Mt Ruapehu is a special place. Standing 2797m at its highest, it's the tallest peak in the North Island. At Whakapapa, the terrain is naturally formed by volcanic activity, making it vast and diverse.
We traditionally see a snow base of upwards of 1m from August, with snow filling the gullies and rocky crevasses. While all this combines to make for some of the best free ride terrain in the Southern Hemisphere, this page is designed to inform you of all the risks associated with visiting Whakapapa, and provide you the information needed to stay safe and enjoy your time on the maunga.
Take the stress out of planning and check out our guide with all the must-know info before you head up the mighty maunga—especially if it’s your first time at Whakapapa. With info for alpine conditions, parking and what to wear, we’ve got you covered.
Like most sports, there are some rules and points of ettiquette to bear in mind when it comes to skiing and snowboarding. These are largely common sense and good manners, but something worth researching ahead of your first trip to the maunga.
We have our own Whakapapa Code of Conduct, a practical guide to ensure the safety and enjoyment of you and your fellow skiers and snowboarders.
The Bruce Road up to Whakapapa is a tar-sealed road that gives you access to the ski area. Typical of alpine roads, it can, at any time of the year, become snowy and icy. Our report presents the latest on road status and conditions, including whether the road is open or closed, and whether 4WD and / or chains are required. So be aware, have your headlights on, and drive to the conditions.
If you or a fellow guest has an accident on the slopes, or wants to notify patrollers of an incident, make sure to 1. keep safe, 2. mark the site (e.g. crossed skis), and 3. raise an alarm, sending someone to the nearest lift to ask for ski patrol.
If you become lost on the slopes or you have lost a friend, follow these important steps to get help:
Stop moving and take note of your surroundings - look for any features or landmarks.
Call 111 and ask for police. They can track your location from your mobile phone.
If you are looking for someone, go to the nearest lift or Guest Relations and advise a staff member.
There are some key tips to make your journey on alpine roads a safer and more straight forward one. Do your reading before you set out and make sure you have sufficient supplies in the car and enough fuel in your road worthy vehicle.
If your day up the mountain doesn't end quite how you thought, and you find yourself experiencing a medical issue or injury, Whakapapa have a medical center where you can head for assistance. We provide emergency care and medical treatment from our experienced doctors, nurses, and radiographers on site.
It is important to ride to your ability and follow any on mountain signage. At Whakapapa we use the international colour coding system to demonstrate the steepness of a slope and level of difficulty, and mark trails with signs. Green is an easy shallow and wide slope for beginners. Blue is for intermediate skiers who can turn on steeper, faster gradients. Black or double black are for expert skiers, who can handle very steep, uneven gradients.
Signage is used to help you have a great day by highlighting dangers (such as concealed cliffs), cautions (such as marginal conditions or merging trails), and areas to avoid because they are either closed or hazardous. Our safety services teams assess the slopes and adjust signage every morning and regularly throughout the day. Make sure to follow all signage advice.
While we love snow, and lots of it, it has its own risks that need to be recognised and respected. Avalanches can move quickly and suddenly, causing risk to people and infrastructure. It is important then that you understand what we do to keep you safe when at the ski area. Follow the link below to learn more about how we manage this risk.
Volcanic Risk – Can we make the volcanic poster the thumbnail image? Suggested edit to the blurb here: Mt Ruapehu is unique in the fact that it is an active volcano. While this is what makes the terrain awesome for our riding experience, it does bring its risks. In order to manage these risks, we have a number of systems in place. The Whakapapa Lahar Warning System (WLAWS) is operated by DOC and provides an alarm system to both ski areas including audible alarms in high risk zones, radio tones direct to staff two-way radios and text messages to ski area management. More information on how the volcanic risks are managed in the Tongariro National Park can be found here.
For this system to work well on the day, it needs you to respond when you hear the alarm by moving to high ground! This means moving out of the valleys and onto the ridges as quickly as you can.
For additional information on our policies at Whakapapa, please refer to the following links: