Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand Weekend Conditions: Bluebird Sandwich with a Cloudy Filling

Guy LaDouche | | Post Tag for Conditions ReportConditions Report
Welcome to Whakapapa
Welcome to Whakapapa – July 26th

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) operates two ski areas on Mt. Ruapehu: Turoa and Whakapapa. Here are some key differences between the two:

Whakapapa is on the north-western slopes of Mt. Ruapehu and gets more sun exposure than Turoa (primo spring skiing). They are the largest ski area in New Zealand.

Turoa is on the south-western slopes of Mt. Ruapehu and gets more snow than Whakapapa (primo pow days). They have the longest vertical descent in New Zealand/Australia, and also have New Zealand’s highest chair lift.

Largest resort AND most vert in New Zealand? Not bad, RAL. I was fortunate enough to explore both this weekend.

Saturday was a bluebird day at Whakapapa. It was my first time there and the landscape is dominated by the towering Pinnacles on the lookers right side of the resort. The snow was nice and grippy and the groomers did a good job with the trails. The coverage isn’t as good as at Turoa, as they haven’t been getting as much snow. Up higher, there was some good off-piste skiing. My favorite runs were Haensli Face and the Lower Pinnacles Traverse.

The Whakapapa Pinnacles with Mt. Ngauruhoe in the background (left) - July 26th
The Whakapapa Pinnacles with Mt. Ngauruhoe in the background (left) – July 26th

Sunday was the cloudy filling between two beautiful blue bird days. Not much else to say about Sunday.

Low visibility at Turoa - July 27th
Low visibility at Turoa – July 27th

Monday, while technically not part of the weekend, was the best day of all. Back to a familiar Turoa under the bright blue ski, there was good snow everywhere. The groomers were ripping and I finally got to do some good off-piste exploring. People were hitting cliff drops off of the Waterfall and the Keyhole had a very nice soft landing. ‘Thank you’ to the snowboarder who landed sideways and took a huge part of the soft landing with him. The best snow that I found was in the Mangaehuehu Glacier area; very consistent wind-loaded powder and zero traffic. I took at least 6 laps back there and started attracting followers by the afternoon.

Alex and Skimac ripping it up in the Mangaehuehu Glacier Bowl - July 28th
Alex and Skimac ripping it up in the Mangaehuehu Glacier Bowl – July 28th

It looks like the weather is about to go to shit again for a while with clouds and rain, so I’m glad I got this out of my system. Time to put on my spandex and go do my snow dance…

Photo Tour:

Asian tourists on a T-bar at Whakapapa - July 26th
Asian tourists on a T-bar at Whakapapa – July 26th
Hikers going for the summit at Turoa - July 28th
Hikers going for the summit at Turoa – July 28th
Apparently all the gangsters hang out on the Whakapapa side
Apparently all the gangsters hang out on the Whakapapa side
Best shot of the Girdlestone yet - July 28th
Best shot of the Girdlestone yet – July 28th
Happy Valley learning area at Whakapapa, the happiest place on earth?
Happy Valley learning area at Whakapapa, the happiest place on earth?
Skiers and riders enjoying the end of a fantastic day at Turoa - July 28th
Skiers and riders enjoying the end of a fantastic day at Turoa – July 28th


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