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This year's ski season may have been a bit slow starting but the Southern Lakes fields are all skiing beautifully right now. One more decent dump will set them all up for another superb spring and there is a promising large colourful blob moving into Thursday's Metvuw charts ... watch this space.
Thanks to the teachers going on strike we squeezed a few days in after that most recent snowfall and what a treat that was. We managed to ski three ski fields in three days – a first for me. We started at Cardrona where the new Soho Basin opens up a further 150ha of terrain. This last storm filled in most of the gaps in this new terrain and it was running so nicely – pockets of powder everywhere and, strangely, very few people lapping out there – not a single queue. The aspect is right under Mt Cardrona (1936m), which is an easy walk up the ridgeline.
The terrain out at Soho is quite different to the front faces of Cardrona – it feels a bit steeper and once you get your bearings I reckon there will be some stellar runs on powder days.
We feasted on Soho's lines all afternoon and then switched it right up at the end of the day – heading over the Crown Range to Coronet Peak where we'd been invited for a spot of night skiing. It was my first time night skiing in New Zealand (well, with lights anyway). I never knew what I was missing. Firstly, it's like surfing into the dusk – beautiful light and views and a buzz that builds into the sun setting behind the mountains. Secondly they have a DJ at the base building working up the energy levels. We were there on a Wednesday night which is traditionally tradie's night – and I can tell you the tradies in Queenstown rip on their snowboards and skis. The yahooing and good vibes were present from the moment you left the Coronet Express and carried all the way to the base. Luckily, we had a local showing us around and even a few days after a snowfall we still found some powder!
If you haven't given night skiing a crack then hit up Coronet on Wednesday or Friday nights – you won't regret it.
Our last day saw us head into Treble Cone. We caught up with my mate Kenny, who knows TC like the back of his hand. He took us into the Motatapu Chutes, which hadn't opened the day before and still had fresh powder in them. We found a suitable looking chute and went to town before having to traverse out across some wind-scoured and icy ridges. There were a couple of moments in that traverse that were frightening – especially for Rewa and Keo who hadn't spent a lot of time in the steeps and in icy conditions. They dealt with the fear and kept it altogether to navigate the most exposed ridge safely. It was a learning experience, but worth the powder run into that moment.
Three ski fields in two days certainly takes its toll on you physically. Spring looks set for even more adventure in the mountains.
See you at the beach, Derek
PS SurfAid's Make A Wave is back and challenging individuals and groups to use surfing to make an impact this September. When you surf every day this September your waves create a ripple effect and bring clean water, sanitation, food security and basic healthcare to families in the places we love to surf. You can choose to surf solo or get a crew together and do it as a team – it’s up to you! Here's the link ... which makes it super easy to get involved. As if you needed an excuse ...
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: