My name is Kyle Miller and I have had the good fortune to learn about life through the use of a Splitboard for the past 15 years. In the first 10 years I focused on sharpening my mountaineering skills in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state and in the past 5 I utilized those skills abroad. I created a routine heading to the corners of the globe to focus on specific things that I have come to love in there epicenters. From Ski mountaineering in New Zealand to lift accessed powder riding in Japan I found myself in love with these places with and what started as a love for mountains quickly changed into the cultures as well. This report is over the 2016 season where I experienced ups and downs both mountain wise and mentally.
Chapter One: New Zealand
New Zealand had always been a land of mystery to me. Like a great puzzle the rugged mountains and isolation hold the highland guarded and shrouded in mystery. This season was my 4th time returning to the Southern Alps after learning the lay of the land, the weather and an all new respect for these mountains the 3 previous seasons.
Something that anyone should consider before buying a ticket to NZ is that snow conditions can be what most would call poor about 80% of the winter time but that other 20% of the time it's hard to find a more beautiful spot. Basically powder and snowpack is somewhat unreliable but corn skiing is much more predictable so because of that I made the call to arrive in early September 2015 and depart at the end of November 2015.
Australia
Before heading to New Zealand I had the great opportunity to hang out with the Godfather of Splitboarding in Australia for a week attending the Australian Splitfest for the 3rd year in a row, do some guiding on the side and head back into the Old Snowy Mountains.
The highlight of which was putting on a snow camping guided trip where I was able to show 2 clients/friends the strategies of safe travel and building windproof shelters among the fabled Western slopes. It was a great trip and though weather came in much earlier than expected and was a bit wet as usual we were prepared and had a great time sharing stories and experiences both in guiding and the Splitfest.
New Zealand
I've fallen in love with the Club Field culture which is a uniquely New Zealand thing and with the support of License to Chill (http://www.chillout.co.nz/) I was able to get a seasons pass to 12 different ski fields within the South Island.
If one hasn't heard of the Club Fields 90% are based off of a lift system called Nut Crackers where you have a rope tow that drags you up thousands of vertical feet through the use of a harness and metal device, this is used so that you don't crush your hands on the numerous pulleys along the way. I had the good fortune to meet up with my friend who goes by the nickname Pow Slash Wiggles who was working as a ski patroller at Broken River.
For the first few weeks we went from one club field to the next getting back into the swing of things and making the best of conditions.
A highlight of which was heading up to Mt. Olympus and riding a line I had seen a decade earlier but didn't have the experience to feel comfortable with yet.
Another highlight was heading to the backside of Temple Basin during the NZ Splitfest put on by Shane Orchard and Richard Harcourt and enjoying epic powder in the Mingha bowl off the backside of this total gem.
For the last two weeks of Club Field riding we had the good fortune to have Zach Clanton come join us and Broken River was kind enough to give us shelter and a base of operation to show him what made this place so special.
If you ever have a chance to stay up there I highly recommend it, as you are within a 10 minute walk of the rope tows, in beech forest and best of all the place has a Sauna. I've fallen in love with Sauna'a after since spending a bit of time in Finland where it is a vital part of the daily routine.
Zach had arrived at a transition time between powder skiing and corn riding which meant the slopes were firm for the most part of the day and the snowpack was quickly melting away, but we took the opportunity to do some hiking and show him the ropes, quite literally.
The highlight of the time was doing a ski traverse from Broken River to Olympus and back and this is the only time that I have gone on a multi day trip bringing shorts so we could soak in Mt. Olympus's hot tub. Aspects were melting out fast though and with a thin snowpack for the most part we had to stay on the high ridges.
When walking through these areas you could only imagine how amazing this place would be if the snow fell all the way to sea level.
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