Wanaka Freeride Tour
7 night guided tour
September 02, 2019 to September 09, 2019
$2190 PER PERSON
New Zealand Snowboard Tours
Our base for this tour is Wanaka which put’s us within easy reach of the best heli-ski zones in the Southern Lakes, plus the world class resorts; Cardrona, Treble Cone, The Remarkables and Coronet Peak.
Join us on our optional heli-ski day, where you’ll get to ride deep powder in backcountry bowls, snowy ridges and powder basins. You can be sure that our heli-ski guides will make the extra effort to get you the best and deepest snow on the day. Runs vary between 2000 to 3500 vertical feet and you can expect to ride treeless terrain in sheltered basins, bowls and wide-open rolling mountain flanks.
To get you prepared for the heli-ski day, we start the off the tour with a day of snowboard coaching and guiding at Cardrona Resort. Cardrona is consistently ranked as the best snowboarding destinations in New Zealand, with the best pipe, park, chutes and steeps. You’ll spend a full day riding with our professional and experienced coaches who will take you under their wing and show you the many secret riding spots Cardrona has to offer. You’ll get to build your core riding skills through carving, riding powder, steeps, jumps & more. With lift line priority, you’ll be lapping the resort like a pro.
We’ll have our media team on-hand throughout the tour to capture all the best moments of the trip, with a photo pack provided at the end of the trip so you can share all your best shots.
Throughout the tour you’ll stay in modern, twin share accommodation, right in the centre of Wanaka. All transportation is included and you’ll travel in comfortable 4WD vehicles. Come and experience the South Island with us and find out why Queenstown and Wanaka get their world famous reputation in the snowboard world.
September 2 – Arrival Day
Welcome to New Zealand! Your tour guides will meet you at Queenstown Airport. We’ll load up our 4WD transport and then make the 1 hour drive over the Crown Range to our home base in Wanaka. Once you arrive, we’ll check you in to the hotel and make sure you are settled in and ready for the week ahead. If the sun is shining, join your guides for a welcome drink on the shores of Lake Wanaka. In the evening we’ll head out for a Welcome Session and group dinner. Your guides will explain what’s in store for the week ahead. It’s also a great opportunity to any questions and to get to know the group and guides.
September 3 – Cardrona Freeride Coaching day
To get you familiar with the resort and prepared for the heli-ski day, we’ll have a day of freeride snowboarding coaching and guiding at Cardrona Resort. We’ll have an early start so we can be on mountain by 9am. We run our freeride coaching sessions here as Cardrona is consistently ranked as the best snowboarding destinations in New Zealand, with the best pipe, park, chutes and steeps. You’ll spend a full day riding with our professional and experienced coaches who will take you under their wing and show you the many secret riding spots Cardrona has to offer. You’ll get to build your core riding skills through carving, riding powder, steeps, jumps & more. With lift line priority, you’ll be lapping the resort like a pro. After riding, we’ll head to the famous Cardrona Pub for some beers and snacks, then make the short drive back to our hotel. In the evening we’ll head out for a group dinner.
September 4 & 5 – Cardrona Ride days
We’ll spend the next 2 days exploring Cardrona Resort where you can practice your skills from the previous days coaching session. Our Mint Guides will be with you all day to take you to the best spots. After riding, we’ll head to the famous Cardrona Pub for some beers and snacks, then make the short drive back to our hotel. In the evening we’ll head out for a group dinner.
September 6 – Optional Heli-ski day
Join us for a heli-ski day as it will be one of the highlights of the trip! We meet early for breakfast at the hotel or one of the nearby cafes so you can fuel up for the day ahead. We’ll load our equipment into the van and then make the drive to our heli staging area. Sit back and enjoy the amazing scenery as we travel along the shoreline of Lake Wanaka until we reach the high country sheep station which is the heli staging area. Once at the station your guides will conduct a safety briefing which includes rescue training and how to use your avalanche safety equipment. They will also brief you on Helicopter Safety. All of the Harris Mountain Heli-ski guides are trained in avalanche rescue and have a wealth of knowledge that they are happy to share with you. Questions are welcomed and encouraged. For our first session, we will typically do 3 – 4 runs before breaking for lunch on mountain. We will have a picnic style lunch in the mountains with sandwiches, snacks and plenty of hot soup, tea and water. In the afternoon we’ll complete our remaining runs, and if there is the opportunity to do more runs, your guides will advise the group. After we have finished riding we will return back to the heli staging area. We’ll then load the vans and head back to Wanaka where we’ll enjoy a group dinner at one of the local pub’s.
September 7 – Free day / Optional Heli Ski
We leave this day free in order to give you the option to choose and activity that makes a New Zealand snow holiday so unique. Spend another day Heli Boarding in NZ, shoot some clay targets, play a round of golf, go jet boating or just rest the legs and spend the day hanging out in Wanaka. There are plenty of shops, cafes, short walks and amazing views so theres plenty to experience.
September 8 – Cardrona
For our final day riding we’ll head back to Cardrona. After riding we’ll head back to Wanaka and catch up for dinner and drinks for our final night. Our media team will have a presentation of the best moments of the trip, so you can relive all the great times with the group.
September 9 – Departure day
We check out of the hotel. Join your guides for breakfast on the Wanaka lakefront. We will then drop you back off to Queenstown airport for your flight back home after an epic tour!
Your tour includes:
Guiding, Coaching & Media
- Mint Tours guides on hand throughout tour
- 1 day of snowboard coaching at Cardrona Alpine Resort with qualified and professional world class coaches
- Lift line priority for coaching day
- 3 days of resort guiding for non-coaching days
- Media team on hand to capture all the memories with a link to download all your shots at the end of the trip
- Assistance with equipment selection and discounts at local stores
Accommodation
- 7 nights twin share accommodation at the Wanaka Hotel. All rooms are equipped with 2 beds, free WIFI, ensuite bathroom, heating, TV, tea & coffee making facility and fridge. The accommodation is equipped with bar and restaurant which serves breakfast.
Private 4WD transportation
- Daily private transfers to and from the resort in comfortable 4WD vehicles
- Arrival day pick-up from Queenstown Airport
- Departure day drop-off to Queenstown Airport.
Lift Tickets
- 4 day lift ticket valid at Cardrona Alpine Resort
Add on – Heli-ski day 6 run package $1,200 per person
- 6 run heli-ski day with Harris Mountain Heli-ski
- Safety briefing covering avalanche transceivers and use, helicopter and mountain safety
- Fully-qualified, certified mountain specialist heli-ski guide
- A guide-to-guest ratio of 1 : 5
- Alpine buffet lunch
- Pickup and return transportation from accommodation to heli-staging area
- For an additional cost, video service available upon request.
Our Accommodation
Our accommodation for the tour is the Wanaka Hotel. The hotel is centrally located in Wanaka, with walking distance to the lake, supermarket and all of Wanaka’s restaurants and bars. All rooms are twin share and are equipped with an ensuite bathroom, free WIFI, heating, TV and fridge. All guests will have access to communal cooking facilities. There is also a bar and restaurant on-site.
Mint Tours Guides
Your professional guides have an in-depth knowledge of the local area, terrain and conditions. You can be assured we will always find you the best snow conditions available. Our goal is to get everybody on tour riding in a relaxed and fun environment.
Small Group Numbers
Our guests to guide ratio is 5 : 1. We like to keep our group sizes small so you can get the most out of your time with us. There’s nothing worse than riding with a large group, especially on a powder day! We have our guides on-snow every day. At night we’ll have our hosts on hand to show you around the local area.
Numbers for this tour are limited so get in touch to check availability [email protected]
To secure your spot we require a $500 deposit with the balance paid 60 days prior to departure.
