SNOEL'S BLOG

NZOIA Assessment #2

2008-10-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

Just had a great few days. On friday I climbed the Otira slide before the weekend crowed could get on it. On Saturday and Sunday I went as a model student on a NZOIA 2 Alpine Assessment weekend. We climbed five pitches up mt Temple and looked at various skills including horozontal handlines and avalanche transiever searches. On Monday, Tuesday I assissted Lincoln College Outdoor Ed. with rigging and running sessions on Rapaki Rock. And yesterday I took a client up Camp saddle and ascended pt 1550 before descending the ridge to the car at the bridge.
The above photos are from the various trips. Now I must turn my attentions to work and cleaning and sorting gear, as the house is looking like a disaster zone.

NZOIA Assessment

2008-10-22T13:17:00.001-07:00

Mountain Climbing at Arthur's Pass

2008-10-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today we went mountain Climbing at The Otira Valley. We took our own track. We named it Ruby's Chute. We walked up a long way in the snow and it was hard work. We had stops and we went to the top and Nick and Finn climbed up the rock on a rope. They also went down on the rope. Finn got his fingers very cold and cried. And we slid all the way back down until we got to the track. This was my second time mountain climbing, but my first time without the rain! Finn was the fastest. Nick carried the most stuff and I was the youngest and had the slidiest pants!!!!!!!(Blog by Ruby Bodkin Oien 8 years).

NZAC Trip to Mt Somers

2008-09-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

I just had a lovely weekend away with the NZAC crew. On Saturday afternoon we walked into Pinnicals hut which took about three and a half hours in heavy snow. It was quite cold, but the group worked extremely well together to make a fire, collect water and get the tea on. The group were Helena and Andy, John and Robyn and Josh plus myself.

Today we ascended Mt Somers from the saddle above pinnicals. Conditions were perfect all day with excellent views all the way to Mt Cook. The Ryolite rock was inviting and we were soon doing a bit of rock scrambling. Especially Josh and Helena who were both rock climbers. We then ascended to the summit and had some lunch on the top.

Coming down we couldn't resist a bit of ice climbing in a shady gully, just to test out some gear and to develop skills and confidence. This was followed by a longish walk out to the carpark.

I really enjoyed the trip and hope to take part in many more!

The photos are on the summit(there was still almost 2m of snow) and descending the ridge.

Rescue on Avalanche Peak

2008-09-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today I awoke to the sound of a helicopter landing on the LZ near home. Due to the early hour it could only mean a rescue, so I headed down.

Turns out a young overseas tramper slipped off the summit of avalanche peak about 150m down the slope to a basin and spent the night there. The only thing he did in his favour was set off the distress beacon he was carrying. When the heli picked him up he had travelled 350m from his pack, and on arrival at rescue HQ mentioned that he would quite like his pack and gear back!

As the Heli was returning to Greymouth, we had to walk up and retrieve the left behind gear.

The victims inexperience was obvious as the gear was spread in a large area suggestive of an agitated, or hypothermic state. I noted the victim had no obvious waterproof jacket, one of the first items he left behind in is wake was his woolly hat - so he had spent the night without those two very important items. There was a compas, but no map. He had dehydrated meals, but no snack food to keep him going. None of his gear was sealed in plastic bags, and was mostly cotton damp geans etc. He didn't have gloves, and lacerated his hands as a result of the fall.

Why did this guy persist in climbing a mountain without proper exquipment or experience - shear ignorance is all I can think.

His saving grace was the fact that the staff member at DoC spotted him as a DMW (dead man walking) and insisted on issuing him with a distress beacon, and in so doing probably saved his life. Secondly he didn't get too far from civilization before falling, so rescue was expedient and didn't require an extensive search. I understand the young man is going to have the fear of God put into him by our local cop, which is one of our cop's many talents!

No photos this time sorry.

Mt Temple Climb

2008-09-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

We had a bluebird day here in AP. My group went off to visit a West Coast attraction leaving me free to climb for the day, so I took the opportunity to do a little climb to the top of Mt Temple 1913m.

I walked up the track to Temple basin ski field, then skinned up to Temple col, where I changed to crampons, and headed up the ridge to the summit. The guide book says that you need to siddle west towards the skifield, but the snow was supportive over the Mingha side so I did that instead. The route required some interspursed rock and snow climbing, but generally flowed well at an easily manageble grade. Towards the top in the shade was very hard ice, so crampons only just bit in, but the exposure was only momentary. It was beautiful on the summit, with a straight forward descent.From the summit I skied out of the two obvious coliours; firstly, coming directly off the summit next to the large buttress, and then secondly, siddling left, down a wide chute running directly to the downhill lift shed. I had lunch there and then headed back up towards the summit of B'limit, but bailed near the summit, due to cloud cover coming in from the west.

The snow is disappearing at an alarming rate, as it always does in the warn NW rains that we have had earlier this week. I hope I get a chance to do the Phipps - Temple Travers, while it is still supportive!

Above are the usual photos of the day. Enjoy! I certainly did!

RedBull - Backcountry???

2008-09-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

I've put a link on my video list to the Redbull Backcountry Kicker Film- What the hell? You may ask yourself? Lets just think about this now. Oh! Now I get it - we're competing in the DARWIN AWARDS! But not only that, lets build a 30m kicker. Why? Cause we got a 30m sign that says redbull, oh and a helicopter too, and a snow mobile, oh, and a GROOMER! If the slopes is groomed can you still call it the "Backcountry' - er NO!

Lets not mention the RedBull mission to ski down Mt Cook, which they actually did, but then when they got in their helicopter to go home they put their TWENTY bags of rubbish out the door of the hut. Nice one. I wonder if RedBull have ever heard of leave no trace - I'm thinking a fat 'no' on that one.

My favourite part of the film is where Travis Rice says : 'I'm here, it's here, we gotta make this thing happen'.And then he lands on his ass - sums the whole show up for me. yup.

Still a small World here in NZ

2008-09-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we are reminded just how small NZ is. For example I was just checking the Teton AT blog when TV 1 rang me and asked me if it was windy here in Arthur's Pass, and if it was likely that any roofs would blow off! Ah no. Sorry. The orographic effect, or the effect of raising moist air over the mountains combines with a katabatic effect over the Canterbury plains to create increasingly higher winds as they travel towards the coast ie the hot dry NW ers that Canterbury is famous for.I suggested they try mid Canterbury ie Darfield.

Anyway, Rando steve has a good write up on his blog regarding the new Dynafits coming out with a DIN of 12. The whole reluctance thing with Dynafits, I think is mental. I've just had my first season on a pair of speedlites and they are perfect, however it did take me a while to get my head around a couple of mental factors:
(1) They are harder to put on. Yes, but after a while you get used to them and they are actually about the same as alpine bindings.
(2) The system fits better with ski touring. Ie you don't have to take skis off at the top, when it is least convenient, but do have to down the bottom, when you are either going to stop skiing, or put skins on for another lap.
(3) No breaks aren't a problem if you think about what you are doing and use the following system: Never have more than one ski off your foot at a time (unless stopping) keep your skins on your skis, if you are bootbacking them.

The weight they save make backcoutry travel more effective and efficient, and therefore safer in all regards. So brother and sister - I know you will read this. Get yourselves some Dynafits this season!

Back to life after Alpine One Assessment

2008-09-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well I had my alpine One assessment with the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association over last weekend. On thursday we had a general knowledge quiz which was quite fun. Then on Friday morning we headed off into the mountains to demonstrate our personal skills. Each candidate was given a navigation leg and told to travel to a particular location. We all managed this ok and ended up summiting MT Manson for the evenings activities which included a avalanche transciever search in the dark. On satuday we cut steps, climbed with crampons and made snow anchors. The technical skills were quite fun and I learned heaps about rope work, which will be quite handy here at AP. On Saturday we were each given a further Navigation Leg, and returned to our accomodation at the Cragieburn environmental centre. On Sunday we took out a group of students on a mountain experience day and taught them basic mountaineering skills while being assessed.

The whole experience was motivating and beneficial in terms of my learning and development as an alpine instructor. Our assessor was Dave Moore who currently works for the NZ Army.

The photo is from my Copland trip earlier in the year.

NZOIA Training Day

2008-09-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today Richie, Steve and I headed down to Broken River to Revise any last minute skills for our Alpine One assessment coming up this weekend. The day proved useful in fine tuning the smaller details. We mostly worked on snow anchors, avalanche safety and transciever searches, as well as some pitch climbing, step cutting and general Alpine chit chat.

On Friday I climbed a route on Goldney Ridge which involved a little snow and ridge travel, which surprisingly took me to summit on the ridge in 2 hours car to car (c2c). As far as loosness of rock and snow went the route had been stable for the past 24hours, and was not exposed to the sun like Broken River was today we saw quite a few wet slides over snow grass. The pack is disappearing rapidly.

Here is a photo of the boys managing a pitch with three on the rope!

Snow Stakes and ice screw practice

2008-09-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

Today I had a nice little group from a North Canterbury rural school. We walked the Dobson nature walk in the morning and learnt how to make emergency shelters in the afternoon. After work I shot up the Bealy valley to survey the damage left by the snow, and there is quite a lot of trees down and avalanches that have crossed the valley floor and gone up the other side of the valley. The river is still completely covered in some areas as you can see in the photo.

I'm feeling a little better today after having a bit of a fever over the last few days. I've been doing heaps of work for my alpine one, so apologies to everyone I haven't spoken to in a while!

Kea out of control!!!

2008-09-07T22:05:00.001-07:00

No blogs for a while now... Sorry must get back into it. So here is a photo from out the back of the lodge of Kea(Alpine parot) Damage. The birds have no problems eating through the plastic and are very smart, so no problems undoing the clip on lids of the bins. I took this photo to make a sign telling my groups not to leave their rubbish out the backdoor- I think it will work!

I had a couple of really fantasic family surprises this week. Firstly my dad sent me his memoirs which he recently published. They are a fantastic read and really well put together, so well done dad! And phew! no major revelations like... I prefer to wear womens clothes or have another family on the otherside of town. No, actually just pretty normal everyday guy stuff - So well done dad. My dad is pretty awesome actually. And the other thing was the kids rang on Fathers day for the first time ever! I even hear rumours of a card having been created! Thanks kids, can't wait to see you in the holidays!!!

Snowcraft instruction

2008-08-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-21T01:50:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2008-08-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

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?????

2008-08-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-16T01:17:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2008-08-15T03:37:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-08-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

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

A little more snow...!

2008-08-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

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???

2008-08-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

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!

Youtube video of Truck accident

2008-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a truck accident video that I attended as part of Arthur's Pass Rural Fire (I'm one of the yellow helmets in yellow overalls). The truck contained bitumen (180degrees), which was spread down the bank at the scene. Our role was mainly in communications between the site and the road, and clearing a track to transport the patient to the helecopter. The helecopter had to fly in under overhanging wires, and up the river valley to access this spot. It was extremely fortunate that St Johns just happened to be there and acted immediately.

Full credits to the guys who produced this video, I think they did an excellent job.

To view the video click on the link on the righthand side of the screen.

Temple Basin - Leader in Backcountry Education

2008-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Photo: Grant Guise and T- Roy Temple Basin 2007.
With a storm hitting the country its a good day for staying inside and writing my first Ski Field review.

I thought I'd start with somewhere I know well, which is my local skifield in Arthurs Pass - Temple Basin. You can find out all their info at www.templebasin.co.nz so there is little point in me repeating the info contained there, and I can get right in and give an honest INDEPENDENT review.Please note that as this is my first review, there are no comparisons available yet, so you may feel my ratings are a little unfair in isolation! This should change as subsequent reviews provide greater comparisons. Also, I have a strong tendancy towards backcountry use, so my reviews will probably reflect that a bit. My review is based on my impressions, and are simply my opinion and not a personal criticism of skifield staff.

So here goes. Firstly my ratings.10-outstanding 1-extremely poor.

10/10 Backcountry/Mountaineering. Not surprising I guess, but Temple basin is an absolute mecca for 'inbound' backcountry - meaning you can experience the solitude and isolation of the Southern alps, while your safety is assured by the ski patrol.(unless you choose to ignore them! Not reccommended!) Temple basin gives access to Mts Casidy, B'limit and Mt Phipps which are all excellent climbs of lower technical alpine skills (ice axe and crampon use). There are often Education courses run on backcountry skills such as Avalanche awareness, mountaineering skills and backcountry skiing clinics.If you are a fit and keen mountaineer than the road will not pose much of an issue. Accommodation is reasonable. At first I thought it was a bit expensive, but then you have to consider a few factors like freight, and running the goods lift, and balancing out good years and bad years. So yeah $60 is reasonable (includes meals).There is potential for greater growth into the Secondary Education sector.

8/10University Student/Backpacker
Temple basin also has a long association with the University of Canterbury and there is a University lodge on the mountain (of which I know very little, except its probably cheaper for the uni students to stay there). For a backpacker travelling alone temple basin is an excellent place to meet others in a friendly relaxed environment. You can self cater keeping the cost a bit lower and there is a student rate.

5/10 Overseas visitor
Ok there are a few factors here to consider. People expecting a 'ski resort' would be well advised to stick to Mt Hutt or Mt Cheeseman even. There you can park on the mountain and virtually ski from your car.You can also sit in the Cafe (cheeseman) and watch your kids playing in the snow. I've met many a bewildered tourist on the track surprised at how far up they had to walk! Gear is another issue here. You probably want the right kit, and often travellers don't have hats gloves and clothing to suit. Last week I met a lovely young lady in a mini skirt with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth! The walk up can take anywhere from about 45min continuous walking, to 2 hours depending on how much you need to stop. Larger groups tend to take longer too. Many of my groups of 30people take over two hours and you need to allow for that time in your day. The group need to stay together and keep an eye on each other. There is potential for harm to anyone wandering away from the track. The time factor may be an issue for travellers wanting a quick fix before they rush off to bungy jump off a stump.

3/10 Local Family
I'm assuming mum, Dad and a couple of kids. No! Don't do it! The kids wont appreciate that they were the youngest on the mountain - they just wont like it. The lodge itself is boring for them and it is not an atmosphere geared to younger kids. The cost factor wouldn't be worth it either, plus the lost time in the walk and loading/unloading the goods lift. Yes its a unique experience - something to look forward to when they are a lot older! My suggestion is to go to Porters or Cheeseman, where younger kids are welcome and can ski for free - a lot less stressful. In balance I have seen a few organised families who have planned and prepared for Temple well, and I'm sure those families would rate it a lot higher than my 3/10.

Cheapest/most expensive
Jetplains 20c, Bottle wine $29

The Good
The backcountry access under ski patrol advisory is outstanding. You can tour around the basin and ski fresh tracks all day, and not see another group. You can mix up a little climbing and skiing too, so that you have the best of both worlds.

Skiable terrain - there is something here for everyone. The majority of runs are intermediate to advanced with tight shutes, and some technical faces.

Another major bonus is the crowd factor - as in there just isn't one! There maybe ten others on the hill, rather than avoiding others (like you might at a big commercial field) you actually go looking for people to ski with. This is a major drawcard for anyone who has had a gutsfull of lines and crowded cafes - at temple you simply head into the lodge and make yourself a coffee.

Once in the lodge you are warm relaxed and comfortable in your own little mountain world - Really easy to relax and forget the stresses of everyday life.

The lodge is friendly and relaxed with good hearty food. The staff all have to work as a team to live and survive in their unique environment so there is often a bit of friendly banter going on. There is also the club factor, those really keen can join and extend their involvement longer term if desired. The downside is that there is the occasional club member who views customers as intruders, which is their problem.

One final, but critical factor is weather. Temple basin, as with all alpine fields has its fair share of bad weather. However the basin is located in a North Westerly facing basin, so often can be quite good in a Southerly, while everywhere elese in the Cragieburn range is pouring with rain Temple Basin can be lovely and sunny, so it defenetly pays to check whats happening with the weather. I've had some famtastic 'rainy' days at Temple, and I think if you live in an environment that get seven metres of rain a year- you just have to get out and do it anyway.

The Bad
Temple is all natural - which means no on piste skiing. You generally need to be of higher ability and fitness to ski the variable conditions than can exhist. When its good its great, but equally when its crusty, and you've committed your time to Temple you need to develop other interests apart from skiing. Also some years are good and some aren't and Temple may not even open for the season.

Another factor is the rope tows. Not my favourite way to get up the mountain in my opinion! I'm always worried about pulling the ropes off and getting my fingers and poles caught in them - something I frequently do when useing them! To me an adult lift ticket for $60 is too much for a rope tow.

Obviously the walk has its downside too, limiting for people with mobility issues etc.Walking down again dosen't take long, but can be pretty hazardus when icy. It is often a good idea to take your time and carry a headtorch and ski poles if attempting the road later in the day.

The Ugly
Temple Basin is on Conservation land. Every year they have to get a concession to operate there forcing them to work within DoC boundaries. The 'road' itself is not really considered to be a road, but gets used every year. Run off on the road has created some minor erosion in the area. The toilets are on septic tanks, so there is no water contamination. In general environmental impact is minimal, and besides what would the keas do if there was no Temple Lodge???

Perhaps the ugly are the ill informed who attempt the road ill-prepared,and go expecting 'something else' and are surprised not to find a french style resort village at the basin. However for the ski mountaineer, temple basin is their Shangriela!

So thats my first Ski Field Review. I welcome comments, and I hope people find it useful???? Please let me know.

New Zealand Ski field Review The Beginning

2008-07-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Today I ran the goods lift at Temple Basin, and then later in the afternoon skinned up to Temple Col. All day I chatted to friendly like minded people(most of whom I vaguely recognised). Then I skied down and dropped into the lodge to chat to folks about their day. I just thought to myself ; This is such a cool friendly happy place.

Then on the walk down I got to thinking of a dad and mum i'd met a couple of weeks back who were walking up the track with their six and eight year old girls. Dad was away ahead with the eight year old, who was crawling through the wind and blowing snow and NOT HAPPY. Mum was even worse off, left behind to encourage the weak and stumbling six year old. I helped out as much as I could, but the difference in experience got me thinking....

What if there was an INDEPENDENT review of what ski fields are really like? And what type of person would really enjoy which particular fields? So the idea was born... The New Zealand Ski Field Review ... By Snoel.

So what would this review have in it? Well, this got me thinking also. Whats the most important factor? Prices versus facilities? Lift ticket costs? Seasons passes? Discount rates for families, single adults and children's ages. For example as a family often it makes a huge difference costwise if under tens ski for free, as I found at Porters a couple of years ago I could take my three kids and only pay for myself (which I didn't cause I just skinned) So yeah the days we had there were free!(Thanks Uli).

As an Ex husband/ holiday dad/ partner to Julie / but often skiing alone/ I can view these skifields from a few different angles. For example for me Porters is great, cause you pay a $10 single ride lift ticket and ski the backcountry for the rest of the day. Whereas Julie loved the facilities at Coronet, cause they were friendly and chatted to her(while I was off skiing the backcountry)so for her facilities are more important. Also Ruby (my eight year old daughter) loved Cheeseman because they had a few really cheap lollies that she could afford with her pocket money. Often ski fields are too expensive for eight yearolds! (not cheeseman though - she skied for free and ate raspberry licorice until the money ran out!). I think back to my days in Southland skiing the fields in Queenstown - If i'd only known about how good clubfields were back then - !

And one last thing a review should have- the good, the bad and the ugly! Sounds like fun. So Snoels New Zealand Ski field Review!!!

What I thought I'd do is start with the five fields that are so close to me and work my way to the others as the opportunity arises. Watch this space!!!

Photo: Cadronna Backcountry

Life goes on..

2008-07-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple of great days skinning and skiing. Firstly after the race Grant, Jane and I headed up the tows at Porters and skied from pt1997 down into Crystal Valley. This is fantastic steep terrain where a bit of width under boot probably paid off (for a change). Then back up to the ridge and skied into the Goldney stream catchment for another 300m or so. Grant and Jane carried on and did a huge lap probably 500m, while I was content to do a shorter lap after the race.

Today Grant and I went searching for a hoodie he had left at Temple last year! No luck, but we did manage a couple of laps, then did a bit of a transceiver search, which proved useful revision (especially for me).

The photos are Grant and Jane above the Goldney catchment, and the 'blastshield' from the x wing sequence from star wars has found a new application!! That's me experimenting with a new stretching technique! But hey! I'm not wearing the race suit!

Porters speed up!

2008-07-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ok today was the first race of the SkiMonNZ 2008 series, and as predicted I came 5th. In balance there were some highs and lows during the race, but in general it was a fantastic experience.

Firstly it was great seeing everyone from the series last year with a few notable missing persons such as Gary McPherson (Queenstown). Everyone looked fit and well and ready for a fast race.

The course was three short laps. The longer first one was only 100m, then two laps of 85m, so it was going to be quick.

Right from the word 'go' we were off and running. Gena, Duncan then I all ran to the first skin track, then settled into that order for the first climb, although Duncan passed Gena going into the first transition, but then had a slower transition down the bottom, allowing Gena to re take the lead, and then I passed Duncan during the second lap (things were looking good at that stage, but not for long!). After the skiing down for the third lap I put my skins on for the last up hill and my right skin was frozen, and just wouldn't stick. I kept going, but the problem caused me to slip back, slow and then finally towards the top of the 85m lap I was reduced to taking my skis off and running! At that stage Tim, Duncan and another guy called Nigel flew by and I came in 5th.

It was all over for me in about 27minutes. Gena was impressive with really good consistent transitions and just heaps of power. He Lent me a race suit, which was pretty hilarious.

There are some photos of the race Taken by Grant on my camera

Training at Temple

2008-07-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

With the race coming up on Saturday I didn't want to do too much today. After work I headed up to Temple and did some laps at Casidy tow.

First off I set out a 100m vert skin track, and skied that.I also assessed the avalanche risk in the area as the patrollers had not opened it today. There had been a (class one) wet slide. The powder was just over ankle deep.Any activity was likely to be smaller sluffing, which had not occured on my first descent.

After that I wanted to see how i'd go in race conditions, so did my skin track three times, with five transitions. The first lap took 8mins! On the second lap I fell and had to take my glasses and put them into my jacket. so the second lap was completed in 21mins! So then the race was on as I wanted to complete the last lap in under 30mins. And I managed to finish in 29.30mins. Obviously with slight margins like that falling can cost a couple of minutes, so it is better to lose a few seconds on the down hill, and ski safely, rather than tumble and completely blow the race. Phew! Full on eh?

The good news is the transitions went well, and I sorted a few issues with gloves and whether to take off the up or down hill skin first when transitioning to down hill... I'm not going to tell yet! Don't want to give things away, but it makes a world of difference!

Things are looking fantastic at Temple too, with very few rocks showing. It was great to meet up with a few more of the locals up there too. Tim and Carena were up there and of course Ben is the manager. The photos are Ben doing important management type stuff, and the bridge to Casidy tow with new snow loading.As for training tomorrow- do I work on reducing my lap times, or do I start the rest process? Did I leave training too late???? Surely 3 days is plenty!

Training at Porters

2008-07-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

On Friday I headed down to Porters to check it out for the race this Saturday. I must say I like Porters. The staff are friendly to backcountry types like me, and there are lots of families enjoying the t bars that extend to the top of the mountain. The thing I tend to forget about the place is that its quite steep! That should make this first race a bit of a slog.The good news is we have a storm forecast to bring some snow this week, so (hopefully) it won't be too icy. Here are a couple of photos of the place. The t bar and the views.

Mt Aiken

2008-07-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

We still had some fairly stable weather here today, and not the rain as predicted. I took the opportunity to attend to work matters. I also had an unexpected visit from family which was pretty cool. Unfortunately I also learned that a friend had drowned in the Chathams. After this I needed to blow some cobwebs out so amped myself up on plenty of food and hit the trail. It was great to be away from the crowds, but also in walking distance from the house. I used a new pack today - a deuter AC snow lite. it has straps on the sides for skis, as you can see in the photos. The terran was pretty mellow, so I did some transition training.

Ski tour Cheeseman to Olympus

2008-07-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

Today I did a slightly longer tour for here. I decided to tour from cheeseman along the Cragieburns to Mt Olympus, which looks into another ski area. For company I had Tussock who wore his backpack containing rope and water. Conditions were pretty stable, and I checked in with the patroller at Cheeseman before leaving. The return trip as about 11km with approximately 1500m ascent once you count laps done. I had some good runs into the Ryton valley and also on the way back into Tarn basin. Unfortunately I didn't take enough food and I got rather tired on the way home -( low blood sugar levels, making me feel slow and a bit dizzy) point to remember for next time!And I'm glad I wasn't too far out in the back country.

Conditions were good although I stayed away from cornices, as there had been some activity on the lee SE side. Generally the skiing was better on the SE, and much of the NW was iced up. I needed crampons and ice axe a couple of times at higher points - Summiting Cheeseman(2031m) and then again Olympus (2094m).

All gear went well. It was frustrating at times as the snow conditions fluctuated between beautiful powder, wind accumulated drifts and bare ice. So skis kept having to come on and off, as did crampons, and some of it I just boot packed.I'm sure it could be done a lot faster than 5.5hours.

On the return trip it snowed a little, but generally visibility was good.The photos are me, Tussock at the top of the tows at Cheeseman, and terran at the top of the Ryton wich was great.

The Inside outside look at my house!

2008-07-16T03:18:00.000-07:00

Porter's Speed up is coming up!!!

2008-07-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

The first Ski mountaineering race of the season is approaching next Saturday. Between work and family stuff recently I haven't had all the time in the world to prepare, but it's good to have been out on the skis as much as I have! I'm a lot fitter than last year, but so is everyone else! I have better gear than last year... but again everyone who is keen on these races have upgraded to race set ups now so the front pack will be as competitive as ever.

The race formatt itself is a good introductory offer for new racers and also for the season. Basically its three short laps - so thats five transitions! Whoa boy! Its going to be a bloody great sprint out front with the faster competitors lapping the slower ones.

As for me, my down hill transition seems a lot faster now that my boots seem to be co operating after lamenting their performance. They seem to have adjusted their attitude and I got them working a lot faster to click down into ski mode. First time racing on Dynafit bindings too, so its going to be interesting. As for as a placing goes its hard to say... As long as I don't miss the race start ( like the 2007 Cragieburn!) Get lost (Ohau) or fall off the mountain (Cragieburn 2006)Things should be pretty sweet. I'm happy if my transitions go well with all the new gear. As far as a placing goes maybe top five????? Depending on who turns up of course!

Nic and Finn's Big Bunny Slope Air!!!!!

2008-07-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Finn doing a jump after just three days skiing. Good on you boys. You do your father proud. Love you heaps.Nic did a really good one too, but frustratingly it won't upload. Sorry Nic.

2008-07-10T00:35:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day of good weather for this storm cycle, so we made the most of Mt Cheeseman. Finn and Nick Skied the mountain, and Ruby had a lesson. I even managed to sneak away for a wee skin later in the afternoon with Grant and Gina, who drove down from Auckland yesterday (literally - and summited Ruapehu on the way!) Once Gina told me he had done a 2000km drive in Russia non- stop! Anyway we skinned from the top of the tows over towards Mt. Cheeseman, but then dropped into some tarns down a coliour along the way. Grant made a gutsy choice and was rewarded with a mixed bag of deep powder and ice while Gina and I took a less aggressive option, which was consistent heavy powder to the Tarns. A good short lap. We also bumped into Duncan Sheratte in the morning. He had driven up from Chch at 4 am to skin some powder and was returning to get some work done for the day!!! I hear a rumour Duncan has a blog now!!! Wow these SkiMo blogs are beginning to get popular!!! Photo: Gina and Grant before dropping off the ridge.

School holidays!!!

2008-07-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from the school holidays all taken at Cheeseman Skifield. The children are all a bit older, now and Finn and Nic are skiing the mountain. Ruby enjoys making friends on the bunny slopes. I managed to slip away for a few minutes for a little skin to the tops. Cheeseman is great for the kids.

My little girl is eight!

2008-07-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

School holidays and the children have arrived! The boys wasted no time in getting onto the skis. Tonight we had a special tea for Ruby's birthday - a candel light snow dinner followed by chocolate birthday cake and a few presents! Happy birthday Ruby!!!! Love Dad.

Er well... More Snow!!!!!

2008-07-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today I awoke to bluebird Sky's and no wind (as a gale was forecast) so I quickly packed a lunch and headed to Temple. It was their opening day today and the trail was already well blazed before I skinned up it. The snow was still powder and despite temperatures of minus two. Phew!

Temple was pumping - Great to see the tows going and folks shredding!!! I'm stoked for the staff, who work extra hard up there to make it all happen, along with all the volunteer effort that goes in!

For my part I checked in with patrol and then headed for more laps in Casidy's - I think about four in total in knee deep powder. After a break I headed up in variable conditions to Temple tow and then Page Shelter, which I was surprised to find occupied with the fire going! Its normally way colder than my fridge in there! The guys were working on downhill.

As for gear today I suffered the usual problems masses of compacted snow creates to boots and bindings -ie totally locked up. I'll reserve judgement, as my f1s did their 'i'm not going to lockdown for downhill thing' or came unstuck at that really critical turn. Very frustrating when you've worked so hard to get those turns! But then again maybe I'm expecting too much from them, after all they have been modified- and would probably have far less flex with their tongues back in them! I think I'll try that, and see how it works.

Here are a few photos from the day. The guy drinking paint is Ash.

More Snow YAHOOOOO!!!

2008-07-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today at lunchtime I skinned and skied State Highway 73 to the top of the Pass. The trick to this, as I have learned over the last couple of winters is to wait long enough so that there is 10-15cm coverage at least at the sides of the road. This should be enough to close the road to traffic, as was the case today. Then you need to get as high as you are going to go before the road crew bring up 'the big orange grader/grit spreader'. This machine totally stuffs the whole thing up and once it has been over the road a couple of times - all the snow is banked at the sides and it is full of gravel - killer on your skis! It is advisable also, when skiing down to just straight line the whole thing as there is no base for turning. With this knowledge it would be pretty cool to ski the viaduct!! Why not - provided the road is closed! That could be a great objective if the road is totally closed for a half a day.

More snow at Temple

2008-07-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

After work today I went and ran some laps at Casidy tow. There was about 10cm of fresh, so it was cool to be the first to rip it up! I think they are fixed to open this coming Saturday.

Another thing that happened today was I just caught the news about the Chinese Olympic Torch on Everest, and the controversy surrounding the expedition (I know that was 2.5 months ago!). At least it was Tibetan climbers who summited. For those who dont know ( probably no one) the Chinese closed the climbing season and posted snipers at camp two to stop protesters! Lethal force was apparently authorised! The media coverage was totally locked down, so all the coverage there was, is some happy smiley faces and about seven torches being waved. The irony is that it was cloudy, so apart from the thick jackets, you couldn't really tell it was the summit. The China's occupation of Tibet is so un justified! I'm looking forward to the Olympics as the ultimate sporting event on the planet, but China really need to give Tibet back (and pay rent). There is more on this on Graeme Kates site www.softrock.co.nz

Anyway back to Ski Mountaineering! I've been going over some gear modifications lately:

BOOTS

I've been having some lockdown issues with my F1s, which most people would be aware of. Basically to lock down into down hill mode you have to clean snow out of the groove and then push so hard your hand bruises. I sanded the groove for less resistance and this has helped. I might sand them a bit more, but I don't want them to become too loose either!!! It's frustrating as this issue is really slowing my down hill transitions. On the positive side I've saved a lot of weight on the f1s by taking out the tongue and disposing of the powerstrap. I also sawed off some of the sole, and replaced with a bit of closed cell foam. This system seemed to work well with my Lasers too.

SKINS

Here I've shortened them 20cm back from the ski end and Incorporated the 'Grant Guise' bottle cap and bungy cord attachment system. To use this I had to cut a groove into the tips of my skis. This system rocks! It is much easier to get on and off too. The skins now glide better with plenty of traction in 'normal' conditions.

POLES

Skate ski poles with new straps - quite long : about 140cm. They seem to give a lot more power from the upper body.

PACK

A deuter race pack with all the extras stripped off. I've added a loop and a bungy cord, so that it can carry skis on the bootpack. The system works really well.

Non of these modifications are original and all have mostly come from Grant Guise who in turn learned them through experience and from others. However the difference they make are incredible, as it doubles the distance you can do in a day. I used to feel absolutely stuffed after a day skinning and now it feels more like just going for a run. You can check out Grant's site at www.skimonz.co.nz

New Snow at Temple

2008-07-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

With the recent dump of snow I went skinning up at temple. Basically to the top of Temple tow, then up to the Tarns, then over to just below Mt. Casidy. Strong wind prevented me from summiting. The photos are the cairn above temple tow and the building from across the valley from under Casidy. The staff at Temple were extremely nice and Ben made me areal coffee, which I must say went down well. Temple Basin is just awesome for ski Mountaineering!!!!

2008-06-08T00:47:00.000-07:00

We had a little more snow over this weekend, so it was cool to be invited along with Grant and Jane at Mt Cheeseman Ski area by Peter and Sonia. While they groomed the slopes we went for a bit of a tour, and had a general looksie. Very Nice.

2008-06-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I ran in the Christchurch sbs Marathon 10k run. I came in 58th overall which worked out to be 26th in the open mens'. I was hoping to be in the first 50! It was an enjoyable and entertaining event, which I would be keen to do again. On the way down to town I stopped off in the Craigieburns for a wee ski!

2008-05-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

Couloir climbing in last years Temple race. (picture) Well the hills have a slight dusting of snow on them after this week... And I'm not too proud to say that I might just have to go ski a very small patch of snow on nervious knob or Hamiltons Peak tommorow on my way through to Chch.

Here's another from last year's Ruapehu Ripper.

2008-05-24T22:51:00.001-07:00

Did the Otira valley run today. 1h,5m just cruising.

Aaaahhh- Te Whanga Lagoon. C.I.

2008-05-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Today I went for a bike ride up to the top of the Pass and then a short run up the Otira valley to the bridge. It was only 4o mins of exercise, but I am sick of sitting around feeling sorry for myself with this flu. Here is a photo of the Otira Valley from the Bridge. It was cold today and we had some snow on the tops.I felt better after a bit of exercise and a session of yoga!

The Christchurch SBS marathon is only a week away! I'm hoping to be free of the cold for the starting line!

Last Winter

2008-05-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

This week I'm down with the flue, so having a bit of a rest. Here is a photo of some of the SkiMoNZ crew on the summit of Avalanche Peak. Looking forward to Winter..... Thats Grant Guise, Jane Harper and Gary Mc Pherson.

2008-05-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I went for a training run up Mt Bealy. Then descended the scree to the river bed.

2008-05-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

BLIND SPUR TRIP

Today I climbed Blind Spur and returned down the track on Bealy Spur. The distance was about 24.5K, walking it took just over 8 hours. Pictured is the gorge where the walk began.

These shots here are in the bush on the way up following good animal tracks. Then blind Spur, and finally the view from Pt1907, Mt Rolleston.

2008-05-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a training run. Being Friday, and actually having to work most of this week (ie four days) I thought I should take things pretty easy, so set off up the Bridal Veil track, and continued up to the Temple Basin Car park, then headed up the Dobson Nature walk, continuing over the morain wall into the Otira Valley, then headed down the road to return to Arthur's Pass in 1h,8m. Looking at the map that's 10.3K but not a huge vertical gain, although the track undulates a bit. It would be a good trip when things are snowbound higher.

The picture is of the bealy Valley, with the Otira Valley on the right. Thats Mt Rolleston.

2008-05-07T02:57:00.001-07:00

A few photos from my files over the years...

This was at my first Randonee Race in 2005, Temple Basin.

Thats Cook over there, taken on the way up to Mt Sealy.

The Top Hut on Bealy Spur, Arthur's Pass.