This week's email contains a few images from our winter so far, but not much from this past week. Five days of rainy, cold weather (but not cold enough for decent snow) wasn't overly inspiring along Otago's coastline. It has made me think a lot about our mountains though. They're an asset we're lucky to have right on our doorstep. And they kind of need our support more than ever this year.
The closest skifield to Dunedin is Ohau – a short drive from Ohau Village with peaks overlooking the incredible blue hues of Lake Ohau. It would have to be among the finest skifields in the world in terms of vistas and terrain. Not far from Tekapo you have Round Hill, which is a pretty classic Kiwi ski spot and always worth a day or two. I haven't yet been to Mt Dobson or Fox, but have heard both are pretty epic. Further north Mt Hutt is within striking distance, but better to hit that after the Cantabrians have had their fill – around late August is perfect with way less crowds.
In the Southern Lakes area we have the big four – and these are pretty cool fields each with their own character. On the right day they can each have some incredible snow and plenty of interesting terrain to explore if you're prepared to hike some ridges.
Cardrona has a bit of everything, but it can be a little too flat on those handful of powder days each year, but seems to be jibber heaven every other day. Some good hikeable backcountry there, too. Treble Cone is kind of like a skifield that was built by skiers – quite good skiers. It comes into its own when it gets pounded by fresh snow – you can still get fresh tracks until about 11am on those days – espeically if you're prepared to traverse like a madman and hike back out. Take a peek over the back and the terrain will blow your mind all over again.
In Queenstown you have Remarkables and Coronet Peak and you can ski both on the same lift pass, which is pretty cool. Coronet has been nicknamed Concrete Peak by many and it can be bulletproof when it's exposed to the southerly systems – it faces directly south. But cop it on one of those still winter days with a fresh topping and you'll be amazed how good this field can get. They have the comfiest charilifts of them all, too! Remarkables is a great option when the southerly is still blowing hard, but the skies have cleared. It's a super sheltered bowl of a field with lots and lots of easy terrain within a 10-30 minute hike above the skifield.
Those are some pretty good options to consider now that our Aussie, Bali and Pacific Island surf adventures have been put on hold. Go exploring, it's right here in your backyard.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Want to surf forever? Yes, please. We asked Olympic and elite athlete strength and conditioning scientist, Dr Oliver Farley, to put together a warm up routine that doesn't take too long and that we can weave into every surf (or snowboarding/skiing) adventure we have. You can watch it right here.
Proudly supported by:
