Sunny, north-facing slopes, 24 km from Queenstown
Yes. There is a large learner area with covered conveyor lifts right beside the base building. Move on to the Alta chair once you can turn, and book a lesson with the lift pass and rental.
August, for the most reliable cover and fewer people than July, when the school holidays fill the slopes.
By the ski bus from 9 Duke Street or Frankton, or by car on the Kingston road past the airport. The access road is unsealed for its last stretch.
Fit chains when the signs say so; carry them in case. A four-wheel drive is not exempt.
On carpool priority days, cars with three or more people park in the top car parks. Smaller cars are sent to Carpark 4, below the base, and ride a shuttle up.
Yes, on the steep faces and chutes around Shadow Basin.
The NZSki pass covers The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. Buy it online and print the card at a kiosk at the airport, in town or at the base.
The drive up is the day's real constraint: the last stretch of road is unsealed and twisty, and chains go on when signed. Unless you are at ease on mountain roads, take the ski bus from Duke Street or Frankton, booked by the night before.
Map data: OpenStreetMap.
Its slopes face north, which in New Zealand means towards the sun, so on a clear day the ski area is in the light.
Above the groomed runs, a short boot pack from the top of Shadow Basin leads to the Alta and Escalator chutes, where a freeride competition is held most winters.
When cloud lies over the Wakatipu basin, the access road can climb out of it, and you come out above the cloud at the car park.
First-timers have their own corner beside the base building, with covered conveyor lifts and wide, gentle slopes. Once you can turn, the Alta chair is the next step, and Curvey Basin is where intermediates warm up.
The Remarks Parks have three freestyle areas, from small features to big jumps. Strong skiers head to Shadow Basin for the steeper faces.
There is nowhere to stay on the mountain. Stay in central Queenstown for restaurants and the ski bus from Duke Street, or in Frankton, near the airport, which is already on the road to the ski area and has a bus stop of its own.
The season usually runs from mid or late June to mid-October. July is the busiest month, with the New Zealand school holidays, and August the most reliable.
Where to base yourself, and a day off the slopes
The lake town 24 km below the ski area, with the ski bus, the restaurants and every bed.
A gold-rush main street of wooden shopfronts, twenty minutes from Queenstown.
A gondola to a terrace over the lake, with the Remarkables across the water.