📷 Craigieburn
Oceania
Craigieburn
Limited
→stable
Scroll for happiness
Last Snowfall
Aug 18
3d agoPast 24 Hours
0cm
Past 48 Hours
0cm
Past 10 Days
4.9cm
14-Day Forecast
44.8cm
Snow Depth
--
Powder Days
6
2026 season
Bluebird Days
2
2026 season
Overview
Craigieburn is a ski resort in Oceania, New Zealand. Today's SnowSure™ Score is 14/100 (Limited), 5 cm (2 in) of snow in the last 7 days. The 14-day ensemble forecast across seven weather models (ECMWF, GFS, GEM, JMA, ICON, Météo-France, Met Norway) calls for ~45 cm (17.7 in) of new snow. Conditions last updated 2026-08-21 15:03 UTC.
Resort Guide
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is located in the Southern Alps of Canterbury, New Zealand, about 90 minutes from Christchurch. Known for its challenging, ungroomed terrain and steep chutes, the resort caters primarily to advanced and expert skiers seeking a backcountry-style experience with a friendly club atmosphere. Key amenities include rope tows, on-mountain lodge accommodation, and the Thirsty Kea Bar, with a focus on community and uncrowded slopes. Craigieburn stands out for its natural snow conditions, patrolled off-piste terrain, and welcoming club culture established since 1954.
Gallery
Click to expand • 6 total photos
Terrain & lifts
Resort-reported stats for Craigieburn
Lifts
3
Skiable area
988 ac
Longest run
2 km / 1.2 mi
Lift fleet
- Surface lift3
Resort Info
Season dates
Future dates are operator estimates and may change.
Ski passes
Chill Pass
Access tiers change by season — confirm benefits on the pass operator's site.
Top Après Ski
Craigieburn Ski Club Bar – Known for its welcoming, communal atmosphere, this cozy bar is the heart of Craigieburn’s après-ski scene, where skiers gather to share stories over local beers and enjoy the laid-back, social vibe unique to this club-operated resort.
Limited conditions.
Current conditions at Craigieburn are overcast with a temperature of -2°C and a light wind at 14 km/h. The resort has received 4cm of new snow over the past week, contributing to a season total of 79cm, which is 64% of the 5-year average at this point in the season.
AI-generated summaryDepth
No reliable depth reading available.
Recent
No new snow has fallen in the last 24 or 48 hours.
Forecast
The 14-day snow outlook suggests a potential accumulation of 45cm to 65cm, depending on the model.
Historic
This season's snow total of 79cm is below the 5-year average of 124cm for this time of year.
Data updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:03 PM UTC
Snow Summary
Updated Aug 21, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Historical data from Open-Meteo archive • Forecast from ECMWF IFS model
Snowfall Forecast Maps
New Zealand region
Current Conditions
Reported Fri, Aug 21, 03:03 PM UTC
Freezing Level
1482m
🌡️ Mid-mountain - mixed conditions
Base
1310m
Temp
1.1°C
Wind
14.2km/h
Snow Depth
--
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
24.5cm
Mid-Mountain
1561m
Temp
--°C
Wind
16km/h
Snow Depth
--
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
44.8cm
Summit
1811m
Temp
-2.1°C
Wind
14.2km/h
Snow Depth
--
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
46.2cm
Ops signals
- ●Fresh snow + cold temps — good grooming window next 48h
Live Conditions
Craigieburn Webcams
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
Local Reports
0 reportsDaily Snowfall Forecast by Model
Black line = verified SnowSure™ blend (not a simple average). Weights update weekly from measured snowfall at SNOTEL stations and resort reports.
SnowSure™ blend — verified model weighting
The black line is not a simple average. For Craigieburn (southern alps), we combine seven global weather models using weights learned from daily forecast verification — comparing each model's prediction to measured snowfall (SNOTEL, resort reports, ERA5).
- 1.Horizon buckets: days 1–3, 4–7, and 8–14 each get separate weights — short-range skill differs from long-range.
- 2.Regional calibration: weights come from verified error in this geography (Rockies, Alps, Japan, etc.), recalculated weekly.
- 3.Ground truth only: we never grade a forecast against another model — only against measured snow.
Building verification history for this resort.
How we verify forecasts →Hourly Forecast Detail
AM / PM / Night breakdown with wind and freezing level
NWP models refresh up to 4× daily · Last synced Aug 21, 3:03 PM
Sat, Aug 22 2 / -26.1cm33.1mm | Sun, Aug 23 2 / -514.7cm40.1mm | Mon, Aug 24 1 / -52.2cm3.1mm | Tue, Aug 25 1 / 09.6cm22.3mm | Wed, Aug 26 3 / -411.5cm26.7mm | Thu, Aug 27 0 / -657.8cm82.6mm | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night |
| Snow (cm) | 2.1 | 3.9 | 0.1 | 8.3 | 1.5 | 4.9 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 4.6 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 18.4 | 20.2 | 19.2 |
| Precip (mm) | 3 | 10.1 | 20 | 11.9 | 2.1 | 26.1 | 0 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 6 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 0.2 | 7.1 | 19.4 | 26.3 | 28.9 | 27.4 |
| Temp (°C) | -1 | 1 | 0 | -2 | -3 | -2 | -2 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -1 | -5 | -6 | -4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 15 | 19 | 14 | 25 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Gusts (km/h) | 66 | 82 | 62 | 101 | 84 | 74 | 48 | 61 | 57 | 71 | 82 | 69 | 46 | 36 | 43 | 27 | 44 | 32 |
14-Day Snow Forecast by Model
Summit elevation (1811m)
10-Day Forecast
Sat
22
🌧️
1.8°
-2.1°
22 km/h
Sun
23
❄️
1.8°
-4.9°
2.5cm
27 km/h
Mon
24
🌧️
0.6°
-4.9°
1.4cm
17 km/h
Tue
25
🌧️
1.4°
-0.4°
22 km/h
Wed
26
❄️
3°
-3.7°
14 km/h
Thu
27
❄️
-0.4°
-5.9°
61.2cm
7 km/h
Fri
28
🌧️
1.7°
-0.5°
30 km/h
Sat
29
🌧️
4.2°
-2.6°
12 km/h
Sun
30
🌧️
2.9°
-2.9°
21 km/h
Mon
31
☁️
4.1°
-3.6°
9 km/h
Summit elevation (1811m) • ECMWF model
Season vs Historic
Updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:03 PM UTC
79.1cm
Season Total
This Season to Date
-36%
vs 5-Year Avg
124cm avg by now
-29%
vs 30-Year Avg
111cm avg by now
124cm
5-Yr Avg by Now
This season is at 79.1 cm to date. The last completed season totaled ~79.4 cm. That's 36% below the 5-year average (124 cm). Versus the 30-year baseline: 28% below the 30-year average (111 cm).
Craigieburn Snow History
Average annual snowfall is 181cm with an average of 67 snowfall days per season. The table below shows monthly averages across 31 seasons of archive data (modeled snowpack at mid-elevation).
| Month | Avg Snowfall | Snowfall Days | Avg Base Depth | Max Base Depth | Biggest Snowfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 34.1cm | 11 days | 10cm | 23cm | 13.1cm |
| July | 42.6cm | 14 days | 18cm | 32cm | 13cm |
| August | 36.5cm | 14 days | 19cm | 32cm | 11.5cm |
| September | 30.1cm | 12 days | 6cm | 19cm | 10.8cm |
| October | 27.7cm | 11 days | 2cm | 13cm | 11.8cm |
Source: SnowSure archive · Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis at mid-elevation. Depth is modeled, not resort-reported.
Season at a Glance
Current season(2026)
Opened Jul 18, 2026
Scheduled close: Oct 4, 2026
Multi-season averages will appear once SnowSure has tracked more than one full season.
ENSO seasonal analog
History · not a forecastIn 5 past El Niño winters at Craigieburn, ERA5 season snowfall median was 179 cm (70 in), about 1% below this resort’s long-term median. This is a historical analog from reanalysis — not a prediction of this winter’s storm track.
Prevailing ONI
El Niño
MJJ 2026 · ANOM +1.39°C
Analog season median
179 cm
5 El Niño winters · 1% below median
All-season median
180 cm
Across 30 ERA5 seasons (2026)
| Phase | Seasons | Median | p25–p75 | Recent analogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Niñocurrent | 5 | 179 cm | 156 cm – 181 cm | 2023, 2015, 2009, 2002, 1997 |
| La Niña | 4 | 188 cm | 135 cm – 263 cm | 2022, 2010, 1999, 1998 |
| ENSO-neutral | 21 | 186 cm | 149 cm – 221 cm | 2025, 2024, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 |
Season snowfall from Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (~9 km). ENSO phase from NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index. Relative phase differences are more trustworthy than absolute cm totals. Source: NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index + Open-Meteo ERA5 via SnowSure season archive.
Best Months to Visit
August
Peak Season
July
Peak Season
September
Good
June
Good
Note: Based on typical ski season patterns for this region.
Frequently asked questions about Craigieburn
- Where is Craigieburn?
- Craigieburn is a ski resort in New Zealand.
- How high is Craigieburn?
- Craigieburn runs from a base elevation of 1,310 m (4,298 ft) to a summit of 1,811 m (5,942 ft), giving a vertical drop of 501 m (1,644 ft).
- How big is Craigieburn?
- Craigieburn has 988 acres (400 hectares) of skiable terrain, 25 marked runs and 3 lifts.
- Which ski pass covers Craigieburn?
- Craigieburn is on the Chill Pass. Access terms such as blackout dates and day limits vary by pass tier, so check the pass operator for the current season.
- When is ski season at Craigieburn?
- Craigieburn typically operates from July to October. Exact opening and closing dates shift each year with snowfall — check the resort's current season dates before booking.
- How much snow does Craigieburn get in a typical season?
- Craigieburn averages 350 inches / 889 cm of snowfall in a typical season. Any individual season can run well above or below that.
