You’ve skied a lot of incredible mountains around the world. In your opinion, what makes the Queenstown and Wānaka region so special?
JW: Our mountains are extremely dramatic. Towering out of the blue lakes through the native forest, up into glaciated high alpine terrain, it’s truly spectacular. Exploring these mountains becomes more enjoyable with every journey out there.
AR: I find the Southern Alps extremely special because I see them as home, although I’ve seen some extremely impressive alps overseas, none of it compares to experiencing them in our backyard.
Out of the five resorts in the Queenstown Lakes region (Cardrona Alpine Resort, Treble Cone Ski Area, The Remarkables, Coronet Peak Ski Area and Snowfarm NZ), what’s your go-to mountain and why?
JW: Can’t beat TC on a pow day. Cardrona spring park laps go hard though.
AR: My go-to mountain is, of course, Coronet Peak! It’s where I grew up skiing with my family and where I learned to ski and race, so it holds a very special place in my heart. It’s currently where I do all my training in the winter and has a world-class race training venue. It’s also so easily accessible from the township, it’s 15 minutes from my house and 20 minutes from town which makes it SO easy. And of course, I can’t forget the breathtaking panoramic views of the entire Wakatipu basin to the South and the amazing Alps to the North.
