Queenstown, New Zealand (Saturday, July 22, 2006) - New Zealand South Island ski fields say near record amounts of snow have fallen in the past 36 hours, adding to their best season in a decade or more.

Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, near Queenstown, and the Canterbury ski fields have had their biggest single snowfalls of the season.

The managing director of Southern Alpine, Duncan Smith, says the season is shaping up to be the best since 1996 with at least 20 centimeters falling since yesterday.

While in Canterbury, Mount Hutt mountain manager Ross Lawrence says 50 centimeters of light, dry snow has fallen, causing several avalanches across access roads, which are being cleared.

He says ski patrollers have also set off controlled avalanches.