Treble Cone
Wanaka, OtagoSee it on the map
About Treble Cone
Treble Cone has the longest vertical in the South Island and the steep, sustained terrain to justify it. It looks out over Lake Wanaka from a west-facing hillside, and the view from the Home Basin is the one that ends up on the posters.
It is unambiguously an advanced skier's mountain: two large basins, long fall-line runs, and the best lift-accessed off-piste in the country, particularly the Motatapu Chutes and the Saddle Basin. Intermediates have plenty to work with; complete beginners do not.
Being west-facing, it catches the afternoon sun, which softens the snow late in the day in a way the south-facing fields do not.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026
Best suited to
- Advanced skiers
- Off-piste and freeride
- Intermediates
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Where lessons start
Not a beginner mountain, and an honest instructor will say so. What it is very good for is the step into off-piste: an experienced piste skier taking a first proper look at steeper, ungroomed terrain with someone who knows where the snow is holding.
Resort areas
- Home Basin
- Saddle Basin
Suggested meeting points
- Treble Cone base building terrace
Getting there
Wanaka is about 30 minutes and Queenstown around an hour and a half. The access road is one of the steeper and rougher ones in New Zealand — unsealed, narrow, with a serious drop on one side. Chains and nerve, as the locals put it.
Qualifications required in New Zealand
New Zealand has no state teaching licence. The professional standard is the Instructor certification, and Alpine Pal shows what each instructor actually holds so you can judge it for yourself.
Find instructors in New ZealandTreble Cone: common questions
Can beginners ski at Treble Cone?
Complete beginners, no — and an honest instructor will say so. It is an advanced skier's mountain: two large basins, long fall-line runs and the best lift-accessed off-piste in the country. Intermediates have plenty to work with. For a first week, Cardrona, on the road between Wanaka and Queenstown, has the gentlest learning slopes in the Southern Lakes.
What is the Treble Cone access road like?
One of the steeper and rougher in New Zealand: unsealed, narrow, with a serious drop on one side. Chains and nerve, as the locals put it. Wanaka is about 30 minutes and Queenstown around an hour and a half. Being west-facing, the mountain catches the afternoon sun, which softens the snow late in the day — worth knowing when you agree the time of a lesson.
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