Treble Cone (New Zealand)

Beginner skiers and boarders should stick to the lower run "Nice'n Easy" near the base lodge of Treble Cone. Intermediate skiers and boarders should stick to the groomed trails which take you from the top of the chair lift to the bottom. Advanced skiers should put their pride on hold and escalate from the red runs to the black diamond runs with caution and with a buddy.

The resort is divided into four basins as marked on the trail map:

• Home Basin: the runs above the main lodge serviced by the Home Basin Express lift. These runs are marked as the easiest on the mountain. This is only true if you can find a groomed trail down.
• Matukituki Basin: also serviced by the Home Basin Express lift. These runs are marked advanced and are typically un-groomed and are wide open terrain.
• Saddle Basin: One must traverse the peak to get to this area. This basin is serviced by the Saddle Basin lift. Many of the runs are marked intermediate which is true if groomed.
• Motatapu Basin: this area is gate accessible for a reason, its all black diamond advanced runs that are chutes and couloirs. Depending on your path, the run-out at the bottom can become a long hike out. Do not ski this area alone.

The entire Treble Cone ski resort is wide open terrain which lies above the tree line. Without trees, a foggy day becomes un-skiable.

New Zealand resorts use the European color codes to rate trails:

• Green: beginner
• Blue: intermediate
• Red: advanced
• Black: Expert

The vast majority of runs at Treble Cone are marked blue and red as well as black diamond in the Motatapu Basin area.

Beginners and Intermediates:

The easiest beginner run is the short run "Nice'n Easy" serviced by "magic carpet" and platter lifts at the base of the mountain. While there is the beginner green run "Easy Rider" accessible from the top of the Home Basin Express lift, it will have steep sections more suitable for intermediates.

Advanced Ski Terrain:

Treble Cone can easily provide enough terrain for the advanced skier to explore and stay curious for days. There is hike to ski terrain at the summit ridge accessible from gates at the peak of each chair lift and in Motatapu Basin. The Matukituki Basin and the Saddle Basin are primarily advanced "red" runs while Motatapu Basin is home to the extreme black diamond chutes.

Chutes and Couloirs:

The most challenging terrain is found through gates 1 and 2 (take a left at the top of the Saddle Basin Quad) which lead into the Motatapu Basin and the steep black diamond chutes of "The Fickle Finger of Fear" and "The Diamond". The terrain opens with a nice open field called The Meadows in the Hollywood Bowl, but if you stay to the skiers left you will make your way to some very steep and long chutes. If you survive the terrain down, you will be greeted with a long hike out to the base of the Saddle Basin Quad lift. The further to the skiers left you go, the longer and steeper the chute, but the shorter the walk out. This does create quite a dilemma. Choose your pain wisely. Do not ski this area alone so that in case you get hurt, you will have someone to report it and be rescued.
Note: Few may pass through the same chute as you.

Moguls:

There was no area set aside and dedicated to the formation of moguls. Upper Mine Shaft in Saddle Basin, adjacent to the lift, was about as close as we could find to a mogul run. The formation of moguls requires lots of snow and skilled skier traffic.

Tree Skiing:

The entire resort is above the tree line, thus there is no tree skiing.

Hike To Ski:

The prime "hike to ski" area is the Summit ridge at the top of the Saddle Basin Quad and is Avalanche controlled. Exit the lift to the skiers left and you will find the gate to "Towers Gate" which leads to Towers Ridge. The Towers Gate is not marked on the trail map but the terrain is marked as "Patrol and Avalanche Control Ends". Check the avalanche advisory for the day and bring your beacon, shovel and probe.

Out of Bounds Skiing:

Don't ski gated terrain alone and take avalanche precautions. There is a fair amount of side-country avalanche controlled terrain accessible through gates 1 and 2 to the advanced steep chutes in Motatapu Basin (you may have a nasty hike out). For true out of bounds terrain one must hike further along the ridge line in either direction. The problem is that it does not lead to any exit or road for pickup. Stick to the side-country hikes, at least you can get home at the end of the day.

There are no terrain parks at Treble Cone, there are none marked on the trail map, none mentioned on the Treble Cone website, none that we could find skiing the mountain from top to bottom many times, none, just mountain terrain.

The mountain base facilities include a rentals shop, repair shop, retail store and cafeteria with all of the basic amenities to support your day. One should look to nearby Queenstown or Wanaka for anything more. The base clears out not long after the lifts close.

English is the dominant language in New Zealand with spotty support for other languages. There is ample acceptance of Visa and Mastercard as well as for Automated Teller Machines to access cash.