South Island, New Zealand Report: Ohau Snowfields, Storm Front Stack-Up Report from 29 June thru 2 July, 2025 It’s a line up of absolutely classic winter snow conditions for skiers and snowboarders of Ohau Snowfields, in the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island. A weekend storm front has been followed by a welcome window of glorious sunshine. And another top-up of surly powder snow is developing even as this […] Conditions Report Paulie | July 2, 2025 0 Comments
South Island, New Zealand, Report: Ohau Season Opener Oh-So-Good Report from 21-22 June, 2025 The ‘hoots’ and ‘hollers’ you’ve been hearing on the breeze are because Ohau Snowfields, New Zealand, is open for skiing and snowboarding. The weekend just past offered up all that is classic and good about shredding the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and Ohau especially. Saturday was picture-perfect under full sun, with little to no wind, and […] Conditions Report Paulie | June 23, 2025 0 Comments
Southern Alps, New Zealand, Report: Ski Plane and Tour Access Ignites Winter Report from 16 June, 2025 Winter never really leaves New Zealand’s Southern Alps. So it’s only natural that daydreams of skiing are close in the mind of a Highcountry Kiwi. And as New Zealand rides a sugar rush of opening weekends at commercial ski areas, one gnarly chappie sought turns in a far different corner. The man on the mission […] Conditions Report Paulie | June 20, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Southern Alps, New Zealand: Major Snow Swipes South Island Pictures from 6 June, 2025 Old Man Winter is struttin’ his stuff along large sections of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Overnight reports tally feet of snow falling at base area elevations, with healthy dollops exciting the locals (plus corking traffic) on the streets of Tekapo and Mt. Cook Village. This is just the beginning. Temps are expected to remain […] Paulie | June 6, 2025 0 Comments
South Island, New Zealand – A Compass, A Track, And A Puzzle Named ‘TWALK’ April, 2025 Soon, on an autumn date in late April when pre-dawn cold is really flexing its devilish charm, a rogue throng will be massing in an otherwise empty carpark. Comprising students to retirees to ultra-running human cannonballs, the mass will form ranks as a free brigade of outdoor frolickers–or terminal optimists–convened at the University of Canterbury to undertake one […] Trip Report Paulie | April 6, 2025 0 Comments
“The Mountain Doesn’t Care”—A Nivis Gear Film to Elevate Your Descents Nivis Gear is snow-inspired apparel that just went full-noise with a refreshingly artful film on getting out there and getting after it. Deriving its name from the Latin word for snow, Nivis is in it for the love and love where they’re at. This true-to-roots label is cracking the door to disrupting the outdoor apparel game with a promotional film […] Featured Article Paulie | February 11, 2025 0 Comments
At Home On Hard Ice: Trekking New Zealand’s Tasman Glacier Trip Report From December, 2024 One look and it hits you like a snowball to the kisser: a glacier is a stronghold for all that is epic about winter. Its rugged, typically mountainous terrain is perennially snowy. And it’s been around since the last ice age, even before there was language to describe ice. Out there, on […] Trip Report Paulie | December 28, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand Report: Sunbeam & Slush Finale Report from 5-6 October, 2024 Commercial snow operations wrapped-up with a SLASH at much-beloved Ohau Snow Fields. Sun, calm, and casual retro-ski rad-ness were highlights of the closing ceremonies at this premier snow field in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Kicked back, with the bridge of our nose burning under bright kiwi sun, we wonder, ‘How on Earth does it […] Conditions Report Paulie | October 7, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand Report: Chewbacca Rides Chalk! Report from September 21, 2024 Ohau Snow Fields, a hidden-not-secret gem of New Zealand snow culture, has been reveling in a radical winter of skiing and snowboarding. Ample wind transport, plus a sneaky 9-inch dash of powder snow, made yesterday a “pop magic” kinda session in the Ohau mountains. Straightaway, there was a prerequisite to stare down a bullish wind […] Conditions Report Paulie | September 22, 2024 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand Report: POW! Wicked Storm Cell Wallops Southern Alps Report from September 13, 2024 Far out fantastic-ness has been the general state of ski and snowboard affairs at Ohau Snow Fields, nestled within the Southern Alps of Aotearoa New Zealand. As the stats read, these peaks received a zesty one-foot refresh and we’re pretty darn sure that’s an under-report, going off how deep she skied. It continues to be […] Conditions Report Paulie | September 13, 2024 0 Comments
Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand, Conditions Report: Winter Done Wonderfully Report from August 28, 2024 Snow culture thrives at Cardrona Alpine Resort outside sunny Wanaka, New Zealand. A standout, year-round mountain destination for skiing and snowboarding, Cardrona serves up a full spectrum of guest experience—especially when the snow flies. From progression-inspiring lessons to speed laps with pals to chasing POW, lovable ‘Cardy’s’ delivers the dazzle. It started in 1980, when […] Conditions Report Paulie | August 31, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Report: Racing The Wind Report from 21 August 2024 Hold fast, hearty skiers and boarders; Ohau is a snow field with a few wild cards to play. This small operation with a big reputation has been dancing between sunbeams and wind whirls for a few days now, and a good ‘whap’ of weather is closing in. Make no mistake, sunbake, night freeze and Father […] Conditions Report Paulie | August 22, 2024 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Conditions Report: Fiesta De Freshies Report from 9 August, 2024 Enter the White Room. Another funky-fun foot of powder snow has blanketed Ohau Snow Fields. This latest 24-ish hour storm is the second to grace New Zealand’s beautiful Mackenzie Country in fairly quick succession—with more to come. In brief: base is well-established, snowpack is cush (w/a bit of sass for appeal), and everywhere the powder […] Conditions Report Paulie | August 9, 2024 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand Report: Wall To Wall POW Report from 1 August, 2024 Old Man Winter’s been enjoying a right good rowdy-up at Ohau Snow Fields, in the Mackenzie Highcountry of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Certainly not a secret but kinda hidden all the same, Ohau dazzled under approximately three-feet of fresh powder snow; Wowzer. A storm total such as this doesn’t fall from the sky everyday. It […] Conditions Report Paulie | August 1, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Report: Situation Goggle Tan Report from 24-25 July, 2024 Calm and cruisie. Tack on the word ‘corduroy’, and that just about says it all about the sliding scene at Ohau Snow Fields in the mighty Mackenzie Country of New Zealand. Inside a bubble of relatively stable high pressure, Ohau’s basically skied the same fine day set to repeat. The surface is compact and growing […] Conditions Report Paulie | July 26, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Conditions Report: Cloud Carving Report from 15-18 July, 2024 A bubble of practically uninterrupted bluebird conditions has made its comfy home at Ohau Snow Fields. The Snow Field’s current remarkable combo of sun-plus calm is a tale of one mighty strong inversion layer, equating to two wildly different worlds. At lake level elevation, New Zealand’s Mackenzie Country has shivered through a magnificently intense hoar […] Conditions Report Paulie | July 18, 2024 0 Comments
Mount Sutton, New Zealand, Conditions Report: Tight Through The Ribs Report from 10 July, 2024 An eye-catching summit in the Mackenzie section of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Mount Sutton offers plenty of bang-for-the-buck. More enticing still, the north-to-south summit of Mount Sutton had been on the receiving end of a two-foot snowfall the week prior, with bluebird conditions sweeping-in after. High time for a good look around. To be […] Conditions Report Paulie | July 12, 2024 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Conditions Report: 2 Foot Refresh Hits So Sweet Report from July 2, 2024 A day of dreams just went down at Ohau Snow Fields, in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. A fresh two-feet of glorious powder snow is draped all over Ohau—and there’s still heaps to be had even after shredding bell-to-bell. What follows is an essay in photos captured by the author during a day for the books. […] Conditions Report Paulie | July 2, 2024 0 Comments
Ohau Snow Fields, New Zealand, Conditions Report: Good Cover, Wide Grins, And Season On Report from June 28-30, 2024 The cheering you are hearing this week echoes all the way from New Zealand: Ohau Snow Fields, in the Southern Alps is officially open for winter operations! The ‘good times dial’ went up a notch-or-three with the parting of the proverbial ropes for a wide-grinned grand opening to the 2024 winter season, on Saturday. Conditions […] Conditions Report Paulie | June 30, 2024 0 Comments
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