NZSki is taking a harder line against season pass fraud this year, which has seen a dozen people banned from its skifields for life.
It has installed a new "smart pass" ticketing system across its three skifields - Coronet Peak and the Remarkables near Queenstown and Mt Hutt in Canterbury - and control has also been increased.
All season pass and day pass holders are now issued with a microchipped card the size of a credit card, which uses radio frequency at the lifts and when purchasing other skifield products.
A photo of the pass holder is stored on the card, and shows up on scanners and on a computer screen when the card is used, making it harder to use a card belonging to someone else.
NZSki chief executive James Coddington said people trying to cheat the system would get caught.
"We have been pressing charges against people who misuse cards before, but giving lifetime bans is new this year."
He said 12 card holders had been banned for life in less than two weeks since the opening of Coronet Peak.
