Oh September…the perfect time to sleep on a plane and wake up in New Zealand!
Its hard not to love the South Island of New Zealand. Good coffee, friendly people, crystal clear lakes, stunning vistas and of course, the Remarkables.
You see, not only does this ski field cater to families but it has some seriously addicting ‘hike to’ terrain that challenges even the most veteran skier. The Alta Chutes zone is a short 10 minute hike from the Shadow Basin lift and is southern aspect mecca full of nooks and crannies that usually holds great wintery snow deep into the season. I truly love skiing this zone. Beyond the boundaries, you can hike up above Elevator chute and traverse across massive cliffs (Paul Ahern’s old record 224.5ft cliff) and find your way into Telex, Intimadator, and Exterminator to name a few. Highlights in this video include laps down Pipeline, Elevator, Diagonalator, Telex, East Face (nobis), and the Nose.
With local photographer Miles Holden as my guide for the week, about a foot of new snow, and case of blueberry Red Bull, we explored every inch off the Shadow Basin chair. We encountered early powder runs down Mid Station bowl, Valley Floor as well as Homeward and Outward Bound. As luck would have it, gusty conditions continued to hit the daily ‘refresh’ button by blowing in beautiful wind blown snow. Timing is everything on a ski trip and thankfully, it looks like that I ventured up to Remarks at an ideal time.
The wind was definitely working its magic in the Alta Chutes…
Rowdy lines are rampant down the front face of the Remarkables. Most people will ski a few hundred feet below and hike back up. However, the avalanche hazards in here are pretty extreme as there are no safe zones on the way down.
What would a ski trip be without a night of rain followed by a cool morning?
Luckily, the bottom half of Shadow Basin corned up nicely by 2pm.
By the next evening, snow levels fell to just above Queenstown…
You know its going to be decent when they require chains on the access road…
Things are starting to look a bit more like Christmas around here…
Double cone is a bit of a ski mountaineering jaunt but well worth it you have the time. Geoff Small took me up there after travelling from SFO many years ago. It gets a fair bit of sun, so bring your whippet and crampons. If you are into ice climbing, there are some frozen waterfalls in the area as well.
Glen Legget is a old friend from Queenstown. He took a bad speed flying crash a few years back and lost a lot of feeling in both his legs, but as a true kiwi, he’s still boarding and still speed flying.
September 12th was a ripping day around the mountain and the chutes had the goods.
No NZ trip is complete without getting a visit from a KEA…
And with that I need a nice frosty beverage with a view…
For the longer and more detailed report…
