It’s not long now before your ski trip to Queenstown. To help ensure your trip runs smoothly we have included some helpful and important local information and snow tips.
We collect from over 25 locations – Please check on your travel voucher if you have selected the correct pick-up location. To check if you are at the right one, we have pictures and GPS locations of all the stops on our website. Send us an email if you need to change anything before departure.
Your seat is a pre booked & guaranteed space. Your driver will have your name (the one the booking is made under) and booking reference on their passenger list when they arrive to collect you. This will be sufficient to get on the bus. We do not need to print or collect a paper copy of your bus voucher.
Please consider the other passengers and be ready at your chosen bus stop 10 minutes before your pick-up time. The driver is not able to go into the hotel or accommodation and find you, we ask that you please wait at the pre booked bus stop location. If you’re not there, then the bus may leave without you.
Because of this tight schedule, we want to make sure you are in the right location, so we have a link that will take you to the correct pick up point. This will be emailed to you 24 hours before your first day of travel. Alternatively you can check on the website and check out our interactive maps.
We anticipate running a number of buses on the route, so if you see an Info & Snow bus drive past you, it will probably have collected passengers from another part of town and is heading to the mountain already full.
Don’t worry, your allocated driver and bus will stop at your pick up point. The driver will have your name that you booked under on their list when they stop.
During peak school holidays the bus may be up to 15 mins late due to traffic.
There are also a number of other companies that may stop at your bus stop, please check you are getting on the Info & Snow bus and not another one in error.
Your driver will explain where to meet for your return journey down. Ideally please get on the same bus, this way the driver only has a section of town to do the drop offs as they will match the morning schedule.
The bus leaves at 4.15pm sharp. Please make sure you are on time for your bus back from the mountain or call to let us know if you do not plan on returning with us. Your safety is a priority, so if you do not show up, the driver will presume you are lost on the mountain and may have to inform the mountain that you are missing, which could result in expensive fines if Search & Rescue have to be called.
Your seat is saved so there are no refunds if you are late & miss the bus or oversleep. If there is a day that you decide you are not catching the bus for any reason, please try to let us know so that we are not looking for you.
If you want to cancel there is no refund within 48 hours
By law children regardless of age will need their own seat, if you have not booked this, please contact us asap.
Whilst every effort is made to arrive on the mountain on time, if the road conditions do not allow this to happen, we are not responsible for any loss of mountain time, or lessons missed as a result. If you feel that any refund is due to you for any NZ Ski products (ski pass or lessons) then you will need to discuss this directly with them.
Info & snow also offer private charters & skifield transfer options.
We can pick you up from anywhere in Queenstown and drop you back to your door. We have a fleet of 4WD Land Cruiser vehicles that each hold six passengers and a number of minivan options. With a local and expert mountain road driver with every private charter, you will be in safe hands.
Further detail and prices are available on the website and can be arranged via email – please quote your existing booking reference if you would like to upgrade to this option.
If you have chosen to rent equipment (skis, boots, poles or snowboard and boots) you will need to collect this at the location shown on your voucher.
If you have chosen to rent the clothing bundle this includes jacket and pants, helmet, goggles and gloves. Please check on your voucher where to collect collect this.
If you are collecting equipment which has been sold as part of a beginners package this will be from NZski and there are two options:
The majority of booking without lessons will include equipment rental from Quest .
Please check your voucher to show where your equipment rental is from
If your voucher says collect from QUEST, this is located at 27 Shotover Street. They are open 7.30am – 8pm during the ski season. Your equipment and clothing will need to be collected prior to your bus departure. We suggest the afternoon/evening before. During school holidays or Snow Machine Festival please allow extra time. You’re on holiday so giving yourselves ample time will ensure the process is stress free.
Once you have your equipment fitted out, please take it all back to your accommodation as we have very limited space in our shop to hold the equipment. Most main accommodation places have equipment lockers and/or dedicated locations to store your gear.
When you collect your gear form your hotel locker in the mornings, please check you have the correct persons equipment when you collect it. Do not remove the tape with your name on it the rental shops has done this to help you find the correct equipment.
If you are needing to catch a taxi most of them are equipped to carry skis and snowboards, but maybe mention it if using an Uber.
Don’t forget to collect your equipment from the accommodation locker with ample time to catch the bus. There are many videos on YouTube showing a great way to carry your equipment. It may be a short walk from your accommodation to a bus stop or from the bus drop off location to the chair lifts at the mountain.
Ski boots are not the easiest to walk in, take care on concrete and vinyl floors, they can be slippery to their nature of being stiff material. Consider wearing outdoor footwear and change at the ski field and use the storage lockers on the mountains – there is a small charge to use these.
If you have rented clothing, please collect these items in advance from the location shown on your voucher.
If you have not got this sorted yet, we can arrange jacket & pants (or salopettes), gloves, goggles & helmet available to rent for your trip, you can add these to your booking with ample notice in advance.
We recommend wearing layers under the jacket and pants, as you can remove these if too warm or add if cold. Most first timers wear too many layers on their first day and the exertion of learning to ski or ride keeps you warm. Thermals or merino underlayers are best as they dry quickly unlike cotton t shirts. Again there are many videos on YouTube recommending what to wear ie good ski socks and a neck warmer if windy.
Don’t forget the sunscreen for your face and lips as the snow reflects sun off the ground can be deceivingly strong in the winter.
Consider the environment and bring a refillable water bottle. There are taps in the restaurants and outside the locker rooms to refill your water bottles.
If you have booked lessons the instructor will have been booked for you. Changing from a ski lesson to snowboard or vice versa is not possible at short notice. Any changes once booked will depend on instructor availability.
The beginners pack is aimed at complete beginners and not only covers a lesson but instruction on how to put the gear on, For that reason the equipment is included as part of the “learn to ski/ beginners” package. Your equipment is fitted and collected from the mountain (check your voucher – but most likely NZSki, see above)
A beginners package does NOT include clothing, so if you did not include this when booked, you may like to consider adding the clothing bundle to your booking and collect that at Quest in town the night before your first day on the snow.
If you have booked lessons – again these are booked with a relevant experienced instructor and your level of proficiency was asked at the time of booking. This is so that the mountain has the correct instructor for you. Changing at short notice is not possible. Changes more than 2 weeks out are only subject to instructor availability and may incur a fee.
The lake in Queenstown is a large body of water (nearly 80Km long and nearly 400m deep) and therefore remains a chilly 10-13C year round. Because of this it often creates a microclimate in town very different to the mountains.
Although it may be foggy or cloudy in town, you may discover you pop out above the clouds while driving up the mountain and find a beautiful sunny (but cold) day up there.
It also means the snow will fall on the mountain roads but not around town, so chains must always be carried if you have a rental car.
Check the mountain Facebook pages for the most up to date conditions up the mountains in the morning and be prepared for all weathers.
The lifts are not able to operate in severe windy conditions and often the call to open or close the skifield is not made until daylight or around 8.30am which can be well after when we have departed town. Your driver will be able to advise you when they meet you at the bus stop if there is a likelihood of the mountain status changing from ‘on hold’ to ‘closed’.
We offer two options when the mountains are “on hold” :-
Mountain(s) closed
If the call is made to close the mountain of your destination before the bus leaves, the options depend on whether an the other mountain is open. It is rare for all mountains to close at the same time.
If only your chosen mountain is closed, your driver will still arrive at the pick up at the designated time and will take you to the open mountain.
If you have lessons booked then they will take place at the open mountain.
If you choose not to go up the open mountain there will be no refund and you forfeit the transport cost.
Your NZSki superpass can be used another day or towards an activity in town if you do not use all your ski days. However there is no refund on the clothing or rental equipment as you still have it in your possession.
In some circumstances where you have the equipment for a longer period of time then there is some grace for a day off in the rental period but this is normally explained in the rental agreement terms and conditions when you collect your equipment. Please check at the time of collecting your clothing & equipment.
If both mountains are shut then please call the Info & Snow team on 03 442 5958 to discuss your options.
We have a sister company that offers ½ day activities like quad biking, 4WD trips and Lord of the Rings tours. Check out www.nomadsafaris.co.nz or contact our staff on +64 3 442 6699 or email info@nomadsafaris.co.nz if you would like some information or want to book these.
Remember to book in advance, as trips particularly on a Thursday and Friday are always popular so we recommend planning in advance to avoid disappointment.
NB. Nomad Safaris take the NZSki super pass if you decide to cash in a lift pass instead.
Alternatively there are many options to entertain you and your friends/family. Check out the tourism website www.queenstownnz.co.nz for ideas and suggestions.
Queenstown has a great number of bars and restaurants for your apres Ski. However like many parts of the world, they have been affected by staff shortages. We recommend booking your table in advance especially on a Sunday or Monday to ensure you get a table at the time you want.
There are many events held in Queenstown throughout the year – check the tourism website for more details.
https://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/stories/post/queenstown-winter-events-guide/
Annual events include:-
• Mountain Film Festival
• Winter Fireworks
• Matariki Arrowtown Lights
• Winter Pride
• Winter Games
• Snow Machine
• Peak to Peak Race
Further information (FAQS) and our terms and conditions are available on our website
We look forward to seeing you soon!
From the team at Info & Snow and Nomad Safaris
(Nomad Adventures Limited T/A Nomad Safaris and Info & Snow)
Email: play@infosnow.co.nz
Phone: +64 (0) 3 442 5958
Freephone: 0800 GO SNOW (46 7669)
Find us: 37 Shotover Street, Queenstown
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