They are skiing and boarding almost wall-to-wall on Queenstown's skifields.
After fresh snow on Sunday night, all lifts were open yesterday at NZSki's Coronet and the Remarkables, with minimum snow bases of 30cm and 75cm respectively.
Remarkables ski area manager Ross Lawrence said about 30cm of snow fell in the last day and a-half.
"Where it's falling naturally, we're skiing wall-to-wall. Top of Sugar Bowl, right round through Curvey, through the chutes, down Homeward, out across Shadow.
"And because the temperatures are so cold, the snow is in excellent condition.''
The skifields have suffered through a wet and warm June and July, including a more than two-week shutdown of Coronet Peak, and patience has now been rewarded.
Coronet's manager Ross Copland, who described yesterday's conditions as "dry, fluffy, wintry powder'', said more than 2000 people were enjoying the mountain, a strong number for the week after school holidays.
"I went for a ski out in the back bowls today, actually, the first time I've been out there this season, and it was really nice skiing - nice grippy wintry snow.''
Coronet Peak had about 17cm of fresh snow last weekend, topped up yesterday by snow-making, involving some 3.5 million litres of water.
Mr Copland said the field was now almost all available, with only the odd tussock poking through on wind-exposed ridges.
