Fresh snow on Wanaka skifields on Monday night enabled skiers and snowboarders to take to the hills yesterday morning to make the most of powder conditions.
Natural snow has been in short supply on the slopes of Southern Lakes skifields, with the last fall on June 23.
A northwest front drifted across the Main Divide, bringing snow down to 1100m.
Of the region's fields, Treble Cone received the most fresh snow, recording falls of about 15cm in its Saddle Basin, and 10cm in the Home Basin.
Cardrona Alpine Resort and the Pisa Range fields of Snow Farm and Snow Park received a covering of about 5cm-10cm each.
Motorists travelling between Queenstown and Wanaka across the Crown Range were required to fit chains yesterday morning, while rain and low cloud also affected driving conditions on the mountain pass.
Queenstown's skifields at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables also received a boost to their snowmaking operations, with falls of about 12cm and 10cm of fresh powder respectively.
An Otago Regional Council weather monitoring station at West Wanaka recorded 21mm of precipitation during a 24-hour period from Monday night - the only rain which has fallen since the start of July.
