Mount Hutt facts for kids
Mount Hutt is a tall mountain in the South Island of New Zealand. It's located west of the Canterbury Plains, near the Rakaia River, and about 80 kilometers west of Christchurch. The very top of Mount Hutt is 2190 meters above sea level.
The mountain's Māori name is Ōpuke, which means "place of the hill."
Skiing and Snowboarding Fun
Mount Hutt is famous for its awesome ski area. It has a huge space of 3.65 square kilometers where you can ski or snowboard! The mountain drops 683 meters from top to bottom, giving you a long ride down. NZSki owns and runs this popular ski field.
There are slopes for everyone, whether you're just starting out or you're a super experienced skier or snowboarder. The mountain has different types of lifts to get you up:
- Two easy-to-use conveyor belt lifts for beginners.
- A super-fast six-seater chairlift.
- An even faster eight-seater chairlift.
- A regular three-seater chairlift.
These lifts take you to all sorts of runs, from gentle slopes for beginners to exciting runs for intermediate and advanced riders. There are also big areas off the main trails and several fun terrain parks where you can practice jumps and tricks! The most challenging runs are found among the cool rock formations at the top, called "The Towers," and on the "South Face."
The snow season at Mount Hutt usually runs from June to October. Mount Hutt is often proud to be one of the first ski fields in the Southern Hemisphere to open each year! Once, on August 12, 2010, very strong winds (up to 200 kilometers per hour!) hit the ski area. This caused the mountain and its access road to close. About 1200 people had to stay overnight in the ski field's main buildings, but everyone was safe, and the road opened the next day.
You won't find places to stay right on the mountain, but many visitors stay in the nearby town of Methven. It's only about a 35-minute drive to the ski field from there. The bigger town of Ashburton is about 55 minutes away, and the city of Christchurch is about an hour and 45 minutes drive.
Mount Hutt is managed by NZSki, the same company that looks after Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski fields near Queenstown. Mount Hutt was named by an early surveyor, Joseph Thomas, after John Hutt, who was an important person in the group that helped settle the Canterbury region.
Amazing Animals
During the warmer summer months, you can find four different kinds of Alpine grasshoppers living within the ski field area.
- Sigaus villosus grasshoppers like to hang out along the mountain ridges.
- Brachaspis nivalis grasshoppers prefer the rocky areas.
- Sigaus australis and Paprides nitidus grasshoppers both live in the grassy alpine tussocklands.
Mount Hutt is also a special place for a unique moth called Orocrambus aethonellus. It's the place where this moth was first discovered and described!
Climate
Mount Hutt has a very cold climate, known as a Tundra Climate. This means it's cold enough for snow and ice, which is perfect for a ski field! Here's a look at the average weather at Mount Hutt Skifield:
| Climate data for Mount Hutt Skifield 43.5°S 171.54°E,
1593m |
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
13 (55) |
10 (50) |
7 (45) |
5 (41) |
6 (43) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
19 (66) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 12 (54) |
13 (55) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
2 (36) |
0 (32) |
1 (34) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
6 (44) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
8 (46) |
5.5 (41.9) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1 (34) |
−1 (30) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−2 (28) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
1 (34) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6 (43) |
2.5 (36.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
3 (37) |
1 (34) |
−1 (30) |
−2 (28) |
−4 (25) |
−5 (23) |
−5 (23) |
−4 (25) |
−3 (27) |
−1 (30) |
1 (34) |
−1 (29) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −3 (27) |
−3 (27) |
−5 (23) |
−6 (21) |
−7 (19) |
−10 (14) |
−10 (14) |
−10 (14) |
−10 (14) |
−9 (16) |
−6 (21) |
−4 (25) |
−10 (14) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81 (3.2) |
72 (2.8) |
78 (3.1) |
78 (3.1) |
87 (3.4) |
94 (3.7) |
90 (3.5) |
96 (3.8) |
84 (3.3) |
96 (3.8) |
87 (3.4) |
91 (3.6) |
1,034 (40.7) |
| Average precipitation days | 14.7 | 12.9 | 14.7 | 13.6 | 14.8 | 15.7 | 15.2 | 16.4 | 14.9 | 17.6 | 15.6 | 16.8 | 182.9 |
| Source: Meteoblue | |||||||||||||
Images for kids
- Mount Hutt
-
Mt Hutt ski centre
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Top of Summit Six chairlift
-
Base of ski area
-
Chairlift over Mount Hutt
-
Access road to Mount Hutt
-
Southern Alps from summit
-
Ski area from base
See also
In Spanish: Monte Hutt para niños
