The ski season has officially started, and what a start it’s been. After last year’s truly dismal winter, this one has kicked off with a bang that should have any self-respecting ski bum raring to go.
I started my season with a day at Porter’s, the closest field to Christchurch. I had a new pair of skis, picked up cheap at a uni ski sale, and was feeling only slightly rusty. The day was fantastic, with a fair dumping of wind-affected powder, and some good company in the form of a crowd of mates from university.
The next leg of my 2015 ski journey began with the collection of a Jucy campervan in Christchurch. My boyfriend and fellow ski enthusiast, long-time TSC member Dylan Pine, claims that it was my idea to hire a campervan for a week long sojourn through the South Island fields. I’m not entirely convinced, but since the trip turned out mostly disaster-free, I’m happy to accept the idea as mine.
The Jucy Condo looked reasonably large on the website, but turned out to be a little crowded by the time we stowed a week’s worth of ski gear inside. We named her Janet, which proved apt in the coming days, as we would frequently be heard shouting the refrain, ‘Damn it, Janet!’.
Janet has many charming features, but stability, warmth and roominess are not among them. All three of these deficits were discovered as we drove late on a Friday night to Tekapo, via a fish and chip stop in Fairlie. Parked up in Tekapo for night, enjoying our right to freedom camp, we realised that the heating in the campervan would only work if we were connected to the mains. No worries, we thought, as we donned thermals and crawled into our sleeping bags. The temperature outside quickly plummeted to -8°, and along with it, our hopes of a warm night. Nevertheless, we woke up bright and early, and attempted to pack up the fold-away bed and locate our ski gear without opening the doors to let what precious warmth we had escape.
We drove down to Ohau, one of our favourite fields, for a day of skiing with some of the best views in the country, and an outstanding mutton pie for lunch. Ohau has some great terrain, and although their snow cover was a little thin up top, the lower mountain provided a day of fun amongst the natural features. Silky groomers, a variety of natural bowls and rollers, and the incredible views made for a spectacular day.
We hitched a ride back down the hill, as we hadn’t been game to test Janet’s traction control, or lack of it, on a reasonably sketchy access road. Back in the campervan, we headed south for Lindis Pass, and the promises of the big fields around Wanaka and Queenstown. .
Stay tuned next week, when I’ll finish the tales of the campervan.
