In early season (July) during some winters a good covering of snow falls in the Queenstown basin. In order to get snow to such low levels a southerly front from deep in the southern ocean must sweep up the country. Southland will be the first to get hit with snow,
The Grand couloir is an obvious ski line leading from close to the summit of the Remarkables, down to Lake Alta. It is a reasonably popular descent, the skiing is fall line and aesthetic. At the steepest it might be a touch over 40 degrees, but the majority is in
By Joel O’Rourke – Bon-what? Yeah, I said the same thing. A quick google search reveals it’s a mountain near the Routeburn Track behind Glenorchy. There is a small glacier (Bryant Glacier) that hangs above the valley and two couloir, one to the north and one to the south of
Joel O’Rourke New Zealand’s mountains have waived goodbye to the extended sunshine and has developed a serious melancholy; the doldrums of drizzle, cloud and humidity have set in. Whilst waiting for the inevitable return of consistent good weather the forecast came through with a Saturday of partly cloudy (and no rain!)
This route is on private land so seek permission from the Scott family at Rees Valley Station (03 442 9908) and please treat the land with respect. The Ferguson basin and valley is also used for heli skiing, during which time access may not be granted. View Larger Topographic Map
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
A day ski touring trip from Queenstown with moderately easy access. I found the Eyre Mountains at this area to be very interesting topography with many options for the ski tourer. There are both shorter day trips as well as some longer ridge traverses possible. The geology is quite rugged
Mt Tyndall ski tour, Aspiring NP.Rewarding ski touring trip in the mt Aspiring NP achievable in a weekend.It can be done in different ways: a long day from Aspiring hut or there are good camping spots at the tree line or at Cascade saddle.Pretty straight forward trip, however getting in
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. There are many options here for touring, but a fun loop to do is to head up the Sugarbowl lift, then
Mt Clarke is a beautiful peak in the Forbes Mtns just north of Mt Earnslaw and can be skied as an overnight mission from the Rees Valley. If one has a good 4WD and river crossing experience then it is possible to drive to where the valley narrows – about