A partnership was announced this morning between Real Journeys Group, the owners of Cardrona Alpine Resort, and Queenstown businessman John Darby who owns Soho Basin.
Soho Basin faces Queenstown and covers all the southern and south-west faces of Mt Cardrona, and includes the two Willow Basins that directly adjoin Cardrona Alpine Resort’s southern boundary. Soho Basin will add an additional 500ha of high altitude skiable terrain, offering up to 500 vertical metres of skiing.
Cardrona will effectively more than double in size to over 900ha of skiable terrain. Access to the Soho Ski Area will be from the top of the recently-installed McDougall’s Chondola, with facility development at the top of the mountain to support this.
Real Journeys Group Chief Executive Richard Lauder says: “This has been something we’ve been looking at for some time and we’re both extremely pleased that we can work together to build a world class ski area with integrated facilities and amenities that will be both New Zealand’s largest mountain resort and a truly world-class ski destination.”
Soho Basin, part of Glencoe Station, was first acquired by Darby over a decade ago.
“The diversity of the slopes in the Soho Basin make it an exceptional ski area for all levels of skiers. Its high altitude, southerly-facing aspect means it receives and retains a good cover of early snow. Soho’s offers spectacular views out over Queenstown, the Wakatipu Basin, and across the Main Divide,” says Darby.
Cardrona General Manager Bridget Legnavsky says: “To be a truly world-class alpine resort, you need to have extensive lift networks, multiple aspects and varying terrain – this new terrain and the developments that go with it will really make Cardrona an extraordinary experience in Aotearoa.
New Zealand Herald – July 2018
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