Hawaii Skiing Skiing on Mauna Kea - The White Mountain on Big Island Hawaii at 4205m
Overview
Skiing in Hawaii! Yes - its true, you can ski from the summit at 4205m right down to around 2500m depending upon the snow cover giving around 1700m of vertical in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
There are no lifts, there is no resort and no mountain restaurants - in fact, no infrastructure whatsoever apart from the access road up to the observatories. When it snows, the road is used by skiers and boarders to get to the top where, on a good day, there is up to 100 square miles of total back country terrain to explore in typical spring corn powder snow.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 2500 m |
| Top lift | 4205 m |
| Ski area (acre) | 64000 acres |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
Where to stay
Given there is no ski resort, all the accommodation is situated in and around the beach resorts of Big Island Hawaii and consequently, there is ample self catering vacation rentals to suit all budgets and tastes from beachfront villas to downtown condos.
The area around Hilo on the east coast is closest to Mauna Kea. Saddle Road runs directly between Hilo and the access road up to the ski area with the journey taking just over one hour .
Our view on skiing in Hawaii
Skiing and boarding on Mauna kea is not for the feint hearted. For adrenaline enthusiasts, with good snow conditions and warm tropical sunshine, there is no better feeling than skiing from the top of a volcano at over 4000m in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, skiing on Mauna kea means you are on your own - no ski patrol, mountain rescue....so never ski alone.
