NZSki is not the only organisation waiting for the winter weather to arrive.
Snowshoeing Queenstown, which takes guided "back-country" tours on streamlined snowshoes, was founded in 2009 by Peter and Karyn Hitchman as a "natural progression" of their Guided Nature Walks business.
After taking just six people in 2009, which increased to about 1500 last year, they had more than doubled their snowshoe stocks to 34 pairs and were looking to up the ante this season, Mr Hitchman said.
"I think it will grow this year as we have the Winter Games coming up and we also have the Rugby World Cup and it's something people can do without having to learn to ski if they are only in town for a couple of days."
Snowshoeing was the fastest-growing winter activity in the United States and Japan, and before disruption from the Christchurch and Japanese earthquakes, the company had a lucrative supply contract lined up with the Japanese Tourism Board, he said.
This year, Snowshoeing has added an overnight trip starting with a one-hour helicopter flight to the Lindis Ridge Hut to explore the area on foot and enjoy views of Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, the Remarkables and Lake Wanaka.
