Staying Home Sucks, home
Mt Cockayne - Mt Cheesman Ski Area, Craigieburn Range, Canterbury, New Zealand 01
Near Mount Cheeseman Ski Area. Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mount Cheeseman Ski Area

Ski resort · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

Every day scores the same

Mount Cheeseman Ski Area is closed for the season on these dates.

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
1°C
Wind
13 kn

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
5°C
Wind
6 kn

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
4°C
Wind
8 kn

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
5°C
Wind
7 kn

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
6°C
Wind
11 kn

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
7°C
Wind
8 kn

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Fresh
0 cm
Depth
0 mmid 0 m, base 0 m
Coldest
6°C
Wind
9 kn

Tap a day for snow, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, poor
  2. Mon 20, poor
  3. Tue 30, poor
  4. Wed 40, poor
  5. Thu 50, poor
  6. Fri 60, poor
  7. Sat 70, poor
  8. Sun 80, poor
  9. Mon 90, poor

The resort in two facts

  • Top 1,854 mvillage 1,537 m
  • Open June–Septemberusually

Full forecast

every day, every number

Lifts closed for the season. They usually open about 15 June.

We don't know the avalanche risk here. Check the NZ Avalanche Advisory.

Forecast and score for each day at Mount Cheeseman Ski Area
DayScoreFresh72 hDepthtop, mid, baseColdestat topWindat top
Sun 1Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m0°Cwind, 11 knots
Mon 2Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m1°Cwind, 13 knots
Tue 3Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m5°Cwind, 6 knots
Wed 4Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m4°Cwind, 8 knots
Thu 5Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m5°Cwind, 7 knots
Fri 6Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m6°Cwind, 11 knots
Sat 7Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m7°Cwind, 8 knots
Sun 8Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m6°Cwind, 9 knots
Mon 9Nov0, poor0 cm0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m5°Cwind, 9 knots

Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

snow by month

Snow by month

Typical snow on the ground and coldest daytime temperature by month
MonthBase1,537 mMid1,696 mTop1,854 mColdestat the top
Jun0.1 m0.1 m0.1 m-4°C
Jul0.1 m0.1 m0.1 m-5°C
Aug0.2 m0.2 m0.2 m-6°C
Sepnonenonenone-3°C

Typical snow on the ground in the village, halfway up and at the top: the middle value over 2016 to 2025, from ERA5-Land reanalysis at the grid cell nearest each height. Not a forecast, and not the groomed pistes: resorts make snow lower down.

Map

the resort, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors, terrain © Mapterhorn.

Photos of Mount Cheeseman Ski Area

Mt Cheesman ski area, Craigieburn Range, Canterbury, New Zealand 10
Near Mount Cheeseman Ski Area, 3 km away. Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More skiing near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Mount Cheeseman Ski Area

Village 1,537 m, top 1,854 m.

A ski resort with its village at 1,537 m and its top at 1,854 m. It is usually in season from June to September. The snow is usually deepest in August, about 0.2 m at the top (1,854 m). The town to stay in is Castle Hill. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort and 1 mountain bike area.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$2,140–US$3,850 each

about US$2,140–US$3,850 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, transfer, stay, food, lift pass, ski hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$858–US$1,780
Transfershared airport transfer, returnabout US$94–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$255–US$429
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Lift pass5 days at about US$102 a day, country averageabout US$435–US$583
Ski hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$194–US$328
Totalabout US$2,140–US$3,850

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Castle Hill

Closest

Castle Hill

12 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$94/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Castle Hill · Booking.com

About Castle Hill its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Castle Hill, 7 km (about 15 min by car)

About US$94 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 28h 05m

About 28h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 10m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.