Snow Farm is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

near

Wānaka Wānaka () is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wānaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wānaka ...

, New Zealand, dedicated to

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

Description

Snow Farm features 55 km of trails, and the conference centre has accommodation for about 60 people. It is located on the Criffel Range close to Cardrona, at an altitude of approx 1,600 m. The area is used for cross country skiing in the winter and during the summer months for altitude training with trails climbing out to 2000m. The proximity of Wānaka (275m) and Queenstown (310m) and the training options around these two towns makes the Snow Farm one of the best locations in the Southern Hemisphere for a live high, train low training regime. The Lodge itself is a wedding, conference and meeting venue with seating for 150 people, a private bar, restaurant, and viewing deck; with accommodation options. Private hire options are popular amongst the conference organisers along with the breakout activities onsite including: Cross Country skiing, snow shoeing, Husky dog sled tours, and a snow and ice driving experience. During the summer months, mountain biking, hiking, orienteering, rock climbing and adventure racing are available. It is also the location of the

Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG) is an international automotive proving facility based in New Zealand's Cardrona area. It is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, with its second operation undergoing development in so ...

. The series of twelve vehicle test facilities are used by car manufacturers from around the world for ice and snow testing during the northern-hemisphere summer. Meadow Hut Snow Farm

Access

Snow Farm is around 55 km from Queenstown and 35 km from Wānaka. The 13 km gravel access road is used for the internationally known Race to the Sky hillclimb.

Merino Muster

An annual cross country skiing event called the Merino Muster is held in September and covers distances of 42 km/21 km/7 km and 1 km for children.

References

External links

Official website

Merino Muster website

Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds New Zealand
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