📷 Temple Basin
Oceania
Temple Basin
Fair
→stable
Scroll for happiness
Last Snowfall
Aug 22
Past 24 Hours
0.1cm
Past 48 Hours
0.1cm
Past 10 Days
1.3cm
14-Day Forecast
77.7cm
Snow Depth
16cm
Open-Meteo modelOverview
Temple Basin is a ski resort in Oceania, New Zealand. Today's SnowSure™ Score is 27/100 (Fair), snow base 16 cm (6.3 in), 1 cm (0.4 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 ~78 cm (30.7 in) of new snow. Conditions last updated 2026-08-21 15:08 UTC.
Resort Guide
Temple Basin is a club ski field located in Arthur’s Pass National Park, New Zealand, offering a unique alpine experience with access only by a 45-minute hike from the highway. The resort features over 320 hectares of skiable terrain, renowned for its natural, ungroomed slopes, challenging off-piste runs, and spectacular mountain scenery. Temple Basin provides on-mountain accommodation, a relaxed social atmosphere, and is especially popular with advanced skiers and snowboarders seeking adventure in a backcountry setting.
Gallery
Click to expand • 5 total photos
Terrain & lifts
Resort-reported stats for Temple Basin
Lifts
4
Skiable area
1954.6 ac
Longest run
1.5 km / 0.93 mi
Runs by difficulty(36 total)
Beginner
9
25% of terrain
Intermediate
18
50% of terrain
Advanced
5
15% of terrain
Expert
4
10% of terrain
Run counts estimated from resort-reported totals and terrain mix.
Terrain by difficulty
- Beginner25%
- Intermediate50%
- Advanced15%
- Expert10%
Lift fleet
- Surface lift4
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
Unable to determine top apres ski place for this resort.
Major snowfall ahead - 78cm forecast.
Current conditions at Temple Basin are overcast with a temperature of -2°C and a snow depth of 16cm. The resort has received just 1cm of new snow in the past week, which is below the average for this time of year.
AI-generated summaryDepth
16cm depth — upper mountain may be better.
Recent
There has been no new snowfall in the past 24 or 48 hours, with only 1cm recorded in the last week.
Forecast
The 14-day snow outlook is promising, with forecasts suggesting between 78cm and 139cm of new snow.
Historic
Season-to-date snowfall is at 104cm, which is 66% of the 5-year average of 156cm.
Data updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:08 PM UTC
Snow Summary
Updated Aug 21, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Historical data from Open-Meteo archive • Forecast from ECMWF IFS model
Snowfall Forecast Maps
New Zealand region
Current Conditions
Reported Fri, Aug 21, 03:08 PM UTC
Depth by source
every reading we have- Open-MeteoBase 16cm · Summit 16cm
The headline depth uses the most trusted available source. We show every reading so you can judge for yourself.
Freezing Level
1372m
🌡️ Mid-mountain - mixed conditions
Base
1326m
Temp
0.3°C
Wind
16km/h
Snow Depth
16cm
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
53.1cm
Mid-Mountain
1540m
Temp
--°C
Wind
18km/h
Snow Depth
16cm
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
77.7cm
Summit
1753m
Temp
-2.5°C
Wind
16km/h
Snow Depth
16cm
Open-Meteo model
14-Day Forecast
77.9cm
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 Temple Basin (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, 3:08 PM
Sat, Aug 22 2 / -212.6cm53.7mm | Sun, Aug 23 2 / -629.8cm64.2mm | Mon, Aug 24 0 / -65.9cm8.4mm | Tue, Aug 25 1 / 022cm44.9mm | Wed, Aug 26 2 / -17.6cm30.4mm | Thu, Aug 27 1 / -570.4cm100.7mm | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night |
| Snow (cm) | 5.1 | 7 | 0.5 | 13.2 | 3.4 | 13.2 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 4.1 | 8.3 | 3.9 | 9.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.9 | 20.2 | 27.4 | 22.8 |
| Precip (mm) | 7.3 | 18 | 28.4 | 18.9 | 4.9 | 40.4 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 5.8 | 11.8 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 0.8 | 9.2 | 20.4 | 28.9 | 39.2 | 32.6 |
| Temp (°C) | -1 | 1 | 0 | -3 | -5 | -3 | -2 | -1 | -3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -3 | -4 | -2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 27 | 17 | 29 | 18 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Gusts (km/h) | 85 | 102 | 75 | 114 | 89 | 90 | 60 | 74 | 76 | 91 | 100 | 87 | 63 | 41 | 55 | 45 | 61 | 42 |
14-Day Snow Forecast by Model
Summit elevation (1753m)
10-Day Forecast
Sat
22
❄️
1.8°
-2.5°
1.8cm
31 km/h
Sun
23
❄️
1.8°
-6.1°
18.1cm
32 km/h
Mon
24
❄️
-0.2°
-5.6°
4.3cm
26 km/h
Tue
25
❄️
1.3°
-0.4°
0.4cm
24 km/h
Wed
26
❄️
1.9°
-1.4°
13 km/h
Thu
27
❄️
0.7°
-4.6°
73.4cm
15 km/h
Fri
28
🌧️
1.7°
0.7°
35 km/h
Sat
29
🌧️
2.7°
-2.3°
14 km/h
Sun
30
🌧️
1.5°
-2.4°
19 km/h
Mon
31
☁️
3.8°
-2.7°
11 km/h
Summit elevation (1753m) • ECMWF model
Season vs Historic
Updated Fri, Aug 21, 03:08 PM UTC
103.6cm
Season Total
This Season to Date
-34%
vs 5-Year Avg
156cm avg by now
-3%
vs 30-Year Avg
107cm avg by now
156cm
5-Yr Avg by Now
This season is at 103.6 cm to date. The last completed season totaled ~103 cm. That's 34% below the 5-year average (156 cm). Versus the 30-year baseline: 4% below the 30-year average (107 cm).
Temple Basin Snow History
Average annual snowfall is 187cm with an average of 69 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 | 32.8cm | 11 days | 7cm | 18cm | 11.8cm |
| July | 40.6cm | 14 days | 13cm | 24cm | 10.5cm |
| August | 38cm | 14 days | 14cm | 26cm | 11.5cm |
| September | 39.1cm | 13 days | 5cm | 18cm | 10.1cm |
| October | 26.9cm | 11 days | 2cm | 11cm | 10.6cm |
Source: SnowSure archive · Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis at mid-elevation. Depth is modeled, not resort-reported.
Season at a Glance
Current season(2026)
Opened Aug 9, 2026
Scheduled close: Sep 27, 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 Temple Basin, ERA5 season snowfall median was 146 cm (57 in), about 17% 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
146 cm
5 El Niño winters · 17% below median
All-season median
176 cm
Across 30 ERA5 seasons (2026)
| Phase | Seasons | Median | p25–p75 | Recent analogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Niñocurrent | 5 | 146 cm | 133 cm – 148 cm | 2023, 2015, 2009, 2002, 1997 |
| La Niña | 4 | 144 cm | 106 cm – 263 cm | 2022, 2010, 1999, 1998 |
| ENSO-neutral | 21 | 187 cm | 147 cm – 228 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 Temple Basin
- Where is Temple Basin?
- Temple Basin is a ski resort in New Zealand.
- How high is Temple Basin?
- Temple Basin runs from a base elevation of 1,326 m (4,350 ft) to a summit of 1,753 m (5,751 ft), giving a vertical drop of 427 m (1,401 ft).
- How big is Temple Basin?
- Temple Basin has 1,955 acres (791 hectares) of skiable terrain, 36 marked runs and 4 lifts.
- Which ski pass covers Temple Basin?
- Temple Basin 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 Temple Basin?
- Temple Basin typically operates from August to September. Exact opening and closing dates shift each year with snowfall — check the resort's current season dates before booking.
- How much snow does Temple Basin get in a typical season?
- Temple Basin averages 453 inches / 1150 cm of snowfall in a typical season. Any individual season can run well above or below that.
