Mt Olympus to Cheeseman ski field is a suitably popular backcountry ski route, and is close to Christchurch. There are many good touring options in easy to moderate terrain. We did this tour starting at Mt Olympus, (after a good night of partying at the Olympus lodge) and heading to Cheeseman, but it can also…
Tag: Easy ski tour
Mt Cross from Haast Pass, backcountry ski touring with a little bush bashing..
Writing and photos by Daniel Clearwater – skied early June 2018 There we were, about to ski off a named summit on the main divide; where else in NZ can you do that without a helicopter, in a day trip? It had been grey and miserable for more than a week now. We should have…
Ohau Peak
Ohau peak offers an easy ski tour and ascent. The snow line fluctuates throughout the winter, so one could assume a fair amount of tramping or mountain biking will be required tog get to the snow line. View Larger Topographic Map Access via Quailburn track or Tarnbrae track.
Camp Stream from Roundhill ski field -Two Thumb Range
Once or twice a winter, a strong Easterly or South Easterly front pushes snow into the McKenzie Basin. Snow falls to low levels, often affecting SH8, and leaves Mt Cook Village and Tekapo township with 20cm of snow on the ground. When this event happens it is time to head into the Two Thumb Range. …
Garvie Mountains – Blue Lake Huts – Backcountry ski tour
Here is a five star ski tour in the Garvie Mountains, SE of Queenstown. The Blue Lake Huts makes a wonderful base from which to explore from. The terrain has something for everyone; steeps, rolling ridges, bluffs, lakes, chute, ice climbing. Note – this is on private land and permission is required before proceeding. View…
Ahuriri Valley, back country ski tour – Huxley Range
Early in the winter season there is often a wintry blast that comes in from the south west, drops a good layer of snow down low in the Mackenzie Basin, and into the Ahuriri Valley. In early July 2015 we managed to sneak a ski tour in, skinning up from the Birchwood road , via…
Old Man Range – Nicholsons Hut
Another ski tour option for the Old Man Range is to carry on over the summit ridge and then down to the Nicholson Hut. As reported to skitouring.co.nz …I thought I’d drop few pics of the next basin over to add to the trip. For some reason it stays really sheltered from the wind and…
Old Man Range – An early season tour – great introduction to touring
It seems every Autumn we get an early season blast of cold weather, which brings snow down to low levels. Invariably this is from a strong southerly storm which howls up the central east of the South Island. The Old Man Range catches this wind blasted snow and loads it into the gullies, the ridges…
North Pisa Range Robrosa Hut
Another ski touring option on the North Pisa Range is to base out of the Robrosa Hut. Situated in the north branch of the Cliff Burn it is a short trip from the Snow Park. The hut is surrounded by ski lines and also offers easy access tot he east faces of the Pisa Range…
Remarkables Ski Field – Doolans Loop ski tour
The Remarkables has many short day ski tours available. One option is to access the bowls to the East of the ski field, an area known as The Doolans. (Note when looking at a topo map the Sugarbowl lift is incorrectly marked…it actually heads up towards Peak 2057). There are many options here for touring,…