlestone area on the Mangaehuehu Glacier now accessed by the High Noon Express (an area used for speed record attempts by skiers and snowboarders), and many other places where you can explore ungroomed snow.