We’ve got important news to share about the Pringles development for the upcoming winter.
We’ve been working with Doppelmayr NZ to make Pringles a reality ever since we removed the old McDougall’s Quad & sent it overseas to be upcycled back in 2016. It’s been a big project to offer this new lift & terrain, with many challenges along the way.
During our construction stages this summer, we discovered a number of lizards living in the proposed footprint of both the lift & the exit trail from Pringles towards the bottom of Valley View. This has meant our construction progress has been much slower than we had hoped.
It is now clear that the Pringles Quad construction will not be completed in time for the 2019 winter season.
We know how excited you all have been to ski & snowboard down at Pringles, & ride a new lift this season – we’re right there with you! So while we know you’re going to be disappointed to not have the Pringles Quad to lap this year, we’re stoked to say that we have extended our resort boundary for 2019 to include upper Secret Bowl, lower Secret Bowl, & the Pringles terrain.
Upper Secret Bowl will be open throughout Winter 2019, with a new exit track from Secret Bowl back to Captain’s Café. Lower Secret Bowl & Pringles will be gated, & opened by Patrol when snow & weather conditions allow. When these two areas are open, they’ll be fully-patrolled.
Ski Patrol will monitor the Pringles terrain entry gate to limit access to advanced skiers & snowboarders only. If you’re heading down there, bear in mind that the terrain is steep, & to exit you’ll need to walk out over marked, untracked rocky terrain to the bottom of Valley View Quad. This in-bounds experience will be a great way for those of you wanting to get into backcountry skiing or snowboarding to give it a go in a patrolled area!
In the meantime, we’re still working to get the Pringles Quad operational for Winter 2020. All our other development projects for Winter 2019, like the new ticket office & Base Bar, are on track
We’d like to give a massive shout out to the teams at Doppelmayr, DOC, & our Cardrona whanau for all your work & support on this project – while this isn’t the outcome we were hoping for, it’s pretty awesome that we can ski Pringles this year. Bring on the Quad in 2020!