September 3rd 2024: The Elevator

From the ridgeline above Lake Alta, the Elevator couloir looks terrifying. It is one of The Remarkables' famous Alta Chutes that all terminate on the frozen lake below. A lean snow year, like this one, adds an extra layer of complexity to it, with more rocks and narrower pinch points. That is why it was the arena for the recent The North Face Frontier – a 4-star international event for the world's best freeriders.

Holding the NZ Junior Freeride Tour there this past weekend was a big step up for the best young freeriders in the world. It was the first time of the junior series' 10-year history that it took place in the Alta Chutes. Understandably the organisers were a little worried the young athletes, some as young as six, would overcook it in the unforgiving terrain. The management and ninjas (top skiers/snowboarders who volunteer their time to help the next generation) were on point. I saw one skier fall around 50m before a ninja carved around her and arrested her fall. Once you get a bit of momentum up in this steep terrain it can be hard to stop.

We had our posse of Dunedin surfers again with Rewa Morrison and Marlee Silva, joined by Marlee's siblings Ada and Keanu. Tessa Gabbott made an impressive debut in the sport. With a dire weather forecast failing to materialise, The Remarkables hosted a stellar event. The new, longer, Shadow Basin chair meant athletes only had to walk a short five-minute scramble to the top of the Elevator.

The event attracts athletes from all over the world. We had athletes from China, USA, UK, Australia, Spain, Japan and Canada participating. And the standard is so high – particularly among the skiers. New Zealand has whole tribes of athletes getting coached by the world's best and the results are clear to see. There were 40 athletes in the Under 14 ski men's category and 14 in the Under 14 ski women's and the level across the board is insane. New Zealand Junior Freeride Tour organiser Dion Newport and his team – many of them freeride greats themselves – industry partners and the ski fields that support their mahi, are actually rewriting the future of the sport here. It feels like we are watching future world champions in the making ... and there are a lot of them!

There is a buzz around this sport and it's infectious. It combines the best of athleticism with alpine knowledge and adventure. Team Cool Runnings may not have got the results we wanted this time around, but the experience of picking lines down the Elevator will stay with us for life.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We have some exciting news – one of my entries into this year's New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year awards has been named as a finalist in the portrait category. The image shows Ann Bateman, of Kāti Huirapa RÅ«naka ki Puketeraki, watching the sunrise with her husband, Bo, during a morning karakia to address the new day on the summit of Kapukataumahaka. You can vote for it in the People's Choice awards right here. There are some impressive images among this year's finalists including some from Otago surf photographer Oscar Hetherington. Enjoy ...