Treble Cone seems to be a place I only go to once it is closed for the season. Being so close to Wanaka and the biggest resort on the South Island it pulls in a lot of people. If it’s a powder day you can expect that number to double. From my one previous experience we had two good powder laps before the place was tracked out. So when snow arrived in late November and I had a few days left on my trip it was time to give the place another chance.
Southern Alps
Back to the Club Field Culture NZ
After a successful trip to Australia I was landing in Christchurch New Zealand. One it town I got my gear situated and picked up my Licence to Chill pass so I would have access to the club fields. It was the beginning of September and I was on a 3 month stint climbing and exploring the backcountry.
Exploring the Treble Cone Backcountry
I started my 2017 season doing the traditional renting a Juicy Van and driving around and locals yell at you type of trip. There were two reasons for this, One you can camp wherever you want and two you get free tickets to Treble Cone ski resort. Though to some it may seem like a waste I used to my ticket to go ski touring in the Treble Cone Backcountry with my friend Lorenzo Rieg.
I’ve known Lorenzo for a few years taking a trip with him to Norway as well as a week long trip in his home of Innsbruck Austria and he just so happened to be in Wanaka New Zealand.
Hope Lake in the Otago Backcountry
In 2017 I found myself back in New Zealand and ready to go on some new adventures. I had gone down on a trip with my wife and after a month of tourist based activities it was time to get back out in the backcountry. My friend Adam came up with a plan to do a heli accessed mission to Hope Lake in the Otago Backcountry. Once dropped off we would set up a tent and ride some lines in the area.
A Quick Stop in the Remarkables
With the snowpack returning it was time to head south into the Otago Country. Wiggles and I took a bus down to the Queenstown area where we met up with Adam Flemming. We made our way up to the local ski hill for a backcountry ski tour in the Remarkables.
Powder day at Cragieburn Valley Ski Area
When everybody had given up on the season the snow finally started falling and with over 30cms of powder. We were off to the Craigieburn Range for my one and only time riding Craigieburn Valley ski area this season. Huge thanks to Licence to Chill for helping get access to this gem of a resort.
Cragieburn Traverse 2014
Damian was kind enough to drop me off at the airport after our trip in Mount Cook National Park. While in Christchurch I waited for John Blankenstein to arrive from Australia before meeting up with Chris Rayner and Wiggles. We stocked up for a overnight trip attempting the Cragieburn traverse. It would be around 30kms and 10,000 vert going past 4 ski fields with an overnight stay at Mt. Olympus.
Temple Peak at the Temple Basin Splitboard Festival
We arrived to Temple Basin ski area while the rain washed away most of the snow. A group of 50 other skiers and snowboarders waited in the hut for the weather to clear. On Sunday it finally happened so it was time to go Splitboarding at the Splitboard festival. Ryan Nicols and I decided to go on a quick mission to summit Temple Peak.
Dire snow as we Head to the Crystal Bowl in Porters Ski Area Backcountry
Conditions were pretty dire all around New Zealand without any precipitation for two weeks. Wondering what to do we started looking over the maps. It was decided to head into Porters ski areas backcountry focusing on the Crystal Bowl in hopes of finding something fun and edgeable. With the temps being so warm the snow pack was melting away making me wonder if the ski season was over with.
