Snowcraft instruction

My group this week learning about dressing with layers, keeping hands and feet dry and walking and playing in the snow.

A week of breaking trail

Sorry not many posts lately. This week has been a huge week workwise, as most of our walks have been under thigh deep snow, so there has been lots of breaking trail, trimming fallen trees and cold feet! So time for a bit of a break in town.

Alpine skills training

I've just had a great weekend. On Friday night Grant and Jane came off the hill and I cooked dinner. We were also joined by an old mate from Hanmer - Richie Hunter, and another friend Morgan from the village - so yeah a very social evening for me!

Richie and I ran the Goods lift at Temple on Saturday in exchange for accommodation that night. we then headed up the hill and spent the greater part of the weekend updating some Alpine skills.

Our priority was avalanche transiever searches. We both set a goal of finding the beacon in under two minutes in a 20x20m area. It was good to get the practice in and use the expensive machines that spend a lot of time sitting around doing nothing! We both found that we could find the beacon signal quickly, then do a probe search, which could take a bit longer especially if the beacon was on a steep slope. Generally we were getting it in two - three minutes with a few shockers to begin with. Obviously the more you practice the better you get. We decided we'd done ok, but both needed some more practice.

We also attempted some snow anchors. The snow compactability was very low- we couldn't make a snow ball, but for the sake of science we attempted some snow bollards. (see photo above) they failed in short order. we then dug t - slot anchors with v stakes and they failed quickly too. Then I attempted a deadman anchor while Richie put in an upright mid clip which is reportedly the best anchor in all conditions. We tried the deadman first and it held, but with significant 'settling', we then tried the mid clip and surprisingly it held remarkably well.We tried a few more attempts and found that the mid clip depended on good compaction and careful placement. This was a bit of a surprise to me as I'd always considered on t -slot to be better. This experience changed my mind for various reasons.

We also did some lowers and raises, plus climbing sequences which were good practice for me. Today we attempted a stomper belay which i've had problems with in the past. We learned that you need to watch the climber carefully and bend your knees to add to the dynamics of the system, in doing that we felt that they were quite successful as a 'dynamic' anchor, and we gained confidence through practice. We also tried confidence roping which was a new skill for me, so thanks Richie!

All in all it was a very rewarding session, and I felt we got a lot out of it. I have some skills to work on, but am far more focused on what needs practice. We both have an instructors assessment coming up in September.I really appreciate the generosity of the staff at Temple Basin for putting up with us, as well as Arthur's Pass Search and Rescue for their support.

We both skied down from temple - the only skiing all weekend. The snow is starting to melt and the ground it a lot more vegetated than last week. I'm glad I skied the lines on Goldney I was able to when it was so good, as it may not be that good again until the next huge dump of snow!

The Toffee Pops Moosie Story

Shot from Temple looking over to Avalanche peak.


Today I did make scones which was just as well, as I needed the energy to dig the 50cm of snow off the driveway just in time for the roading contractor to show up with his bulldozer/loader, and finished the job in two minutes flat - and then ran over one of the posts of the new fence. Its funny how life just seems to balance out huh?

Anyway the other thing that happened today was that I made soup. I tried a new mix which consisted mostly of onions and carrots- so lets just say it's bigfoots lucky night - he has a bowl waiting for him on the porch. I think it's time for some online supermarket browsing, as I'm running out of food.

I mentioned my food issues to Julie and she said that she had just seen an ad. for toffee pops(chocolate biscuits) on tv. It took a while for me to realise the significance of this - but of course it was because of Toffee pops that we met!!!

This happened - Years ago in Invercargill when I was shopping for groceries and there in the cookie isle was this fantastic tall slim blonde girl holding the only packet of toffee pops. Then she put them back on the shelf. As that was just what I was after I put the packet in my basket. Then she says:
"I think I've changed my mind, can I have those back?"
So then anyway we then had this big conversation about whether if you touch the packet first then you are more entitled to change your mind sort of thing...

We then got to talking and it turns out we went to the same school, and got talking about teachers we had. She ended up buying the toffee pops, but we met for coffee the next day and then kept meeting for coffee until we were hanging out with each other all the time.

So yeah thats the Toffee Pops Moosie story.

DNA tests prove possum is actually bigfoot!!!!!

Dude! Like whoa man. These guys out in California found a heap of fur and guts an stuff, so like any God fearing full blooded swear allegance to the flag watchers of CSI they did a DNA test on it to determine that it was 96% possum!!!!!!

Whoa man - think about that! That means - according to the Californians - you heard it here first - that there is a 4% chance that my possum is actually bigfoot!!!!
My God. I better put the jug on, cause surely the scientists down at the University of Canterbury are going to stop chasing the Cragieburn Jaguar and come up to hunt for Bigfoot. And I have the photo evedence to prove it right here on the blog!!!!! Right dude. Into action - I'm off to bake some scones!! this is going to be bigger than Paddy's Moa!!!!!!!!!

Possum Visitor

This possum likes kiwi fruit which is pretty good for an Australian. He keeps trying to climb the aluminium window frames and seems to want to get in the house.

Other frequent visitors to my front porch include the bush robin, and Tom tits and occasional rifleman. The keas like playing with my flower pots which are now there only for them to move around. Of course there are the mice!!! Who don't seem to be around at the moment, but come summer they can be awefully friendly!

Putting the Mo back into SkiMo

Yep. Skied Goldney Ridge to about 1548m. It was great to be away from crowds and up higher in the mountains. I did need my ice axe and crampons to ascend the ridge above the chute.Doing some proper ski Mountaineering for a change. The terrain at the top was pretty mellow with some cornices. It was great to ski this ridge as it is so prominant to Arthur's Pass.

I know some folks were a little concerned about avalanche conditions today which were posted as 'considerable'.I guess you know who your friends are if they arn't afraid to tell you when they think you are going wrong. So thats cool with me.

As far as avalanche assessment goes I dug three pits ascending the ridge one at the bottom, midway and the top. This indicated that the pack had consolidated considerably (moderate shear). The terrain was scrub, rocks and scree.Lower angled (apart from at the top). The aspect was mostly Westerly, but also there was a wall to the north providing shade to the chute. I noted no activity in the area, but noted some sluffing on NW slopes and a massive slab on the Goldney glacier (much higher and steeper. In skinning the chute I noted nothing suspicious - ski cutting produced only minor sluffs on steeper ground. With these factors I was confident to ascend the chute rather than what would have been safer terrain out on a ridge. That way I could also assess the snow I'd be skiing on the way down.

There is no simple right and wrong with avalanches, so it is not a matter of being right or wrong. But making assessments based on experience and knowldge of Terrain, stability and the people factor. Today, given the factors mentioned above I think I did ok. I skied the chute without incident which was awesome. It will probably be another 15 years before it is skiable again. I'm also glad I didn't just stay at home because the avalanche conditions for the entire mountain range were posted as 'considerable'. I hope people give me a little more credit than that! You had to be there to make the choice, and not assess it from a distance too.

Anyway have a look at the photos - enjoy. I also welcome comments if anyone wants to add to that?????

Skiing Goldney Ridge Chute

Today the Southerly came through, and typically cleared the skys over the pass. I took to opportunity to get out and hike up to Temple Car park. When I got there I checked conditions and they seemed pretty solid. The pack has consolidated a little more and there were mostly class one sluffs on NW Aspects. Then I spotted a wide open chute at the end of the Goldney Ridge that was just asking to be skied. So why not! Above are some photos of that, plus after that I skinned to above the first goods lift tower and skied that. That side of the valley was a lot softer.

It was great to really be putting the SR8s through their paces in consistent powder conditions. After a few turns I really got the hang of them. Shovelling snow for seven days has to have some rewards!!!!!

Ski touring in the Valley

Today I asked Morgan to come over and help me shift snow off the roof. I really appreciated the help as I must say its been a never ending job. I managed to watch some rugby at the Wobbly and then helped Tim run the goods lift for Temple. Tim is in the photo above.

Later in the afternoon I even managed to get out on my skis. Some guys (one was John Pascoe) were doing an extended figure of eight in the bealy valley. Once the track was in it was pretty easy going. Then I figured it was pretty packed down under the trees, so I skinned up the Bridal Veil track. I put my helmet on for that bit! I got as far as the bridge over the Bridal Veil stream, so used that as an escape route! It was kind of a different experience wading out the creek in skiboots pushing through chest deep snow, but it was an effective 'out' to the journey. I then skinned to daisy flat and then walked down the road. It kind of felt like Man vs Wild only 10 mins from home which was nice!

Why Snoel's blog?????

Photo looking towards the highway from my house roof.

With over 50 blogs on Snoel's blog now a couple of people have asked why 'snoel's blog? There is a bit of a story to this which is probably(only just) worth telling.

This might take a while, so get yourself a coffee, or tea before you read further.

Ok. so now that your settled in for the long version - Here it is.

A few years back after leaving my teaching job in Invercargill my partner Julie got herself a job at the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools. I soon found work as a life guard there too and also started instructing in the Outdoors, as that seemed to fit my skill set, and it wasn't teaching!

Anyway, the work was flexible and I became increasingly interested in developing my skills as an outdoor instructor. This meant I could take off for the hills on a regular basis and many of the Mountains around the Lewis Pass and Molsworth area got climbed and skied during that time.

Occasionally I'd get a bit of a break in the schedule, long enough for an extended trip to somewhere a bit different, provided that I could scrape up enough cash to cover the rent, petrol and food, while I was away.

So this one time I went on a solo trip to the Annette Ice platue on the Muller range during January.It was a great trip with an extended settled weather window and I skied corn, climbed Mt Sealy and slept under the stars for a good few days.

As time was running out I returned to Mt. Cook and contemplated the drive back to Hanmer. As usual the gas tank was pretty near empty, so I needed to find someone to share the cost of petrol at least as far as Christchurch. As I was sitting there contemplating my predicament, along came Camel.

Camel was from the Check(sp?) republic and was walking out of the white horse campground and (in broken English)asked me if I was going to Christchurch? This seemed too good to be true so I just played along and said that I could be persuaded to head away from the hills early, provided that he was prepared to pay for the gas. Camel thought about it for a while, and must of worked out that it was still cheaper than the bus, so said 'ok' as long as we could stop to swim in the lake on the way through.
'Sure no problem. hop in!'

So we're driving out of Mt Cook and I say to him : 'by the way, my name's Noel'. And he says: 'Snoel? Why you called Snoel?'
No, no my name's Noel.
'Yes, yes Snoel I hear you first time!'
So by this stage I'm just happy that my plans have worked out and I'm happy to be heading home, so I'm past correcting him repeatedly every time he calls me Snoel. I also figured he already has a funny name anyway 'Camel'!!!!

It turns out that Camel is a really nice bloke. We get to chatting and I tell him about life in Hanmer Springs. So he swims in the lake and we fill the tank in Tekapo. Eventually I drop him off in Christchurch and head back to the life in Hanmer.

A few weeks later I'm doing my lifeguard cool dude impersonation routine, by the pool in Hanmer, and one of the other lifeguards heads over to me and says:' There's a guy, calls himself 'Camel' is at the front office asking if there is a 'Snoel' here. That's not you is it?'
'Er yeah could be....'

So there it is. That plus the fact that I do like to play in the snow has cemented my nick name 'Snoel'.

Snow photos

Jack's Hut with over a metre of snow on the roof!

I like this photo. Taken while clearing the roof of my house.

more SNOW!!!!!

Just a few more photos of the day. The road East was closed by a class 2 avalanche, while the road West was just thick snow. It's still snowing by the way!!!!

Big snow gets BIGGER!!!

Its funny how sometimes nature just takes over and you are reminded how small and insignificant you really are. Its also funny too how it takes our minds a little time to adjust to the reality of the situation we are currently in!!! For the last few days it snowed. That was great except it didn't stop! And actually still hasn't. To the point where we have just on a metre of snow on the ground. In my experience over the last two winters in Arthur's Pass it normally snows for a couple of days, and then clears, only this time it didn't! And just kept snowing all week.

The school group I had were unable to use the road so we sent them out via rail this morning with a few parents remaining hoping to get out tomorrow. It now looks as if they will be taking the train as well, as it may take days before the snow is clear. The grader kept grading snow to the sides of the road until it banked up so much it has nowhere to go! So all that can be done is to wait until it stops snowing!

Moving around becomes difficult as you need to wear waterproof clothing to walk or swim through the banks. You have to dig out paths and the roof in case it collapses with the weight of tons of snow! Even skiing isn't the easiest way to get around!! My thoghts are with the cat at the wobbly kea - i think the novelty is wearing off!

Who said anything about work?

Recent work photos. I think these present a pretty convincing argument that alpine skills are relevant to the position!

A little more snow...!

We have had a couple of huge snow days here in Arthur's Pass with over 80cm of new snow at higher elevations. Tonight I went and had dinner at Temple basin, just to check it out and to get out on the skis after work. I was able to skin and ski the entire track, plus had a lovely tea (thanks to the staff) Skiing down in the dark was quite fun, but probably best not recommended. I still managed to ascend to the lodge in 56 minutes, which given the conditions wasn't too bad.

The photo is Alexis and a guy we met - Huge Logan (with Dynafits) from Chch.

Weekend at Rainbow

Today is my birthday! A fact I'd forgotten, until i got a txt telling me so. So thanks Julie! Love you too.

Anyway Rainbow was a great weekend. St Arnaud is a really cool little village much like Arthur's Pass, with a bit more of a warmer and dryer climate as I noticed a lot of silver beech on northern aspects.

The race on Saturday was a fun little event with about seventeen competitors. There was a downhill start for about 100m, and then a transition into uphill, then a climb for about 400m to a down hill transition leading into a bootpack - and then i got lost! Duncan was ahead of me then Gena and Grant and Jane was somewhere out in front too.I'm pretty bumbed that I posted a DNF. I need to get my vision issues sorted before I contemplate another race.That night Gillian's parents hosted us for a pot luck tea which was very nice. Gillian's dad Bob has had a lot to do with Rainbow ski field over the years and it is a lovely field (may do a review!).It was great to see a few folks from the race the previous year too.

Alexis and I went touring to Roberts Ridge on the Sunday which turned into a very memorable adventure, as we met a group of people from Vanuatu who were experiencing snow for the first time (and mountains I guess!) they were totally stoked and it sort of reminded us how great the alpine environment can be. We basically traversed the ridge of the old skifield, and then skied down to the old skifield huts where we met up with a group from Nelson Girls High. One of their guides recognised Alexis from previous adventures and allowed us to sit in the hut for a while to have some lunch. The hut is awesome! It contains a ski museum with gear going back 60 years.We descended the track to the sounds of traditional Vanuatuain songs!

Above are just a few photos from the day.

Snowcraft skills at Temple

The is one of the students from Cust learning the snowcraft skills of walking in snow and using an iceaxe. The rope is 'belayed' on an italian hitch to a deadman(anchor), as the snow compactability was zero. The rope was more of a raise than a belay, and considered a third point of contact(first two being feet and axe). Also note the run off slope.The children enjoyed their visit to Temple basin.

Cheeseman A skifield for Everyone???

Ok as its a bit of a boring Sunday afternoon, I thought I'd push on with my Ski Field reviews. As I've visited Mt Cheeseman a bit recently I think that would be my next best Ski Field to review.

So. First up all the lowdown is at:www.mtcheeseman.com, so again no point in me repeating any of that. So Now I can give the place what I hope to be a fair and INDEPENDENT review.(again my review is simply my own impressions, and is in no way intended as a criticism of ski field staff. Its just how things are as I see it).

My Ratings again - 10 outstanding, 1 very poor.

10/10 local families
For families Mt Cheeseman is stress free and cheap. Ok firstly the learners area is right outside the Cafe, so you don't have far to go, and the kids can easily come and go as they please. The day lodge is spacious, sunny and tidy with plenty of tables and cubby holes to store gear. Its nice too that the lodge faces the mountain, so that you can easily watch the kids coming down or playing in the snow. My eight yearold played just off to the left of the learners area, which was great as I could keep an eye on her. The big plus is that children ten and under ski for free, and there is also a moderate Junior rate for children over that age,which is reasonable. I think it cost Nick (13) $23 for a half day.You can drive to the lodge. There is a drop zone at the lodge, then you go down the road a bit to park the car, but it doesn't take long to walk back up. I recommend containerisation in plastic bins for gear and food. There is also free hot water in the lodge for drinks (which is good, better than NZSKI.COM 50c for hot water!). The terrain on the mountain too is pretty mellow, so it is better suited to independent exploration for the older ones who are capable. The learners tow is a rope tow, which is not my favourite, but the slope is well appointed, so the kids handle it pretty well.But parents can expect a few spills before their children totally master it, so they do need some hands on assistance to start with. Once the children graduate onto the T-bar again you need to ride up behind them, as they are probably going to fall off half way up a few times to begin with. Cat -tracks offer an easier alternative descent. Lessons are cheap too. I paid $20 for little madam to have a lesson, which turned out to be almost a one on one, and boy! did that instructor work! He pretty much earned himself a Nobel peace prize, as well as his $20! The accommodation - snowline lodge is well suited to children, although I haven't experienced that yet.

9/10 Backcountry/Mountaineering
Now, I found this a bit of a surprise! But Mt Cheeseman is absolutely fantastic for those wishing to gain access to the backcountry. Firstly being not too steep, its not too hard to skin up the cat-tracks to the top of ridge tow. From there you can walk or skin out to the top of Mt Cockayne easily, then ski/ride fresh tracks. For those wanting to go outside the ski area boundary - check in with the patrollers , then you can either head north toward Broken River, or South towards Mt Cheeseman itself. Heading south the first basin over the back is tarn basin and offers outstanding 300 - 500m runs. You can also ski over the ridge into the western slopes, and there are a few bowls offering steeper terrain. There aren't a lot of technical chutes, or 'extreme' terrain, but there are a few if you go looking. Longer tours can be planned heading towards BR, or Mt Olympus. I recommend James Brodbents guidebook for this- Baccountry skiing in NZ.I rate Temple slightly higher because it has more peaks, and technical ice climbing and mountaineering, opportunities. To be honest I considered giving a crap review and keeping this to myself!

6/10 Overseas visitor
Mt Cheeseman is a solid little club field offering good service to families.If you were a family travelling in NZ I would strongly recommend it. However for visitors not travelling with kids, you may want to avoid it for the same reason! Or if you were looking for a 'resort', 'adventure'0r 'extreme'or even 'club field-cool' then you would probably be better served going elsewhere! However cheeseman dose offer stunning views, and is normally not that crowded, so you could do worse!

3/10 University Student/Backpacker
I don't think this will come as a big surprise! Cheeseman dose have good rates for students. Those simply wanting to learn to ski cheaply, and don't mind being followed around by a bunch of ten year olds would probably rate this higher.

The Good
$60 adult rate for T- Bars is pretty good value for money. When skiing at Mt Cheeseman you can get more runs in than when skiing rope tows (don't get me started). The terrain is mostly nice and easy skiing with a few areas that are more challenging. There are really good rates for half day skiing which I think is great especially if you are trying to support the kids in the morning, then you can maybe ski in the afternoon, take turns etc.

Whoever designed the lodge did a good job. Its sunny warm and seems to function well in terms the operation of the ski field. The Cafe isn't that expensive, and they do a few normal things like toasted sandwhices. Its good that it faces the mountain too.

I haven't stayed overnight at snowline lodge but I have wandered through. I like the Kitchen-living area, and there seem to be a few games and things around for people to do.For a child it must be a mystical sort of place, as it twists and turns, and seems like it must be full of secret rooms! There is also a forest lodge which I have stayed in a couple of years ago, and I think the rates are better, as it is at the base of the mountain. You can stay there in the summer too, as there is actually lots to do in the area - walks, fishing,caving,Mt biking, bouldering etc.

For those wanting to extend their involvement in the field there is always membership of the club, which I could imagine would be attractive for those living in the Castle Hill area.

Being centrally located in the Cragieburns Mt Cheeseman is 2km down the rd from the settlement of Castle hill, so is the local field for that community, who strike me as a nice bunch of motivated professionals with a passion for the mountains. The drive must take just over 90mins from Christchurch, so not the closest field, but definitely worth the extra time for the benefits.

Mt cheeseman has a snow cat, so the runs are groomed every night, which is great for those who like to ski on piste, and frankly- I think thats a huge bonus for the place, as often the Craigieburns conditions can be 'variable' at least if your going to buy a lift ticket you are guaranteed some reasonable runs on groom tracks.


The Bad
If your a jibber looking for that cool scene -nah.Cheeseman to me seems to be all about families and kids, and pretty mellow laid back skiing, more on the fun side than 'extreme' or 'adventurous'.So no half pipes.

Being on more of an open face than some of the other Craigieburn fields I could imagine there is less wind protection on the field on really windy days. And I think it would get the majority of bad weather from a Southerly direction, however it may be clear in a North Westerly (worth checking).

As a craigieburn field Cheeseman is subject to our fickle weather, and may suffer the odd short or disappointing season.

The road can be pretty steep and in wet conditions can be both muddy and icy. I would recommend that chains always be carried, and used when indicated by the ski field staff.

The ugly
The ugly can be a deceptive beast! Here I think the ugly is unsupervised children riding out of control, or beyond their limits without their parents knowledge. Mt Cheeseman is still an alpine environment and children and heavy machinery are never a good mix. Kids should either ski with their parents or under supervision, regularly checking in with someone, so they don't go beyond their limits.

The ill informed. Skiing with kids and teaching kids to ski is hard work and that's why we have ski instructors. Its not worth a family melt down because you took an instructors course twenty years ago to try and teach them to ski yourself. The lessons are cheap at cheeseman, and the kids will learn far quicker with someone else!!

Skiing is tiring for kids.My kids love to ski, so when we have a day of skiing coming up they will go off to bed an hour early quite happily the night before. They are also all responsible for their own equipment.

Full priced gear for kids is ugly. Look for the second hand cash converter summer sales ($20 skis $20 boots), and buy the ski suits from Dress Smart. We have a retro collection of ski suits to rival any 80's ski weekend!

Buying all your food from the cafe can hurt! We pack a lunch allowing for a bit extra as everyone gets hungry on the mountain. I buy a few coffees and Mt Cheeseman has a few low priced lollies for the kids. It can be a bit cheaper and healthier doing it that way.

Ok. well that's the review. Mt cheeseman is a fantastic place for skiing with children and learners and surprisingly has excellent central access for ski touring the Cragieburn range.

I hope you find the review useful and I do welcome any comments.

New Dynafit SR 8s

Today I tried out a new set of skis from Dynafit. They are SR 8s 160cm, 93,67,83 with speedlight toe pieces, and low tech heal pieces. Their combined total weight is 2kg. They are fast light ski running/ racing skis, and with this in mind they ski extremely well.

As far as Dynafit goes, I guess I'm a total convert! I prefer the light and fast approach to ski mountaineering, so I guess in those terms these skis suit my needs extremely well. They do the job they were designed for which is just what I wanted.

So anyway to prove how good they were (to myself) I strapped them to my back and ran/ skinned up Bealy spur to pt 1584m. So that's about 1000m in elevation and 16.4km in distance. It took 4 hours, which was a while, but I came back feeling as if i'd been for an equivalent mountain run.

I was hoping to get up to pt 1907m. But the visibility was so poor at times it was getting hard to see which side of the ridge I was on, so I thought it prudent to leave that for another day.

Photos: The skis and the ridge.

Mt Cheeseman Race Clinic

Today I attended the Mt Cheeseman Race clinic Run by Grant Guise and Jane Harper. We worked on our transitions and went for a bit of a tour into Tarn Basin and then out to the wild west for a long lap. Bit tired to write too much, so here are a few photos from the day. Thanks everyone - really enjoyed your company today. Duncan, Kathy, Gillian, Tim,Grant and Jane.

My thanks to Grant and Jane for giving up one of their days off to run the clinic, and also thanks to Cheeseman for hosting the clinic and allowing uphillers onto their slopes!!

(I added this bit in later) As we were working on transitions, and we can all improve on these, I got to thinking 'how fast' should they be, so I watched some Skimo.org TV and timed their transitions ( I know, I missed the Rugby). So here goes: Skins off around 20-25 seconds. Skins on 40-45 seconds. I picked up a few tips during the day which will shave a few seconds on that time, so that plus the tour made it an awesome day.Incidentally, who has the fastest skin transition vlog? Rando Steve:55 seconds(while talking). Grant Guise 41 seconds. However --- The winner is--- Pierre Gignoux his 'repotage' is 40 seconds, and looks like he's going really slow!