Coronet Peak is poised to take its place among the world’s premier mountain resorts following the announcement of an investment programme with a price tag exceeding $20 million. Parent company Southern Alpine Recreation Limited today announced details of the most significant development at the ski area since its inception in 1947.

The development includes two major projects. Firstly the redevelopment of the Coronet Peak base building and secondly, a massive investment in further state-of-the-art snowmaking systems.

The projects were given the green light at a meeting of the Southern Alpine Recreation board on Monday. (8 October)

Work on the redevelopment programme will start immediately. The new base building will be completed in May 2008 and new snowmaking installed in time for the launch of the winter 2008 season.

James Coddington, CEO of Southern Alpine Recreation Limited, said the redevelopment marked the most significant work ever carried out at Coronet Peak and was designed to future proof the mountain resort. .

“After two consecutive record years at Coronet Peak the board has decided to embark upon an ambitious programme of development,” he said. “Every single service we offer at Coronet Peak will be enhanced.”

“It is a huge and exciting project which is going to deliver a spectacular new base building that will provide for winter and summer use and an automated snowmaking system that will provide “Armani” snow across all main trails during the winter months.

“This redevelopment is designed to better cater for the needs of our growing customer base. We’re not only thinking about skiers and snowboarders, but families, spectators and summer visitors too,” said Mr Coddington.

Stunning redevelopment for Coronet Peak’s base building

The base building at Coronet Peak is to be redeveloped into a facility that will be counted among the world’s best following the announcement of an investment programme with a price tag in excess of $20 million.

Parent company Southern Alpine Recreation Limited today unveiled concept plans for a stunning new and redeveloped base building that has been designed by renowned Queenstown architect Michael Wyatt and to be constructed by Arrow International.

The building will result in a greatly increased floor area, expanded facilities and provides for a logical flow of traffic through service areas.

“This building is designed to be a beautiful, functional building that will future proof Coronet Peak by catering for growth across our winter and summer markets,” said Southern Alpine Recreation CEO James Coddington.

A new deck will more than double the outdoor footprint while a new ‘west wing’ is to provide for a new brasserie with indoor/outdoor flow and stunning vistas out to the ski area and, in the other direction, across the Wakatipu basin to The Remarkables mountain range. The new wing also offers protection from prevailing winds and weather for the new deck.

The redeveloped building will house a function room, a new café, bar and coffee service area all arranged around a large and modern central kitchen.

The area underneath the deck will be enclosed to provide for expanded service areas including new ticketing, a rental area which will be effectively doubled in size, Snowsports School, storage areas and new staff areas. The existing administration wing will house expanded crèche facilities near the offices.

A new roof line slopes away from a high point on the deck side in three distinct planes encouraging vistas onto the ski slopes and offering shelter from the weather.

Skiers, snowboarders and mountain bikers descending the slopes will be able to see the bird like profile of the top view of the building.

Work on the building will start immediately for a May 2008 completion.

Mr Coddington said the base building redevelopment was one of two major projects with a total value ‘well in excess of $20million’ to be completed by next winter. The other was a multi-million dollar expansion to the ski areas snowmaking capacity.

Massive snowmaking project for Coronet Peak

A multi-million dollar investment in snowmaking at Coronet Peak is set to transform the premier mountain resort by effectively lengthening the snowsports season, offering more skiable terrain from season opening and by vastly improving skiing and riding surfaces throughout the season.

Parent company Southern Alpine Recreation Limited today announced details of the snowmaking project as part of the most significant development package undertaken by the ski area since its inception in 1947.

Southern Alpine Recreation CEO James Coddington said it was hard to imagine the scale of the snowmaking project and its importance to the continued growth of Coronet Peak as New Zealand’s premier mountain resort.

“It is a huge and exciting project which is going to deliver “Armani” snow across all the trails. It will drastically increase our current snowmaking capacity and, combined with other projects including a redeveloped base building, will allow us to offer our visitors an exponentially improved experience.

The project provides for two new reservoirs and pump houses as well as the installation of an additional 138 fixed position, fully automated snow guns.

“Currently, Coronet Peak has 55 automated guns and 50 manual guns. The new guns increase the number of automated guns to 193 and these will be placed across all main trails.

“The system is designed so that the central core of the mountain – the M1, Big Easy and beginner areas – can be opened within three days of continuous snowmaking conditions. Under optimum conditions, all trails including those on Rocky Gully could be opened within 10 days.”

The new automated system allows for every window of possible snowmaking conditions to be maximised.

The snowmaking project, together with a multi-million dollar base building redevelopment will be completed in time for the 2008 winter snow season.