touring new zealand

[bs]

despite a rather [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194667"]kick ass season[/ame] in california this year i found myself still lusting for more backcountry goods, and so i have relocated to new zealand in search of more winter. i'm going to spend the season exploring the country and doing as much touring as possible (with perhaps a few breaks to rock climb and surf as the weather permits). i don't know too many people here yet so i'm still looking for touring and climbing partners... drop me a line if you live here or are planning to visit and have room for one more in your party. i'm generally pretty good about keeping up and being down to ride almost anything.

[kiwinig]

Hey bs I live down in queenstown, mostly limited to weekend warrior status at the mo due to excessive workload but do like getting out and about. Shout out if you make it down this way otherwise am trying to plan some canterbury club field action for end of july and again in mid august. Also aiming for some touring up Mt Cook way to Mueller hut at some stage and hopefully back again to fly into the high glaciers later in the spring.

[bs]

cool i'll look you up when i get to the south island. for now i'm surfing my way down the west coast of the north island... some good waves at raglan...



gonna be climbing this saturday by wharepapa south and then heading to taranaki probably on sunday if any one happens to be in those areas.

[bs]

after abandoning my plans to summit mt taranaki due to persistent fog and rain most of the way up the mountain, i headed east in search of snow.

while waiting for the weather to clear, i climbed part of the tongariro crossing, and celebrated my first snowy footprints in the southern hemisphere with the last of my jack daniels.


i also found some rather uninviting hot springs.


fortunately, the weather cleared the next day, so i headed up mt ruapehu to the closest resort--whakapapa. they were only running one lift, with less than 100ft of gain, so i opted to splitboard. trying to decide how discreet i needed to be in my approach, i went to the ski patrol office, where they practically encouraged me to climb through their resort and even called up their snow safety guy to brief me on the snow conditions. damn it's nice to get away from american tort law!!!


the coverage was pretty poor down low, so i had to do a bit of scrambling before i got to try out my new board for the first time.


but soon i was above the level of the resort and into some decent snow. i hiked along this edge looking for a good spot to start my run, and made a mental note of the gnar in the background... bet that'll be ready to go by midwinter.


my first tracks in new zealand were also my first tracks on my new sentury dimension board.


the next day i met up with a local splitter, nick, and we headed up the southwest side of ruapehu above his local ski field, turoa (none of the 3 resorts on this mountain go anywhere near the summit, where all the good early season snow is).


as we neared the summit, heavy cloud cover started to roll quickly up the mountain, so we decided to turn around and ride while we could still see.


nick led the way into some fast high density powder and took off shredding before i could get a proper photo...


then he shot this sweet photo of me when i finally caught up near the bottom of the run.


i was contemplating taking off to head south, but this one line that nick pointed out to me yesterday kept haunting my thoughts.... and in the end i could not bear to leave without hiking back up to check it out.

but first, a stop at the summit to see the ominously steaming lake in the ruapehu crater.


i don't think i would have been able to leave the north island satisfied without bagging this line.

[COUSINELVIS]

TE AROA AT ITS MOST FUN. THATD BE HARD TO LEAVE

[bs]

when i arrived on the south island, i found that my weather mojo was fading... the precipitation had stopped following me. so i took a couple weeks to explore and visit friends while i awaited the return of the snow-clouds.

hiking in paparoa national park. it's important to be prepared!


jules stopped by and we did some climbing outside christchurch.


there wasn't much snow yet at arthur's pass, so we climbed some rock there too.


it took a full day of hiking to get to the welcome flat hot spring...


but it was worth it! after 2 prior failed attempts on the north island, i finally get to soak in an epic new zealand hot spring.


then i arrived in wanaka and my weather luck returned. the first snow in 4 weeks fell that night! time to find a mountain...


the snow line in NZ is a couple thousand feet above any civilization, so most backcountry access is via the "resorts" and their incredibly long and steep dirt access roads that wind far up from the valleys to the snow. and the best part is that the resorts realize this and the practice is basically supported by ski patrol! the main chairlift at the treble cone resort is visible near the center of the photo above. it takes 20 minutes to drive to the parking lot from the road in perfect conditions.

after a frustrating skin up a crowded groomer, i reached the gate.


i didn't have anyone to tour with, so i stuck somewhat near the resort, but there was still plenty of pow.


the next day i went to explore cardrona, the other nearby resort providing a convenient sketchy dirt road up to the snow. i spotted this little line within a short skin from the summit.


i was soon followed down by a trio of skiers, one of whom was an off duty patroller who invited me to join them on their tour. which ended up being pretty sick.


then i met a house full of avid climbers and backcountry skiers who quickly proved that they met my well established high standards of maturity and responsibility.


with a group of appropriately equipped touring partners, it was time to head a little farther from the resort.


dropping in...


skinning back towards treble cone we spotted this spire, fully bolted for sport climbing! damn i love this country!


the next day, i skinned up cardrona in sub 50 meter visibility, and the cloud cleared just in time for me to find this little chute i spotted last time. (my track is on the left).


and lastly, a panorama of wanaka lake, shot from the treble cone access road.

[neck beard]

Keep the adventure coming. I love the low-key vibe.

[DHogg]

Nice shots. Good to see you participating in mandatory scrumpy hands!

I would also suggest you check out Helicopter Flat (between wanaka and TC) for some more good climbing.

As a side note, big storm coming through Wanaka resorts this week. Lets hope it brings as much snow as we need.

[beahen]

looks like a great adventure, keep the updates coming. Getting down to NZ in on my todo list, your helping me see the possibilties

[mrwright]

If your still looking for some midwinter waves, dunedin has the most consistent swell in the country with south and east facing coasts. only 3-3 1/2 hours from wanaka. lookin like snow in wanaka could be getting pretty good this week though

[bs]

i've gotten in some pretty decent touring, too. i met up with mike, a skier who contacted me after seeing this thread, and did a couple days of touring. the lines from the first day are shown above; the second day we checked out some terrain accessed through treble cone.

when we first skinned to the top of the mountain, the access gates were closed due to some control work being done near the boundary, so we killed a few minutes building kickers off some rocks near the summit.


this area is an easy 20 minute hike from the top of the lifts, but no one was hitting these sweet rocks... so i figured i might as well go big since the landing was fresh.


then we went to talk to ski patrol, who gave us permission to duck the rope as long as we promised to stay away from the drainage where they were blasting. have i mentioned how much i love this country and the sense of trust and personal responsibility that people have here?


we headed far from the resort and the sound of avalanche bombs, and of course found some pretty sweet lines to ride.


the next day it was so nice out that i decided to take the day off and check out some of the kick ass sport climbing that wanaka is surrounded by.


sitting around the dinner table, we couldn't help but notice the nearly full moon rising in a cloudless sky. so we loaded up my van and headed to the mountain for a moonlight tour.


it's hard to describe the amazing experience of watching powder sparkle in the moonlight, so i'll just say that it was even more amazing than i always imagined it would be.


i'm making my way from queenstown to arthur's pass this week... if anyone happens to be in the intervening area and is looking for a touring partner, let me know!

[neck beard]

bs 1, grass 0

Good job

[Baconzoo]

Well done Mate! Slay a few mince pies while you're there as well.

[bs]

"the remarkables" lives up to its name!


maggie finds good snow high above the lifts when most of the resort snow had been washed away by rain.


i finally realized my lifelong goal of snowboarding on my august birthday!


carsten shows off his creative saw work--a burton johan custom tapered swallowtail splitboard.


yes i did hit that rock kicker in the first photo


another great rock feature ready to go with a bit of shoveling


arthur's pass is going to get a couple feet this weekend (which is rather a lot by local standards); i'm on my way...

[Edgnar]

Whats the word on the Sentury splitboard? You like it? Was it a custom jobber?

[bs]

Whats the word on the Sentury splitboard? You like it? Was it a custom jobber?

the splitboard i'm riding is a sentury dimension 165 with custom graphics. i demo'd the dimension and backcountry splitboards, and while i liked both, i was keen on the more centered stance of the dimension because i like to ride switch in pow sometimes. my full writeup of the boards is at the end of this thread.

i've got some more pics coming from the latest storm up at mt olympus and some heli-accessed BC off mt hutt....

[bs]

in the last few weeks, i've discovered how crucial it is to be mobile when looking for good snow in this country. when it's raining on one mountain, another will be getting snow, and when one gets 2cm another will get 20. fortunately, living in my van has afforded me the opportunity to make my home wherever the conditions are best!

and a couple weeks ago, that happened to be mt olympus. never has my home had such a sketchy and difficult driveway!


killing time at the olympus "bottom hut" while we wait for the rest of the road to open.


one of the other hut guests demonstrates the proper manner in which to dispense beer from a keg with a ski pole.


my first day of lift (er, rope tow) served riding in NZ turned out to be a good one to finally get on that rockered powder board i've been hauling around!


the snow was so good (and the drive so arduous) that we decided to stay for another day... so we spent a second night at the bottom hut.


with no gate to jump over, we found other ways to pass the time that evening.


jules preferred to hike than use the rope tow, so we spent the next day lapping sidecountry pow.


i'm sure you can guess what i did next...


jules wanted to go heli boarding before she left for australia, and who was i not to oblige?


yes, there was powder...


...into which jules jumped off some rocks.


i do enjoy skinning, but at this moment i must admit i was pretty stoked to get a lift straight back to my van!


after jules left, i met up with clay (snowwayjose on tgr) to spend a few days exploring the mountains around lake tekapo. the avy conditions were pretty intense...


but with a bit of testing, we were able to identify some safe lines.


like this one behind round hill.


and this rock somewhere between ohao club field and dumbbell lake...


off which clay showed me up with a huge 360.


i hit it once more, but stuck with a trick i knew i could land... same 'ol frontside grab.


breakfast at camp, watching the sun rise over lake ohau


transitioning with mt cook in the background


riding a rocky line near roundhill


clay airs a rock near mt dobson


tonight's dinner menu: whatever's left in the van, mixed up in a pot!


i almost skinned by this little chute without seeing it, but fortunately clay was more astute...


...so i let him have his choice of the lines. but i still got the one i wanted...


the rocky descent necessitated a little field repair.


if only every tour could end with a skin out this aesthetic....

[neck beard]

Very very to my liking. Especially the campervan.

[SchralphMacchio]

yeeeeeowsa, well done bs!

[skier666]

Hiking instead of tow? I had a buddy wreck his fingers on the Olympus nutcrackers...first day...and yep...on a snowboard.

So, are you using many of the ski field bases as touring approaches?

Now this is a great pic!

[CaliKid]

About 2 weeks till my buddy and I touch down in Queenstown. Never been to NZ and have 14 days to tour the South Island. Current plan is to hit up TC, Remarks and the club fields (Craigieburn/Broken River) with a possible stop at Oahu to break up the drive. Not gonna have touring gear with us but will have a car so we will be mobile. Is it possible to access the goods at TC/Remarks (alta chutes, etc) bootpacking or is that a ridiculous question?

Seems like the northern areas, Hutt, BR, Craigieburn are doing much better snow wise than Queenstown/Wanaka areas. Updates from any folks in the area would be much appreciated.

[robbo]

Sweet TR.

Love the Mt Dobson and Roundhill stoke. 2 of my favourite areas. NZ rocks, cant wait to hike there again next season!

[skier666]

Is it possible to access the goods at TC/Remarks (alta chutes, etc) bootpacking or is that a ridiculous question?

Seems like the northern areas, Hutt, BR, Craigieburn are doing much better snow wise than Queenstown/Wanaka areas. Updates from any folks in the area would be much appreciated.

Remarks - 10min boot to Alta Chutes....super easy. From there, you can decide how much further to go.

TC - the new lift in the basin takes you right to the goods, you can see almost everything now.

Ohau - hike straight up from the lift and then decide left (most of the stuff) or right (stuff in plain view but needs winter snow)

Craigie/Broken/etc - tows take you to most but hikes are abound along the ridgelines and sidecountry.

Hutt - not much hiking there - most off the lifts.

[bs]

Seems like the northern areas, Hutt, BR, Craigieburn are doing much better snow wise than Queenstown/Wanaka areas. Updates from any folks in the area would be much appreciated.

yeah the arthur's pass areas have been doing better than the southern resorts this winter, but most all the good snow everywhere has been rained on in the last couple weeks. here's to hoping for a proper snowstorm!

[CaliKid]

Remarks - 10min boot to Alta Chutes....super easy. From there, you can decide how much further to go.

TC - the new lift in the basin takes you right to the goods, you can see almost everything now.

Ohau - hike straight up from the lift and then decide left (most of the stuff) or right (stuff in plain view but needs winter snow)

Craigie/Broken/etc - tows take you to most but hikes are abound along the ridgelines and sidecountry.

Hutt - not much hiking there - most off the lifts.

Thanks for the info 666 and BS