Choose life, choose a career, choose a job, choose a flat screen TV...... Life is what you make it. For the last year my life has been a kaleidoscope of changing cultures, different people, amazing cities and landscapes . I chose to carry on my adventure around the world.
The prospect of returning to Scotland and resuming my previous life was not a path I was willing to take. Continuing my life 'off the grid' was way more exciting. Careers and job offers were of less importance, reality yeah that's a scary prospect, or has my escape from reality in fact become reality? Regardless, I'm going to carry on for now until my luck or money runs out. After a brief visit back home to Aberdeen my journey was to take me back to New Zealand for the winter and then onto South America.
The decision had been made in early March to return to New Zealand, with my season pass and air ticket bought. It felt like returning to a second home. Revisiting familiar haunts like Methven and Mount Hutt. Later Queenstown.
The decision had been made in early March to return to New Zealand, with my season pass and air ticket bought. It felt like returning to a second home. Revisiting familiar haunts like Methven and Mount Hutt. Later Queenstown.
The Winter Season
Snowboarding, women and drinking. Not always in that order but dependent on mood, circumstance and the ever unpredictable New Zealand weather. It's a fine balance and hopefully not too much of a compromise. The wind blows, the mountain closes, snow falls heavily and the access roads are closed. Frustration and boredom, never far away, just as well snowboarding is not my only passion in life. On a good day, a car full of friends, good music, full of excitement and anticipation, racing up the ski field road. On the mountain, powder snow and bluebird sky's, seeking out the best lines and untracked snow. The weather closes in or the light goes flat, it's time to sit around and drink coffee. When the mountain is shut it's time to relax or party, play pool in the pub or get drunk and chase the snow bunnies. With hard work and some luck it all works out well.
I spent most of the season in Methven, staying at the Mt Hutt Bunkhouse again. I knew I would be amongst familiar faces there, with many friends returning from previous years. Trips were made south to Queenstown and Wanaka, but for me it was Mt Hutt, Porters and the club fields where the action was at.
Old Timer, yeah right....
I walked into the common room of the hostel in Queenstown, blimey they're getting younger, or am I just getting old? Yeah, you can keep your comments to yourselves please. My behavior disguises my age, I'm told. Plenty of time to grow up, just don't grow old.
I met my fellow old timer and long time friend JD at Queenstown airport. I had a week to take him to some of the ski fields and show him how wonderful New Zealand is. The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Treble Cone, Ohau and later Mount Hutt. After a shaky start with the weather we find powder snow and blue sky at Treble Cone and Ohau, but not without the inevitable hiking to get there. Awesome runs and the comment 'this is the stuff of snowboard DVD's' reminds me why I love snowboarding here so much. It had been over 2 years since we had last met and it was great to catch up and find out the gossip and drink whisky. It was inevitable we'd end up doing a bungy jump and this was done at the Kawarau Bridge, the original bungy. Alas JD's (snowboarding) fun was cut short by the arrival of his girlfriend Sam.
It was a winter of reunions with Ianzie, another old timer and biker friend from Aberdeen, visiting Wanaka with his girlfriend for a week of skiing.
Mt Hutt
Towering high above the patchwork quilt fields of the Canterbury Plains, Mount Hutt gives incredible views across to the Pacific Ocean and behind of the Southern Alps. We grumble about the closed days here, but when it's a powder day it rocks.
There is some challenging terrain at Mt Hutt but to escape the crowds a trip out the back towards North Peak is required, not forgetting to leave our intentions with ski patrol. Out there we were on our own, we hoped. Thankfully my good friend Hamish was leading the way, a veteran of at least 8 seasons at Mt Hutt. We ride down from the ski field boundary, then hike for 30 minutes. Out of nowhere a group of telemark skiers appeared and stole our fresh tracks. We needed to get our breath back first but there was a massive snow field in front of us with plenty of room for everybody, on the perfect spring snow. We set off in complete silence on the mountain, no wind and blue bird skies it was an amazing place to be.
The season's not complete without the Mt Hutt Peak to Pub race. A 2km snowboard, a 17km mountain bike ride down the skifiled access road and a 10km run to the Blue Pub in Methven. Junko, Giles and I entered the mixed teams race and came 10th out of 20 teams which was pretty good considering we did almost no training. I did the mountain bike section which was very exhilarating if not a little dangerous. The access road has some fearsome drop offs. A friend ended the race in a ditch with cuts and bruises and one of the main sponsors, Big Al, had to be air lifted to Christchurch hospital with a broken neck! Even so, there was still a great atmosphere after the race at the Blue pub.
Give me a job now, please!
My third season of snowboarding in New Zealand without working. I think I qualify with an outstanding A++ as a certified ski bum. It was time for this to change. I enrolled in a course to become a snow board instructor. Four days of assessment, instruction, late nights studying and a teaching assessment on the final day. This was bloody hard work but really good fun and very rewarding. I even passed! So my riding has improved, I learned lots and now I'm an unemployed snow board instructor, where will it all end?
The Clubbies
It has taken me the best part of 3 winter seasons but I have now discovered the true nature of winter sports in New Zealand. The club fields are like nothing I've ever been to before. Difficult to get to, hard work when you're there, but very few people, a great atmosphere and definitely the best terrain. A spirit of adventure and a fair amount of determination are required to enjoy them to the full. We all agreed the days at the clubbies were amongst the best of the winter. Damn it, I need another season here.....
Trip to Mount Olympus Ski field
The Playground of the Gods..... their words not mine. This was surely going to be something very special. A 65km drive from Methven, more than half of this on dirt roads, the adventure started way before we reached the ski field. Turning off from Ryton Road onto the single track access road, we were surrounded by towering snow capped mountains and rugged tussock moorland. This was wilderness to rival anywhere else I'd seen in NZ. The road wound its way along the gorge high above on the mountain side. Passing an oncoming car, with only inches to spare on one side and a several hundred feet drop on the other my concentration was dialed in. On this type of road I've usually been at the mercy of some local lunatic bus driver. Today my passengers Toby and Lewis were at the mercy of my driving.
Approaching the ski field we reached the 'bottom hut', where we radioed our intentions to the ski field of our arrival. This was to ensure there was no downward traffic on the very steep and narrow final section to the car park. Snow chains fitted the car ground it's way up the bumpy and rutted road which was hardly suitable for the 2 wheel drive car we were in.
Apart from the flash 4x4's in the car park the scene that greeted us could have been from the 1950's. An old fashioned rope tow up the mountain. Yeah these are scary!!! Wearing a harness with a nut cracker device attached, first grab the rope and once traveling at the same speed as the rope attach nut cracker to rope and hold on. It may be old but it's rapid transit up the mountain. Sounds easy? I'd take a chairlift any time. When riding the tow the nut cracker passes over the pulley wheels with a resounding metallic clunk. With my fingers only inches away I disliked it every time.
This mountain is not for the faint hearted, there is no grooming and no pistes. The whole area is there to be shredded. To give some idea of the terrain one area is called 'Little Alaska'. Another run is called 'International Wife Swappers'. The club members must have some good parties in the club house. Shame I'm not married.
Unlike the commercial ski fields I've been to, the lifts here didn't shut at 4pm. When we asked the closing time, the answer was when the last person has had enough. This and the relaxed and friendly nature of the handful of people that were there made it a super enjoyable day. Amazing terrain, great snow and wonderful views, it had been all I'd expected and more. Snow boarding at it's best.
Trip to Temple Basin Ski field
Transworld Snow Boarding magazine were quoted as saying 'If I had to stay in one area, on one mountain to snowboard for the rest of my life, it would be Temple Basin. It's that good!' FHM magazine voted Temple Basin as the greatest adventure escape worldwide and said it's arguably has the hottest snowboarding terrain in the Southern Hemisphere
This was one ski field I had to get to, so when some of my Japanese friends, Toby, Kazu Shiba and Teru, said they were planning a trip I jumped at the opportunity to go. It was my no means easy to get there. After a 2 hour drive to Arthur's Pass we were faced with a 50 minute hike up the mountain to get to the ski area. Fortunately there was a goods lift to carry all our gear up.
The skies were clear, the snow was good and the rope tows and nut crackers were were becoming easier to use. Along the walking track to the second tow and then more hiking to the ridge above. This was pretty scary, walking along the narrow ridge to get some fresh lines in the snow. The terrain was steep and really hard work, long traverses to reach challenging chutes. Again no grooming, this was all 'off piste' and with fewer than 10 people on the mountain it had a real wilderness feel.
At the end of a great day Toby and Kazu were showing off with their tricks on the kicker in front of the lodge to every one's great amusement when they got it wrong.
After a comfortable night in the mountain lodge we were greeted by cloud and rain the next morning. It was snowing higher up but after a few runs we were all shattered from the difficult conditions so retired to the lodge for lunch before the hike back down the mountain.
So the magazines were right and if I needed only one reason to move to New Zealand it would be so I could snow board at Temple Basin....
Trip to Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
I was nervous about going to this ski field. The area is for adventurous and advanced snow boarders and skiers. To ride the rope tows 'goofy foot' it is recommended you are of advanced level snow boarding. There are even triple black diamond runs here marked as suicidal! Even the access road was hair raising. A single track road cut into the mountain side with a shear drop of several hundred metres to the side.
It was going to be a hard day for me, trying to keep up with my two ski instructor friends Giles and Shiba. The icy and sloping up track of the rope tows didn't make things easy but I was soon up to the summit and we were soon heading down the less suicidal chutes, across a beautiful snow field, passed the closed signs and down to the access road. Ski Patrol are never amused when closed signs are ignored and I should know the snow responsibility code by now, but here they said 'cool you made it down, just be careful on the snow covered creek, it's beginning to break up'.
A big hike up to Hamilton Peak in the bright spring sun and then the run down Hamilton Face. The top was in the shadow of the sun and was sheet ice and steep, this fortunately turned to perfect spring snow very quickly and we all had grins from ear to ear at the bottom.
Craigieburn and Broken River Ski field together form the largest off piste area in New Zealand. Another great day was spent exploring Broken River.
End of another Season
The snow boarding was awesome, the drinking and partying were in moderation, sometimes, and the women, well that's another story altogether.
The snow boarding was awesome, the drinking and partying were in moderation, sometimes, and the women, well that's another story altogether.
So where will it all end? I don't know, I plan my life around snowboarding, when can I do another season... I think passion has become obsession!
The winter crew (not all in the photo and in no particular order): Hame Dawg & Junko, Tim & Kazuha, Giles (Mr Bunkhouse), Shiba, Toby, Kazu, Mitsu, Kalvin, Andy, Mel, Iyo, Iyumi, Yukiko, Lisa, Kaulu, Yoshimi, Aiko, Antje, Sarah & Ellie in QT and probably a few others.... See you all next year!
