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 Club Field Culture
My first trip to the club fields was with Chris Rayner where we went to check out conditions at Temple Basin. While conditions were firm it was great to soak in the sun and views of the Arthurs Pass Backcountry.
Spending Time at Mount Olympus
We went back to Christchurch and I watched the forecast as a storm was about to come. The moment the snow started falling I made my way up to Mount Olympus
When the snow hit I made my way towards the epicenter of club field culture. If you haven’t heard of the place it is a total gem with great riding, backcountry and accommodations. While most people were staying at the upper accommodations I called the lower and old hut home for numerous days.
Sadly in the end of the front everything was rained on. Like the snowpack my dreams of epic powder riding melted away.
A few days later the snow had come back and my friend Wiggles was in town so he decided it was time to visit.
After the access Tbar we were up at the lodge purchasing our lift tickets and enjoying the humor of Mount Olympus. There is a pride at the place as there is nothing easy there. From the Tbars to the terrain everything takes skills and there are no groomers to be found.
After a few laps enjoying the club field culture it was time to start hiking. We made our way up to the summit of Mount Olympus finding the steep chutes held great snow.
Once we made it to the base of the chute the weather closed in on us for the rest of the day. We were happy that we got the line when we did. If we had waited 30 more minutes it would have been a white out. It was time to move to the next clubfield.
Hanging Around Mount Cheeseman Ski Area
After leaving Mount Olympus it was time to head up to Mount Cheeseman. It’s a great small ski resort and we thought it would be fun to check out conditions.
It was a quiet day as we arrived in the parking lot. Soon we were picking up our tickets and enjoying another place alive with the club field culture.
The winds had ripped through the area but we were still able to find some descent snow. As the day went on we kept traversing lower on the ridge. It wouldn’t be as good as the previous year but it was still fun.
Heading to Temple Basin for the NZ Splitfest
My friend Mike Cheney arrived in New Zealand so we picked him up and got his Licence to Chill Pass. It was time to head up to Temple Basin for the NZ Splitfest
The first day of the splitfest we made our way around getting him acquainted with nut crackers. He decided to spend some time getting used to it while Wiggles and I made our way around the resort.
It was great being back at Temple Basin as it represents the backcountry side of the club field culture.
It hadn’t snowed for a few days so we were riding the scraps within the resort boundaries. Each run we would go further and further but we were able to find soft snow.
The next day we made our way off the backside of Temple Col exploring the Mingha Bowl. It was a blank canvas as we ripped into the open slopes. While quite a few people were out front a few people enjoyed untouched powder snow.
We rode down to the crux sections and started booting back up. Below us we could tell the snow went bad and it wasn’t worth the extra effort. A solid bootpack was put in and we made our way back towards the resort.
As you can see in the photo below there is terrain for years just off the backside of Temple Basin.
For our last run of the day we hiked over to Mount Cassidy before riding to our accommodations. That night we celebrated Splitboarding with like minded folks. After putting on a slideshow about my adventures we chatted Splitboarding for hours before heading to sleep.
The Desperate Search for Good Snow
The next few days Mike, Wiggles and I were on a quest to find good snow and embrace the club field culture. It’s a special and unique thing in NZ and we wanted to share it with Mike. It was time to head south.
We made it to Dobson and found icy conditions. After that it was off to Ohau and once again icy conditions. For our last trip together we made our way up Roundhill in the photo below. The upper rope tow was shut down so we decided to hike to the summit although snow wasn’t good. Though I absolutely love the club field culture most of the time the snow isn’t exactly good but when it is the place is all time.
Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within New Zealand check out this link