- Yes, if snowboarding or skiing is not just instagram posing for you once a year
- Yes, if you plan to go for skiing 5 days and more*
- Yes if you are keen to learn skiing/snowboarding as fast as you can**
- Yes, if you happe to spend around $2000 and more for your hobby per winter***
*you have spend at least 5 days on mountain to make your season pass worth-value
**I knew people refusing to go Mt Ruapehu because they are not yet confident; people who are visiting Snow Planet few times per season for years and they are still beginners! Trust me – one full day on mountain will be a lot productive for you
***Average cost of weekend on Mt Ruapehu if you go there with friends and share accomodation and petrol and if you already have season pass and your own gear is around $300
Otherwise, just go when you can, stay in queue and buy day pass for $95 or two days flexy pass for $180. List pass rates 2015 available here
And yes! Keep in mind! Weather on Mt Ruapehu is quite unpredictable. You can book house for a weekend, drive to Ohakune and get snow storm, rain which will flush snow away or a strong wind, or anything else haven’t mentioned in weather forecast you checked one-two days before.
This year I had 4 snow trips, 2 days each and 2 days out of 8 we didn’t go skiing because closed road, bad weather and stopped lifts. As you see, it is quite possible to drive ~350km from Auckland and go back without any luck. Well, you can go into pab first and then go back 🙂 By the way, there are cool hot pools near Taupo and so on!
Just to encourage you – this year, I met a girl who spent 23 days on Mt Ruapehu last year without counting those days when they didn’t go snowboarding. She isn’t living at Ohakune, no she drives from Auckland with friends for a weekend 🙂
Just remind you, season pass sale ends in… 3 days!
Next early bird deal is going to be in April but price will be higher, $530. After that, season pass cost for adult is $735
See you next season!
Ivan Grigoryev's Blog
Living in New Zealand. Blogging about the country, beautiful places, everyday life.
Do a skydive - halfway completed; get 1400 - still working on; reach 300kph - completed by 96.6%