NZ ski-touring.
NZ ski-touring.
Notes by Don French
New Zealand has over 30 skifields with only one (Waiorau) being designed for Nordic skiing. There are countless heliskiing operations, generally based from the major ski resorts.
Most ski-touring is done during the August to October period, while the first of the ski fields will become operational in late May. The last will close in mid November, depending upon snow conditions. During the early 90's New Zealand had some very exceptional snow seasons which enabled a couple of fields to remain open during the Christmas-New Year vacation period.
The most popular Ski-fields are Whakapapa and Turoa (both Mt Ruapehu) in the North Island, and in the South Island Mt Hutt(south of Christchurch), Treble Cone (Wanaka), Coronet Peak and Remarkables (both Queenstown). These fields have all the facilities generally expected on a modem ski-field.
For Skifield Information:
An alternative popular area is the Garden's of Eden and Allah which are found at the head of the Clyde (Rangitata) river (about 70km north of Mt Cook).
To the south of Mt Cook good touring can he found around Mt Aspiring. Of particular interest is the Volta Glacier. Because of the "Wilderness' status of the Volta, access is on foot only, as no airplanes or helicopters are allowed to land here. The Bonar Glacier to the south of Mt Aspiring has easier foot access, plus the impressive summit of Mt Aspiring is an appealing distraction from the skiing. A little further south, in the same National Park are Snowball and Snow White Glaciers. These two glaciers are becoming more frequently skiied. A long hard walk will get your skis to the Olivine Plateau, which is in another wilderness area.
Ski-touring is done in a number of mountain ranges during the winter months. Most of these areas do not have as reliable snowfall as the areas mentioned above.
The construction of the "Centennial Hut" by the NZ Alpine Club on the Franz Josef neve creates a Kiwi version of the "Haute Route". This route starts from the head of the Murchison Glacier and 4 days of touring takes you to the Fox Glacier. This tour takes in some of the country's most popular touring runs, and a week should be allowed to ski it (allowing for bad weather). Alternative starts for the more adventerous could be either Rankin Hut (Godley Valley) or the long walk/ski up the Cass Valley.
Most of the backcountry ski-touring is done either on the Tasman and Murchison Glaciers in Mt Cook National Park, or on the Fox and Franz Josef neves in Westland National Park. Access to these areas is usually by ski equipped airplane or helicopter. Most of the touring in these regions are done from alpine huts. The nearby Godley Glacier located at the northern end of Mt Cook National Park also regularly sees touring groups.New Zealand Ski Council
P.O. Box 27-501
Wellington
Telephone: 64 4 382 9055
Fax: 64 4 801-6743
Page created by Tom Bennion, Alastair Smith, and Murray Scott. Last modified 26 June 1996.