- The Remarkables
The Remarkables are a
mountain range andskifield in theSouth Island ofNew Zealand . Located on the southeastern shore ofLake Wakatipu , the range lives up to its name by rising sharply to create an impressive backdrop for the waters. The range is clearly visible from the nearby town of Queenstown.High point in the range is Double Cone (2340 metres) with Ben Nevis (2330 metres, named after the Scottish mountain of the same name)a little further south in the Hector mountains.Fact|date=April 2007
The mountains were allegedly named The Remarkables because they are one of only two mountain ranges in the world which run directly north to south.Fact|date=April 2007 An alternate explanation for the name given by locals is that early Queenstown settlers, upon seeing the mountain range during sunset one evening, named them the Remarkables to describe the sight.
Winter activities
In the winter, The Remarkables skifield plays host to a wide range of winter activities. Comprising three sunny sheltered bowls, The Remarkables has become a popular place to spend the winter season. The patrolled area is about 220 ha in size and the terrain is 30% beginners, 40% intermediate and 30% advanced. The whole skifield area is 540 acres (2.2 km²) with 2 Fixed-Grip Doppleymar Quad Chairlift, 1 Fixed-Grip Poma Quad Chairlift & 3 Magic Carpets on the beginners area.Fact|date=April 2007 Average annual snowfall is 3.67 metres.
A 45-minute drive from nearby Queenstown along a dirt road, it is serviced by frequent bus services to and from town, and has several carparks for car drivers. The mountain is managed by
NZSki Ltd , which also manages another mountain in the area,Coronet Peak . Further north in Canterbury nearer toChristchurch ,Mount Hutt skifield is also managed by the same company.References
External links
* [http://www.nzski.com/ Official NZSKI.com website]
* [http://www.nzski.com/remarkables/ The Remarkables official website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
