The snow that arrived last week seems to have rejuvenated the entire area, and now the ski season seems just around the corner. But as all the locals were saying 'Snow in May will never stay', one can only wonder if the snow will in fact stick around until the slopes open, as that seems to not be the underlying historical theme. The snowfall prompted all the skifields to issue press releases, which contained snippets of the new developments over the winter. We highlight those changes in this edition as they weren't all positive, and we bid farewell to a Queenstown tourism icon.

Last Thursday, press releases were issued by all 4 of the major local skifields within a 2 hour period. It seemed like a race at the time, and that race was to be the first to tell everyone about the large amount of snow that fell at each skifield, as well as plug any new and recent developments over the summer. So without further ado, here are the major changes that happened over the summer, starting with the good:

Coronet Peak:

A $30 million expansion consisting of:

• The $20 million reconstruction of the Coronet Peak base building
• The multi-million installation of 138 fixed position, fully automated snow guns
• The snow gun water reservoirs doubled their water capacity from 80 million litres to 175 million
• Coronet Peak Vehicle Reduction Plan

The Remarkables:

• Installation of a Jake Burton signature run, The Stash

Cardrona:

• High speed detachable quad chair for Captains Basin
• New Advanced Triple Jump Line
• Expansion of the Captain's Pizzeria to double the size
• 13 new snow guns for Captain's Basin

Treble Cone:

• New state-of-the-art snow guns
• The introduction of the internationally renowned Burton Learn to Ride programme for beginner snowboarders
• Saddle Basin features wider groomed trails tilted to the south to help retain snow

Lake Wanaka winter resort new developments for 2008

And now for the 'bad'. In January, Nzski.com made an announcement that will affect every booking agent in the Queenstown region. For those that missed it, here's what they said:

For the following reasons, Southern Alpine Recreation has elected not to offer agent commission on local sales of mountain product for the 2008 winter season:

• Our products are the primary driver for winter visitors to Queenstown. It is therefore an anomaly that we are both very strongly involved in getting people here in the first instance and then paying a commission for the sale of that product which is readily available on our mountains, via our downtown Snow Centre and through our website.
• Internationally, our research shows that once in the alpine town, lift tickets and other mountain product are generally available from the lift company only.
• The current redemption system from agent to downtown Snow Centre and then often to on mountain Guest Services is not a customer friendly model. In many cases, this also sees the need for additional backend resources on our part to administer this process.
• Our capital investment and significant efforts in getting people to Queenstown reflects our commitment to the winter product and to the Queenstown business community. This investment will be ongoing and continue to raise the profile and value of Queenstown as an alpine destination.

The above reasons were sent to all Queenstown booking agents, and it's already making news. Those of you that read the Southland Times or Stuff.co.nz would most likely have read the story about how Queenstown information centres will now refer their customers to the Wanaka skifields, Cardrona and Treble Cone. For those that missed that article, click here to read it. Of the whole article, the most telling statement was the last one:

Tim Barke, general manager of Queenstown information centre Kiwi Discovery, described NZSki's decision to drop commissions as 'a brave move'. He said sales during the coming season would test whether the NZSki brand was strong enough to prevail without agents actively selling the company's products.

So with the likelihood of every booking agent in Queenstown refusing to sell nzski.com passes, one can only wonder about the potential for carnage before guests even hit the slopes, as they'll either be 'funnelled' through the tiny nzski.com ticket office behind the Station Building, or be made to wait in line up the mountain. This will be a very interesting experiment, and if I had to pick an outcome, I'd wager that the decision to not pay commission will be reversed before halfway through the season.

And lastly, before I sign off is the news that local tourist icon, Flybywire, have decided to close their operation, effective at the end of May. Hamish and Elvis wish to thank everyone for their support during their handling of the operation over the last 2.5 years. No reason was given for the closure, but maybe it had something to do with the new bungy jump that has gained approval for operation in that area.

Until next week, stay warm,

Nathan - Queenstown.com Editor.