📷 Mt Cheeseman
Oceania
Mt Cheeseman
Fair
→stable
Scroll for happiness
Last Snowfall
Aug 18
3d agoPast 24 Hours
0cm
Past 48 Hours
0cm
Past 10 Days
8.9cm
14-Day Forecast
48.8cm
Snow Depth
~21cm
Open-Meteo modelPowder Days
2
2026 season
Overview
Mt Cheeseman is a ski resort in Oceania, New Zealand. Today's SnowSure™ Score is 23/100 (Fair), snow base 21 cm (8.3 in) (estimated), 9 cm (3.5 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 ~49 cm (19.3 in) of new snow. Conditions last updated 2026-08-21 15:06 UTC.
Resort Guide
Mt Cheeseman is a ski resort located in the Craigieburn Range of New Zealand’s South Island, approximately 90 minutes from Christchurch. The resort features a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere with a variety of terrain suitable for beginners through advanced skiers and snowboarders. Key amenities include on-mountain accommodation, a licensed café, and ski and snowboard rentals, while the resort is known for its welcoming community vibe and accessible slopes.
Gallery
Click to expand • 6 total photos
Terrain & lifts
Resort-reported stats for Mt Cheeseman
Lifts
3
Skiable area
222 ac
Longest run
2 km / 1.2 mi
Runs by difficulty(15 total)
Beginner
2
15% of terrain
Intermediate
8
50% of terrain
Advanced
5
35% of terrain
Run counts estimated from resort-reported totals and terrain mix.
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
Cocktail Bar at Mt Cheeseman – Known for its relaxed and friendly atmosphere, the Cocktail Bar at Mt Cheeseman Ski Area is a popular spot for après-ski drinks, offering a cozy setting where skiers and snowboarders gather to unwind and socialize after a day on the slopes.
Adequate snow - check forecasts before booking.
Current conditions at Mt Cheeseman are overcast with a temperature of -3°C and a light wind of 16 km/h. The ski area has received 7cm of new snow in the past week, contributing to a season total of 101cm, which is 76% of the 5-year average for this time of year.
AI-generated summaryDepth
21cm depth — upper mountain may be better.
Recent
No new snow has fallen in the last 24 or 48 hours.
Forecast
The 14-day outlook suggests an average of 49cm of new snow, with some models predicting up to 68cm.
Historic
So far this season, the snow total of 101cm is below the 5-year average of 132cm for this date.
Data updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:06 PM UTC
Snow Summary
Updated Aug 21, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Historical data from Open-Meteo archive • Forecast from ECMWF IFS model
Snowfall Forecast Maps
New Zealand region
Current Conditions
Reported Fri, Aug 21, 03:06 PM UTC
Freezing Level
1448m
❄️ Below base - cold & dry snow expected
Base
1540m
Temp
-0.6°C
Wind
15.9km/h
Snow Depth
~21cm
Est.
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
28.7cm
Mid-Mountain
1700m
Temp
--°C
Wind
17km/h
Snow Depth
~28cm
Est.
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
48.8cm
Summit
1860m
Temp
-2.7°C
Wind
15.9km/h
Snow Depth
~35cm
Est.
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
50.9cm
Ops signals
- ●Freezing level below base — snowmaking window open
- ●Fresh snow + cold temps — good grooming window next 48h
Live Conditions
Mt Cheeseman Webcams
Mt Cheeseman Ski Area
Mt Cheeseman Ski Area
Mt Cheeseman Ski Area
Mt Cheeseman 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 Mt Cheeseman (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, 3:06 PM
Sat, Aug 22 2 / -40.4cm10.5mm | Sun, Aug 23 2 / -88cm27.6mm | Mon, Aug 24 2 / -8 | Tue, Aug 25 4 / 00.8cm3mm | Wed, Aug 26 4 / -513.2cm22.4mm | Thu, Aug 27 1 / -653cm75.7mm | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night |
| Snow (cm) | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 25.1 | 13.4 |
| Precip (mm) | 0.7 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 0.4 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0 | 3.5 | 18.9 | 20.7 | 35.9 | 19.1 |
| Temp (°C) | 0 | 2 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -2 | 1 | -3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | -6 | -6 | -4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 18 | 16 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 12 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Gusts (km/h) | 86 | 90 | 72 | 112 | 100 | 81 | 64 | 85 | 70 | 92 | 93 | 88 | 32 | 27 | 45 | 34 | 44 | 37 |
14-Day Snow Forecast by Model
Summit elevation (1860m)
10-Day Forecast
Sat
22
🌧️
2.3°
-3.8°
21 km/h
Sun
23
❄️
1.5°
-8.2°
0.9cm
24 km/h
Mon
24
☁️
1.5°
-7.8°
22 km/h
Tue
25
🌧️
3.6°
-0.4°
22 km/h
Wed
26
❄️
3.7°
-5°
1.4cm
12 km/h
Thu
27
❄️
0.5°
-6.5°
57cm
10 km/h
Fri
28
🌧️
3.1°
0.5°
27 km/h
Sat
29
🌧️
5.1°
-4.1°
8 km/h
Sun
30
☁️
4°
-5°
22 km/h
Mon
31
☁️
6.2°
-5.2°
9 km/h
Summit elevation (1860m) • ECMWF model
Season vs Historic
Updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:06 PM UTC
100.5cm
Season Total
This Season to Date
-24%
vs 5-Year Avg
132cm avg by now
+7%
vs 30-Year Avg
94cm avg by now
132cm
5-Yr Avg by Now
This season is at 100.5 cm to date. The last completed season totaled ~100.3 cm. That's 24% below the 5-year average (132 cm). Versus the 30-year baseline: 7% above the 30-year average (94 cm).
Mt Cheeseman Snow History
Average annual snowfall is 145cm with an average of 51 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 | 29.9cm | 8 days | 9cm | 22cm | 13cm |
| July | 35.8cm | 11 days | 17cm | 31cm | 12.3cm |
| August | 29cm | 11 days | 17cm | 29cm | 10.5cm |
| September | 22.3cm | 9 days | 5cm | 17cm | 9.7cm |
| October | 20.2cm | 8 days | 2cm | 12cm | 9.7cm |
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 30, 2026
Scheduled close: Oct 15, 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 Mt Cheeseman, ERA5 season snowfall median was 124 cm (49 in), about 14% 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
124 cm
5 El Niño winters · 14% below median
All-season median
144 cm
Across 30 ERA5 seasons (2026)
| Phase | Seasons | Median | p25–p75 | Recent analogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Niñocurrent | 5 | 124 cm | 121 cm – 132 cm | 2023, 2015, 2009, 2002, 1997 |
| La Niña | 4 | 137 cm | 112 cm – 195 cm | 2022, 2010, 1999, 1998 |
| ENSO-neutral | 21 | 149 cm | 111 cm – 169 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 Mt Cheeseman
- Where is Mt Cheeseman?
- Mt Cheeseman is a ski resort in New Zealand.
- How high is Mt Cheeseman?
- Mt Cheeseman runs from a base elevation of 1,540 m (5,052 ft) to a summit of 1,860 m (6,102 ft), giving a vertical drop of 320 m (1,050 ft).
- How big is Mt Cheeseman?
- Mt Cheeseman has 222 acres (90 hectares) of skiable terrain, 15 marked runs and 3 lifts.
- Which ski pass covers Mt Cheeseman?
- Mt Cheeseman 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 Mt Cheeseman?
- Mt Cheeseman typically operates from June 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 Mt Cheeseman get in a typical season?
- Mt Cheeseman averages 37 inches / 94 cm of snowfall in a typical season. Any individual season can run well above or below that.
