Skifields eye 'great start to season' after snow

Queenstown woke to a winter wonderland this morning, with a decent snowfall arriving on schedule for its skifields.

• Conditions ease after chilly start in South

Cardrona Alpine Resort is scheduled to open in just over three weeks, on June 12, followed by Coronet Peak on June 19 and The Remarkables and Treble Cone on June 26.

Cardrona and Treble Cone general manager Bridget Legnavsky said the first snow in May was "always exciting''.

"As well as having snow under our feet, the ground is cooling so we can look to start snowmaking when conditions allow.

"It's a good sign of things to come.''

NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson said 10cm of snow fell at Coronet overnight and 18cm came down at The Remarkables, and more is predicted.

"Combined with our snowmaking network cranking in these cold conditions, we're getting set for a great start to the season''.

Overnight Cardrona received 8cm of fresh snow, and Treble Cone received 5cm.