Australia and New Zealand 2026

[ChrisC]

Aldi owns Trader Joe's and purchased the company in 1979 from founder Joe Coulombe

Not quite. There is South Aldi and North Aldi.

Trader Joe's and Aldi are connected through a famous family rift. In 1961, German brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht split their family grocery business into two separate entities, Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord, following a disagreement over whether to sell cigarettes. Both entities have fascinating roots and distinctly separate footprints in the U.S. grocery market:

Inside the Little-Known Family Feud That Created Aldi and Trader Joe’s​

Long before these grocery favorites arrived in the U.S., a quiet family divide nudged Aldi and Trader Joe’s in directions no one could have predicted — shaping how Americans shop for groceries today.

https://www.foodandwine.com/trader-joes-aldi-family-history-11874989

I thought it was a joke! Aldi doesn't sell clothes here, only bargain-basement food.

The USA Stores have clothes and lots of random stuff (sometimes towels, beach items, furniture, dog toys, etc.). My favorite thing is walking down the non-food aisle at Aldi and seeing what they sell. No ski wear, but definitely some jackets/windbreakers. It's so random -- the Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls aisle.

Aldi Finds (Weekly Specials): A frequently changing aisle of non-food items including kitchen appliances, bedding, seasonal clothing, gardening tools, and holiday decorations. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

 

[EMSC]

Aldi owns Trader Joe's and purchased the company in 1979 from founder Joe Coulombe

Sort of and sort of not. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's.

Aldi, the original German company was founded by two brothers who eventually had a huge falling out and they agreed to split the German Aldi footprint into Aldi North and Aldi South within Germany. Oddly the big fallout causing the split was over selling cigarettes in the stores, or not.

Aldi Nord (North) owns Trader Joe's and Aldi Sud (South) uses the actual Aldi brand name on the stores they own/run in the US. Not a ton of areas yet, but some places have both brands right next to each other in the US. So some fun Aldi vs Aldi competition.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I Googled

What are Aldi Nord stores in Europe like vs. Aldi Sud?

The main difference is geographic north vs. south locations. But unlike in the US:

Aldi Süd is generally considered to have more modern, brightly lit, and pleasant stores, while Aldi Nord has historically had a more traditional, "no-frills" feel

 

[Sbooker]

Sorry for the off topic rant that started the Aldi thread drift.

NZ South Island had a few inches in the forecast that will make things white at least.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Yes, buying a few pre-season/early-day tickets is a strategy. Vail tries to count a 2 or 3-day pass as a season pass. Their definition is that anything purchased pre-season/lift opening is defined as a pass product. Sure-whatever. Makes it easier for Vail and Industry analysts to drop all kinds of revenue into the "Pass" bucket.

This is really what the NSAA/Kottke Report calls a "Frequency Product," like Mountain Collective or Indy Pass. During the last year I got that info (2022) I repeatedly asked how 5-7 day usage at "partner areas" was counted. Given these numbers:

Daily/multi day tickets: 36.9%
Season passes: 52.3%
Frequency products: 4.7%
Off-duty employees: 2.3%
Comp tickets & other non-paid tickets: 3.7%
Frequency products are pre-paid ticket products that are valid for a set number of non-consecutive days of use throughout the season, while multi-day tickets are valid for a set number of days, but generally limited to consecutive days or a set number of days within a set period of use (e.g., good 3 out of 5 consecutive days).

I have to believe that any use of an Ikon or Epic Pass was classified as "Season Pass."

 

[Sbooker]

Ruapehu is a handsome looking mountain. I’m feeling like this is the year for us.

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[ChrisC]

Ruapehu is a handsome looking mountain. I’m feeling like this is the year for us.

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Yes, it is! I hear very little about it. Looks impressive.

However, volcanoes are difficult ski destinations globally.

 

[ChrisC]

The most promising forecast in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, NZ, Australia) is Mt Hutt.

Yesterday, they were closed due to record 200km/hr winds and an expected 1-2 meters of snow.

 

[Tony Crocker]

volcanoes are difficult ski destinations globally.

Yes, see my recent comments on the subject.

The most promising forecast in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, NZ, Australia) is Mt Hutt.

Yesterday, they were closed due to record 200km/hr winds and an expected 1-2 meters of snow.

Mt. Hutt is not a volcano but it's somewhat isolated peak jutting out into the Canterbury plain and seems to have similar weather issues, thus the nickname Mt. Shut. On the NASJA 2006 trip I got 15 years of mostly June-Sept. data which projected to an estimate of 191 inches season snowfall. That is considerably more than Coronet Peak (94 inches) or The Remarkables (133). I tried but was not successful in getting info from Treble Cone. I suspect Treble Cone and Cardrona are in the ballpark with Mt. Hutt.

 

[Sbooker]

The most promising forecast in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, NZ, Australia) is Mt Hutt.

Yesterday, they were closed due to record 200km/hr winds and an expected 1-2 meters of snow.

I’ve skied at Mt Hutt a few times. I’d prefer to ski somewhere else that I’ve not skied before but if it has to be there it will be. There is also the bonus of being able to hook up with a heli day out of Methven.
I’m watching the snowfall and will definitely be skiing at some point in August or September.