After a slow start, Rainbow Ski Area has all of its terrain open this season and skiers or snowboards have until the end of September to head down its slopes and trails.
Mountain manager Andrew Malcolm says winter came slowly to pretty much every ski field in the country and it was mid-July before Rainbow opened. Since then, coverage has continued to build and enabled them to open all the terrain, while the snow “keeps getting better”.
“Conditions both on and off trail are looking great. We now have full coverage and are looking great up here. We will stay open until it doesn’t make sense to do so. Our proposed closing date at this stage is the last day of September.”
The only ski field in the Top of the South is run by Rainbow Sports Club which is a not-for-profit organisation that as its website says, is also reliant on contributions from businesses, individuals, funding organisations and local bodies to continue operating, as well as hundreds of volunteer days.
The ski field is employing about 30 staff this season and Andrew says it has remained fully staffed despite the slow start because “people love Rainbow”.
This is Andrew’s first season as mountain manager and though he says it has been challenging, it has also been a lot of fun.
“It’s amazing to see how much the community and our partners get behind Rainbow to make sure we have a great season.”
He says weekends have been busy through the season and slower during the week which makes midweek a good time to avoid the crowds.
Club chairperson Rachel Robinson says they never know how long the season will be because it all depends on the weather, but perfect spring conditions with soft snow meant now was the time to “get up there and explore the mountain”.
