Mount Hutt (Māori:Ōpuke) is a mountain of theSouthern Alps located to the west of theCanterbury Plains in theSouth Island of New Zealand. It rises above the braided upper reaches of theRakaia River,[1] and is located 80 km (50 mi) west ofChristchurch. Its summit is 2190 metres above sea level.
Mount Hutt was named by theCanterbury Association surveyorJoseph Thomas afterJohn Hutt, an early member of the Association.[2] The New ZealandMinistry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of the hill" for the Māori nameŌpuke.[3]
A proposal for a ski field on Mount Hutt was floated by the Methven Lions Club in the late 1960s. However, there were concerns that providing an access road would prove too difficult. A local resident and heavy machinery contractor, Doug Hood, proved that a road access could be created when he drove a bulldozer up a ridge in 1971, forming a track that is the basis of the current access road. Financing of a ski field development then began. An Austrian ski instructor, Willy Huber, built a hut on the mountain and took snow measurements to demonstrate that a ski field was viable. A full access road was created by Doug Hood, and by the winter of 1973, there was a rope tow operating on the slopes, with a T-bar in service by 1974. The Mt. Hutt Ski and Alpine Tourist Company was registered in 1972 to raise funds for further development. The constitution of the company stated that at least 75% of the shareholding should be locally-based. Financing of further development of the ski field remained difficult. An Auckland-based company, bought a controlling interest in the company, but was then taken over by Japanese investors through the Victoria USA Company. By 1984, their interests in the Mount Hutt ski field had been bought by theMount Cook tourism company, owned byAir New Zealand.[4]
By 2000, Air New Zealand owned three South Island ski areas:Coronet Peak,The Remarkables and Mount Hutt - collectively known as nzski.com. In 2002,Air New Zealand sold its NZSki subsidiary forNZD 27 million to joint ventureSouthern Alpine Resort Recreation Limited, comprisingNZSki management,Millbrook Resort developerGraham Smolenski,Tourism Milford Ltd andTrojan Holdings Ltd.[5]
The mountain is home to a commercial alpineski area offering 3.65 square kilometres of skiable terrain and a vertical of 683 metres. The ski field is owned and operated byNZSki, along with Coronet Peak and The Remarkables inQueenstown.[6]
It caters for a wide range of skier and snowboarder abilities, with two surface/conveyor lifts, a high-speed six seater chairlift, a high-speed eight seater chairlift and a fixed-grip three seater chairlift. The lift infrastructure provides access to a wide range of beginner, intermediate and advanced runs, access to large off-piste areas and several terrain parks. The most advanced runs on the mountain are through the rock formations at the top of the field known as "The Towers", and the South Face.[citation needed]
The snow season is from June to October. Mount Hutt is known for being the first ski field in the Southern Hemisphere to open at the beginning of each season. On 12 August 2010, winds of up to 200 km/h struck the ski area, resulting in its closure along with the access road, and stranding 1200 people on the mountain overnight, where they were accommodated in the ski-field's base buildings. The road was reopened the following day.[7]
There is no accommodation on the mountain, but visitors can stay in the nearby town ofMethven, a 35-minute drive to the mountain.[8] The larger town ofAshburton is 55 minutes away. The city ofChristchurch is one hour 45 minutes drive away.
In 2020, the Zionist Federation of New Zealand lobbied the ski-field to remove a commemorative plaque to one of its founders, Willi Huber, a former member of theWaffen-SS.[9] The Federation also lobbied for the renaming of a ski trail and alpine restaurant that were named after Huber.[10] NZSki have renamed the ski trail and restaurant.[11]
The World Ski Awards website has recognised Mount Hutt with the award of New Zealand's Best Ski Resort for ten consecutive years from 2015 to 2024.[12]
Mount Hutt in theKoppen-Geiger Classification System, is a Tundra Climate (ET). Mount Hutt features a cold enough temperature for skifields. Below is a climate of Mount Hutt Skifield:
| Climate data for Mt Hutt Skifield, elevation 1,600 m (5,200 ft) (1980–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) | 13.4 (56.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 9.6 (49.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 3.3 (37.9) | 1.6 (34.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | 4.6 (40.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.8 (46.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) | 9.2 (48.6) | 7.3 (45.1) | 5.4 (41.7) | 2.4 (36.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | −1.5 (29.3) | −0.8 (30.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.5 (45.5) | 4.1 (39.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | 3.4 (38.1) | 1.2 (34.2) | −1.3 (29.7) | −3.1 (26.4) | −4.6 (23.7) | −4.1 (24.6) | −2.3 (27.9) | −0.4 (31.3) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.5 (38.3) | 0.4 (32.6) |
| Source: NIWA[13] | |||||||||||||
During the summer months four species of Alpine grasshoppers can be found within the ski field boundary. They includeSigaus villosus which can be found along the ridgelines,Brachaspis nivalis which lives on the rockyscree,Sigaus australis andPaprides nitidus which both live in the alpine tussocklands.[14]
Mount Hutt is thetype locality for the endemic mothOrocrambus aethonellus.[15]
There are several conservation areas located on or near Mt Hutt, including the Awa Awa Rata Reserve, Pudding Hill Scenic Reserve, and the Redcliffe Conservation Area.[16][17][18]
Media related toMount Hutt at Wikimedia Commons