If the forecast is correct, the resort’s skifields should get substantial snowfall just in time for the July school holidays.
MetService meteorologist John Law said a "swing around to southerly winds" is on its way, which is expected to bring snowfall down to 400m by Saturday.
"In Queenstown, highs will be back into single figures, sevens and eights [degrees C] as we move towards the weekend, and night-time lows of freezing to minus two degrees," Mr Law said.
"We’ll keep hold of those sub-zero temps for most of next week as well."
Because the cold front was coming from the south, the cold would be accompanied by stronger winds and a "bit more rainfall".
The outlook is music to the ears of NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson, who said the wintry blast should see the Remarkables and Coronet skifields operating at close to full by the weekend.
"The system is looking very good ... that cold stream is going to last quite a while through to the middle of next week, so we’ll get very good snow-making conditions for quite a prolonged period.
"It should set us up; the question is how much precipitation we get with it.
"The cold is coming up from the south and southwest, so we’re just hoping those southwest mountains don’t pinch all the snow."
He predicted the Remarkables would get 35cm of snow by Monday.
"We use snow fences to catch the snow coming in with wind, and we can groom that out.
"It’ll load up all the ridges and fences at both mountains pretty well."
Mr Anderson was confident Coronet Peak, which has been closed since Sunday, would reopen by Saturday with most trails in operation.
The Remarkable would also have most lifts going by the weekend, "depending on the exits of the trails and how low the snow settles".
"We certainly need it, it’s been very busy up at Remarks this week, just with the Queensland school holidays.
"Next week we’ve got New Zealand and New South Wales school holidays, so it’s going to get even busier."
