Spring skiing in Queenstown: is a late-season pass worth it, or is the season done

What one more ski day costs at each of the four fields this spring, when each one closes, what the operators' own snow reports said, and the free walk if the answer is no. Every price from the operator's page, with the date we read it.

Published 18 September 2026 · Last checked 22 September 2026 · Corrected 22 September 2026 · By Queenstown Pocket

In short: The decision is whether one more ski day this spring is worth a lift pass, $180 for a day at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables ($135 for an afternoon) or $184 at Cardrona or Treble Cone on the Saturdays we checked, plus a $20 to $36 bus, or whether the season is done for you. It turns on four things: which field, because the last days run from 27 September at Treble Cone to 18 October at Cardrona; how many days you will ski, because spring multi-day passes bring a day down to $100 to $120; the snow and wind on the morning, which each field’s own report gives; and ages, because under-5s and those 75 and over ski free at the NZSki fields. The free alternative is Queenstown Hill, 5.4 km return and 2 to 3 hours. Prices as the operators publish them, read 18 September 2026.

The Thursday email settles this for a given week. This page keeps the numbers behind it, with the source and the date on each one. For each field’s distance from town, road and terrain, see Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone, or all four side by side in the ski fields compared.

What a spring ski day costs

Spring 2026 lift passes at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone, and the free Queenstown Hill walk, with adult and child prices, what each includes, hours, how to get there and the source page, read 18 September 2026
Option	Adult price	Child price	What you get	Time	Getting there	Source
Coronet Peak, NZSki Superpass, 1 day	$180	$115 (the page does not say which ages); under 5 and 75 and over ski free with a MyPass card	A lift day; NZSki says the Superpass can be used any day, with no booking and no holiday blackouts	9am to 4pm; last day 4 October	NZSki Ski Bus, return: $36 for 6 and over, $15 for 3 to 5, under 2 free; bookings essential. From 9 Duke St, 7:30am to 11am; returns from 1pm	Superpass (opens in a new tab), mountain info (opens in a new tab) and Ski Bus (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Coronet Peak, Afternoon Pass	$135	Not on the page	Afternoon lifts only	12:30pm to 4pm	The same Ski Bus; the last pickup from 9 Duke St is 11am	Afternoon Pass (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
The Remarkables, NZSki Superpass, 1 day	$180	$115; under 5 and 75 and over ski free with a MyPass card	A lift day; the same Superpass prices as Coronet Peak	9am to 4pm; last day 11 October	NZSki Ski Bus, return: $36 for 6 and over, $15 for 3 to 5, under 2 free; bookings essential. From 9 Duke St half-hourly 7:30am to 9am, then 11am; from Frankton 7:45am to 11:15am; returns from 1:30pm	Superpass (opens in a new tab), mountain info (opens in a new tab) and Ski Bus (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
The Remarkables, Afternoon Pass	$135	Not on the page	Afternoon lifts only	12:30pm to 4pm	The same Ski Bus; the last Duke St departure is 11am, the last Frankton pickup 11:15am	Afternoon Pass (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
NZSki Spring Pass	5 days $525 ($105 a day), 6 days $600 ($100 a day), unlimited $675	Not confirmed on the page	Days at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt, usable from 1 September	9am to 4pm	The NZSki Ski Bus, as above	Spring Passes (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Cardrona, 1-day lift pass	$184 (18 to 64) on Sat 26 Sep and Sat 3 Oct, shown against $209; the price is set by date	$109 (6 to 17) on the same two dates	A lift day at Cardrona	Lifts 8:30am to 4:00pm, weather permitting; last day 18 October	Queenstown Ski Bus, $20 adult return in spring (was $45): Cameron Place 7:30am, back from Cardrona 4:15pm; child fare not published. Driving: free road shuttle from The Pines car park, no booking	booking engine (opens in a new tab), hours (opens in a new tab) and transport (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Treble Cone, 1-day lift pass	$184 (18 to 64) on Sat 26 Sep, shown against $209	$109 (6 to 17) on Sat 26 Sep	A lift day at Treble Cone	8:30am to 4:00pm; last day 27 September (tentative)	Queenstown Ski Bus, $20 adult return in spring: Cameron Place 7:00am, back from Treble Cone 4:00pm. Driving: free shuttle from the car park at the bottom of the access road, no booking	booking engine (opens in a new tab), hours (opens in a new tab) and transport (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Cardrona or Treble Cone, Half Day Pass	From $145	Not published	Afternoon lifts; sold on the day only, at the ticket office or call centre, subject to capacity	12:30pm to 4pm	The same Queenstown Ski Bus, which leaves in the morning	lift passes (opens in a new tab) and passes (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Cardrona and Treble Cone spring multi-day pass	4 days $480 ($120 a day), 5 days $560 ($112), 6 days $630 ($105), 7 days $735 ($105)	Not in the figures we checked	Days at both mountains, valid 1 September to the end of the season	Each mountain's lift hours	The Queenstown Ski Bus, as above	Spring deals (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Queenstown Hill Time Walk (the free option)	Free	Free	A walk to Queenstown Hill's 907 m summit, on a council-managed track through private land	2 to 3 hours, 5.4 km return, about 500 m of climbing	Starts at Belfast Terrace; Orbus fares are $2.50 with a Bee Card	DOC Queenstown day walks brochure (opens in a new tab) and ORC fares (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026

The NZSki Superpass page shows one price per number of days, with no date picker, and NZSki says the pass can be used any day with no booking. It works only on days a mountain is open. Cardrona and Treble Cone price each single day by date: Cardrona says a rescheduled day can cost the difference if the new day is dearer, its listing reads “Adult price starting from” $184, and it says buying online saves up to $15. We checked two Saturdays; every other date needs its own check. Where a page does not state a price, the table says so rather than guessing.

When each field closes

Last day of the 2026 season at each of the four ski fields, calendar days left from Tuesday 22 September (our arithmetic), lift hours and what ends sooner, read 22 September 2026
Field	Last day in 2026	Calendar days left from Tue 22 Sep	Hours, and what ends sooner	Source
Treble Cone	27 September (tentative); the booking calendar sells no day after it	6	8:30am to 4:00pm; on 18 September the report gave Saddle Basin 9am to 3:30pm	hours (opens in a new tab) and snow report (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Coronet Peak	4 October, listed as Closing Day in the field's events	13	9am to 4pm; First Tracks (8am to 9am) ran daily only until 20 September	mountain info (opens in a new tab) and events (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
The Remarkables	11 October	20	9am to 4pm; Afternoon Pass from 12:30pm	mountain info (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026
Cardrona	18 October, which Cardrona calls the new closing date after staying open longer	27	8:30am to 4:00pm; the later Après Ski Bus from Queenstown ran only until 20 September	hours (opens in a new tab) and transport (opens in a new tab), read 18 Sep 2026

The days-left column is our arithmetic: calendar days from Tuesday 22 September to the last day, both included. They are not promised operating days; a field can close for wind or weather on any of them. Cardrona’s own mountains page (opens in a new tab) gave two other sets of Cardrona dates when we read it, so we use its hours page and its booking calendar, which agree on 18 October. We found no extension for Treble Cone past 27 September; its calendar shows 28 to 30 September unavailable.

Day, afternoon or spring pass

Our arithmetic, adult prices only: the pass plus the return bus, and the pass divided by the lift hours each field publishes. The inputs are all in the tables above.

Our arithmetic: adult pass plus return bus, and pass price per published lift hour, for a spring 2026 day at each field, from prices read 18 September 2026
Plan	Pass	Bus return	Pass and bus	Lift hours	Pass per lift hour
Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, full day	$180	$36	$216	7 (9am to 4pm)	$25.71
Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, afternoon	$135	$36	$171	3.5 (12:30pm to 4pm)	$38.57
Cardrona, Sat 26 Sep or Sat 3 Oct	$184	$20	$204	7.5 (8:30am to 4:00pm)	$24.53
Treble Cone, Sat 26 Sep	$184	$20	$204	7.5 (8:30am to 4:00pm)	$24.53
Cardrona or Treble Cone, half day	From $145	$20	From $165	3.5 (12:30pm to 4pm)	$41.43
NZSki 6-day Spring Pass, per day	$100	$36 a trip	$136 a day	7 (9am to 4pm)	$14.29
Cardrona and Treble Cone 7-day spring pass, per day	$105	$20 a trip	$125 a day	7.5 (8:30am to 4:00pm)	$14.00

The afternoon saves $45 and costs 3.5 hours. At Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, $180 less $135. By the hour the afternoon is the dearer way to ski ($38.57 against $25.71), and the last morning Ski Bus from Duke St leaves at 11am, 90 minutes before the Afternoon Pass starts.
A half day at Cardrona or Treble Cone needs a car or an early bus. After 20 September the later Après Ski Bus stops, and the Queenstown bus we list for Cardrona leaves Cameron Place at 7:30am, five hours before a half-day pass starts at 12:30pm.
NZSki Spring Pass against day passes. The Superpass is $180 for 1 day and $170 a day for 2 ($340). Three days as a 2-day and a 1-day pass cost $520, $5 under the 5-day Spring Pass at $525; four days as two 2-day passes cost $680, $155 more than the Spring Pass. The unlimited pass ($675) costs $75 more than the 6-day ($600), so it pays only from a seventh day. We recorded only the Superpass 1 and 2-day prices, so check its longer passes before choosing.
Cardrona and Treble Cone spring pass against day passes. The 4-day pass ($480) costs less than three single days at the $184 shown for 26 September and 3 October ($552); two single days ($368) cost less than the pass. Single-day prices move by date, so check yours.

The snow on 18 September, unofficial

Operator figures, unofficial: copied from each field’s own snow report on 18 September 2026, not measured by us and not a forecast. The fields measure in different places and in different ways, so the numbers do not compare like for like.

Snow depth and recent snowfall at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone as each operator's own report stated it on 18 September 2026, unofficial
Field	Depth	Recent snow	Season snowfall	Report updated	Source
Coronet Peak	Upper 90 cm, lower 55 cm, measured on the main groomed trails with SnowSAT	18 cm in the last 48 hours	118 cm	4:03pm	Coronet Peak report, read 18 Sep 2026 (opens in a new tab)
The Remarkables	Upper 180 cm, lower 70 cm	15 cm in the last 48 hours	300 cm	4:21pm	The Remarkables report, read 18 Sep 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Cardrona	112 cm natural snow base at the 1800 m weather station	0 overnight, 0 in the last 24 hours, 15 over 7 days (the page gives no unit)	Not recorded here	4:01pm	Cardrona report, read 18 Sep 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Treble Cone	150 cm snow base, measured at the top of the Home Basin	0 overnight, 0 in the last 24 hours, 17 cm over 7 days	Not recorded here	1:12pm	Treble Cone report, read 18 Sep 2026 (opens in a new tab)

We read Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona after the 4pm close, when each showed no lifts open, and Treble Cone’s lift count came from a summary last updated at 1:12pm, so this page gives no lift count for the day. None of the reports gives the date of the last snowfall, only rolling totals. Each field’s report is linked in the table; read it on the morning you go.

The free alternative

Queenstown Hill. DOC’s Queenstown day walks brochure lists the Queenstown Hill Time Walk at 2 to 3 hours and 5.4 km return from Belfast Terrace, climbing some 500 m to the summit; its map marks Queenstown Hill at 907 m. It costs nothing, and it is a council-managed track through private land. DOC warns that the higher tracks can have snow and ice from autumn through winter and often into spring, which is now. Orbus fares are $2.50 with a Bee Card if you ride part of the way; the Queenstown Hill walk page has how to reach the start and the track notes.

It is not a ski day; it is a summit walk with no pass to buy. For more that costs nothing, see the free things to do in Queenstown; for the Bee Card itself, the Bee Card guide.

What changes the answer

Wind and weather on the day. On Friday 18 September The Remarkables said that, because of forecast wind, it would sell day lift passes and rentals at Afternoon rates on Saturday 19 September, with no refunds if it had to close early, and that Superpass holders could use their pass or buy the Afternoon Pass instead. It said the report would be updated at 6:30am. That was one day’s call, not a standing offer, and the report is where such calls appear. The same day Treble Cone’s report gave its Saddle Basin shorter hours (9am to 3:30pm) than the Home Basin (8:30am to 4pm).

Snow. On 18 September the operators reported between 55 cm (Coronet Peak, lower) and 180 cm (The Remarkables, upper), with 15 to 18 cm in the last 48 hours at the NZSki fields and none in the last 24 hours at Cardrona and Treble Cone. These are the operators’ own figures, unofficial, and they change daily.

Booking and queues. The Superpass needs no booking; the NZSki Ski Bus does (“Bookings are essential”). Cardrona and Treble Cone’s Half Day Pass is sold on the day only, at the ticket office or call centre, subject to capacity, so it is not guaranteed. Their single-day price is set by date, and on 18 September Treble Cone’s engine showed “100 left at this price” for 26 September. We have no lift-queue figures for any field, so this page gives none.

Ages. At the NZSki fields, children under 5 and seniors 75 and over ski free but still need a MyPass card; the child day is $115, and the Superpass page does not say which ages that covers. At Cardrona and Treble Cone, adult means 18 to 64 and child 6 to 17 ($109 on the dates we checked). The NZSki Ski Bus charges the $36 fare from age 6, $15 for 3 to 5, and nothing under 2; its page does not state a fare for a 2-year-old. The Cardrona and Treble Cone pages we read show only the adult bus fare. With children, see also Queenstown with kids.

Season. Two things ended on Sunday 20 September: First Tracks at Coronet Peak and the later Après Ski Bus from Queenstown to Cardrona. Spring Passes at both operators, and the $20 spring bus fare to Cardrona and Treble Cone, have applied since 1 September. After Treble Cone closes (27 September, tentative), three fields are left; after 11 October, only Cardrona. The October guide covers the rest of the month.

How to book

NZSki Superpass, Coronet Peak

$180 adult, $115 child, 1 day; any day, no booking; under 5 and 75 and over free with a MyPass card. Last day 4 October. Read 18 Sep 2026.