Mount Hutt Ski Area

Mount Hutt, New Zealand's best-known (but not necessarily best) ski area, has a good mix of terrain, including steep chutes in the Towers area and the South Face. In 1990, it became the first resort in the southern hemisphere to host World Cup races, and race teams from the northern hemisphere often train there. It has extensive snow-making, and thanks partly to runs which end up below the base area, a vertical drop of 672m. Just over 100km from Christchurch, the upper slopes have magnificent views across the Canterbury Plains. The road to the resort is quite daunting – 12km long and sometimes battered by howling winds, it has alarming drops and few safety barriers.