Snowscene Help Guide for Whakapapa, Mt Ruapehu

2020 UPDATED:
Make the most out of your trip to Whakapapa Ski Field!

About:

Whakapapa, Mt Ruapehu - is approx 40 minutes drive from our shop in Turangi. Operating times are 9AM to 4PM from June to October. Whakapapa is known for its excellent beginner facility - Happy Valley, which is perfect for your first time ski and boarders.

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Whakapapa Trail Map - Snowscene Ski Rental

Facilities & Lifts

Amazing cafe situated 2020m above sea level, with panoramic views
Terrain: 25% beginner, 50% intermediate and 25% advanced
Lift facilities include NEW Gondala, 3x Quad Chairs, and beginner chair and carpets in happy valley.
Purpose built sledding area and chair-ride sightseeing options.
Ticket prices start at $129 for adults and $79 for youth. Take advantage of the Flexi-pass to save money if going for multiple days. Beginner passes at $89 Adult & $69 Youth for Happy Valley exclusively are also available.
Park: Whakapapa features one main park which is situated beside the 'knoll ridge' T bar loading area. It consists of some great 'medium air' jumps and smaller ones to have a go at.

Ski Rentals for Whakapapa and Mt Ruapehu

Where can you rent hire skis for Mt Ruapehu? For the 2020 season, there will be NO on-mountain rentals available. This means you will need to hire gear off-mountain at one of the many local ski shops in the area

We recommend us! Great prices, great gear and quick service. There are ski rental options if you are staying in Ohakune, but for the northern towns we would love to fit you out with the proper gear for the day!

Make sure to checkout our rental pricing to plan your trip, and to contact us to book or for any inquiries

Weather Conditions

All weather on Mt Ruapehu can change very quickly, and is known for its strong winds that whip over the mountain. Always be prepared with the gear so you are good for any situation. Even on a hot, spring day conditions can change relatively quickly. Before you go, it could be a good idea to check out 'Mt Ruapehu Essentials' Checklist to make sure you have everything packed, and double check the metservice website for weather conditions

Getting there, and restrictions

Simply drive up using the Bruce road access. Often this road can be restricted to only certain vehicles. Make sure to check the REPORT before you make the drive. These restrictions can be:

Chain ONLY restriction:Your car must have chains to access the road. Chains CANNOT be rented in the surrounding areas (2019 updated), and you must use another option - such as the many shuttle options available:

Chains or 4WD ONLY restriction:Your car must have chains or be in 4WD to access the road.

No restriction: Away you go :) Take your time.

Shuttle and transport options

For the 2020 ski season, there will be no resort shuttles operating, and instead will need to be organised by one of the friendly third party services below. Its best to book in advance - but often you can hop on last minute.

Browse all shuttle options

Holiday Park Shuttle - A closer service to Whakapapa. This bus is operated by the Whakapapa Holiday Park, and costs $20 adult $15 child return. Operating times are:Restricted Road: 8.30 to 12.30 every 45 mins ORun-restricted road: on demand. Contact number is 07 892 3897

Turangi/Taupo Shuttle: Please see the good folk at https://www.backyardtours.com/whakapapa-transfer.html

Local Sercrets!

When selecting where to park once you get to the top of the bruce road, we recommend that if daypark's 1-3 are full, you then select the daypark with the 'BUS PICKUP' flag. This is where the roaming bus is guaranteed to stop and pickup people to take them to the base. If your not a fan of walking with all your ski gear, we recommend this tip.
If you are after a great beginners run, but want to avoid the crowds - we recommend the 'Delta' chair which is a green run, but without the usual queues. You will need a full mountain pass to access this chair, and the return runs may be a bit tricky so you may want to take the gondola back to base
Once we have a good snow covering at Whakapapa, there are a few good sledding spots you can go to without needing to pay. These are around the base area - behind the customer service building, and to the left of the Gondola loading area. Side note, these are not facilitated by RAL, and you will need to sled at your own risk. Sled's can be rented from us for $10 a day.
We recommend if you are planning todrive up to Whakapapa on a relatively fine Saturday, Sunday or any school holiday - that you have a early start and plan to arrive at the top of Bruce road before 8.00am. This is due to the limited carparks available and there is a good chance they will be filled by 8am. If the parks do fill up, you will have to take a shuttle up instead.

Our favorite runs:

Beginner / intermediate: Delta Chair Turtle Run. Open easy run with less queues.
Intermediate / Advanced: Really anything out west ways is great. You can pick whatever route suites your ability. Start at the top of the west, and make your way down the right side (looking down) all the way to the loading bay to the west chair. Black magic can be 'powderful' once the snow has softened up but we do recommend going with someone who knows the route as its easy to go the wrong way - which may require you to un-clip and walk back to the trail.