Snowboarding for the First Time in New Zealand: Our Cardrona Experience
Have you ever dreamed of snowboarding? Me too. We lived in Thailand for 8 years, and towards the end of that journey you’d better believe a lot of that time was spent daydreaming about snowboarding. We did our research, we tried it out, and now we’re reporting back. In short, there’s no better place to try it than Cardrona Alpine Resort, one of New Zealand’s most iconic ski fields. We’ll tell you all about it - what makes this good, helpful tips, and what you should me hundred percent NEED to know before visiting.
- Book a Lesson — Seriously.
Before you launch yourself down a mountain with no clue what you’re doing, do yourself a favour and book a lesson. I was a little nervous for a few reasons - what if the group is massive? What if I’m the worst? What if I just can’t get the hang of it? We ended up joining an adult group snowboarding lesson and it made all the difference. Our instructor (shoutout to Brad!) was patient, supportive and really helped build our confidence
If you’re nervous, don’t worry - basically everyone in the beginner lesson is just as clueless as you are (with the exception of Barnaby, who is a pretty darn good skateboarder and snowboarder!) It’s a great way to get started safely and with a bit of guidance. I think our lesson, which went from 10:30am - 3:45pm, including a 45 minute lunch break, cost roughly NZ$169/US$101.66.
2. What Gear Do You Need?
You’ll need a few essential items for a day of snowboarding:
• Snowboard and boots
• Helmet (highly recommended for safety)
• Goggles (snow glare is no joke)
• Waterproof gloves
• Ski socks
• Waterproof snow pants and jacket
The good news? All of this gear is available to hire either in Queenstown, Wānaka, or directly at Cardrona’s on-mountain rental shop. However, helmets, gloves, and goggles aren’t always included in rental packages and can sometimes sell out - especially during busy weekends or school holidays. Because of that, we decided to buy our own gear ahead of time. You don’t have to buy your own complete outfits, but we did because, well, we are definitely planning on hitting the slopes more than once. What you should buy yourself though, namely because of hygiene reasons or that rental shops straight up don’t do them, are helmets, gloves, goggles, and ski socks. It’ll make you feel a lot more prepared and comfortable out on the slopes.
3. Getting to Cardrona + Parking Tips
Cardrona is about a 60 minute drive from Queenstown and roughly 40 minutes from Wānaka. The road is winding and snowy in winter, so chains may be required - check the daily mountain report before you go. We recommend bringing them with you regardless, after all, you can never be too careful!
In terms of parking; there are multiple car parks on the way up the mountain, but they work on a first-come, first-served basis. If you arrive later in the morning, you might not get to park right at the top. Don’t stress though - Cardrona runs a free shuttle from the lower car parks all the way up to the base area.
4. Don’t Expect to Hit the Big Slopes Right Away
Or in another sense - walk before you can run. Most first-timers spend their day in the beginner’s area, which is a safe zone with magic carpets (those tunnelled people movers) and gentle runs for practice. It can feel repetitive, but it’s the best place to build up your basic skills, such as stopping, turning, and (in our case) just learning how to stay upright!
That said, if your instructor sees that you’re improving and the group is progressing well, you might get the chance to head further up the mountain. That’s what happened with us, and by the end of our lesson, we were taken up the Chondola (a mix of chairlift and gondola) to ride down a beginner-friendly green run. It was such an epic way to end the day and felt like a huge reward after all our hard work (and falls).
5. Final Thoughts
Trying snowboarding for the first time in New Zealand was one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had. Yes, we were sore the next day. Yes, we fell down more times than I can count. But we also discovered a new passion. And really, you can’t really ask for more than that.