Snow and summer are an unlikely pair, but at Canterbury's Mt Hutt open day on Sunday they proved to be a match made in heaven.
An unseasonably large drop of summer snow had visitors dusting off their skis to make the most of the conditions.
"The original plan was a bit of mountain biking, a bit of walking, sightseeing but of course today there's a little bit more thrown into the mix with a bit of skiing and riding," said Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie.
More than 30 centimetres of snow earlier in the week pushed back the fundraising day from Saturday to Sunday.
But it was worth waiting the extra day as Cantabrians could sample everything the mountain had to offer.
A woman skiing said "it's sort of made my summer really", while another snowboarder said: "It's amazing being probably the only people in the Southern Hemisphere who are skiing right now. It's just crazy, absolutely crazy."
A third outdoor enthusiast described the day as "unbelievable".
Making the summer open day a bit more wintery than usual.
"We get maybe a little bit of snow most months of the year, but to get this amount of snow where you can actually ski is pretty rare for summer," said McKenzie.
Giving skiers a chance to brush up on their skills ahead of the real winter season.
