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.
Arthurs Pass
Mt. Rolleston High Peak, Armstrong and Philistine in a 24 Hours Sufferfest
Mount Rolleston is the crown of Arthurs Pass National Park on the South Island of New Zealand. The mountain stands proudly above all the other peaks in the area. When riding at Temple Basin one just stares and drools at such a beautiful mountain and I kept hoping that one day I would ski it. The day came in late November 2015 when Ryan Nicol came up with a plan to do a triple peak tour climbing Armstrong, Mount Rolleston via the high peak and Philistine in a single day push.
It would be a long day but it was possible with an alpine start. It was obvious that it would be an ambitions mission but I was happy to go along with it, Finally we were going for in a zone I had dreamed of snowboarding for years.
Powder Day at Temple Basin
New Zealand is full of surprises and after most of the club fields were shut down the Craigieburn Range and Divide received 3 feet of snow. It was time to head back up to Arthurs Pass and have a powder day at Temple Basin ski area.
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.
Ski Traversing from Devils Punchbowl to Temple Basin
When Ryan and Pow arrived up at Arthurs Pass the decision was made to go check out an area called the Devils Punchbowl. We would have to follow a climbers trail up if we wanted to skirt around the 300 foot waterfall. If all worked out we hoped we would find some great lines in the upper bowl. We decided it would be best to exit via Temple Basin turning it into a ski traverse.
Exploring Temple Basin Ski Area Backcountry and Splitboard Festival
After getting a Kiwi bank account and buying a van it was time to head north to check out the Temple Basin ski area backcountry for the New Zealand Splitfest. It would be my first time heading to the area that I had heard amazing things about. Luckily with our arrival there was new snow to be ridden.