 Poster: A snowHead
|
About one month to the proposed opening of the first lifts so time to kick off this seasons reports. First a quick look at whats changed since last season.
Treble Cone has installed a new snow making system which should really help with getting back to the base area. This is what they are saying "The new hardware and controls are designed to enable Treble Cone to open on schedule even in seasons – such as 2016 – with minimal natural snowfall. The newly-installed pipes, pumps and snow guns will service Easy Rider from the top of Home Basin all the way down to the base lodge, as well as providing security around snow cover for Main Street."
Cardrona have replaced the old slow McDougall's quad chair with a chondola (what a horrible word) Their words are
"This summer we’re installing a new “combined” express lift of 8-person gondola cabins & 6-seater chairs. The new McDougall’s Express Chondola is the ultimate mountain access lift for all our guests, with a 150% increase to the McDougall’s uplift capacity that will decrease wait times on all other lifts. The new lift will also mean that first-time skiers & snowboarders, as well as sightseers, will be able to visit the top of the mountain without having to get on & off a chair – sounds pretty good, eh!?
The facts:
First cabin-style lift on a ski area in New Zealand
1:4 ratio of cabins to chairs
10 total cabins, 40 total chairs
Cabins hold 8 people; chairs hold 6
7 towers (old McDougall’s Quad had 11 towers)
Uphill capacity: 2550 people per hour (old McDougall’s Quad had 1000p/hr uplift)
Gondola cabins & chairs will be stored in the lift’s top station, & can be reconfigured in layout depending on weather conditions"
During the construction one of the crew found a 3.1 kg gold nugget which is the largest ever found in New Zealand. Unfortunately the guy does not get to keep it. The new lift also comes with some earth works that widen the Footrot Flats run. Else where on the mountain there is increases car parking and increased water storage for the snow making.
I haven't heard of anything new at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables so that's all for now.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 16-05-17 4:33; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Any sign of snow down there Sarge McSarge? Or are they snow making yet?
NZ is on our (ie my & Mrs MA's) to do list at some point in the future... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
My daughter, aka The Lass, is flying towards NZ on Thursday to teach the season at Cadrona...I will be watching this thread with great interest
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
The forecast colder weather has arrived with light snow right down to lake level this morning. Not any great amount on the mountains but enough to change the look of things. Snowing lightly at home right now but it's not going to continue for long so the skis will stay in storage for now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Went for a surf this morning. Really cold  Not much snow in Canterbury yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chile has been puked on the past few days and a resort or two may open early next week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A very light snow fall over night but also the start of snow making at Coronet Peak. Hopefully this will be the start of the build up to opening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
The season starts tomorrow hear in NZ. Locally Cardrona and The Reamrkables will be open tomorrow with limited terrain available. Cardrona will be the best of the two but neither will be that exciting. There could be a light snow fall tonight with a possibility of a reasonable fall around Tuesday next week. Farther afield Mt Hutt is also opening tomorrow with some of the best opening conditions for some years. I'm not up for the 5hr drive to required to get up there for first runs. I'm too lazy to drive that far for a day on the snow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm going up to hutt tomorrow. Apparently it was pretty good today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Finally some new snow here. Snow line came way down this morning and also snow making going big time. With more forecast for tonight and in the next few days. There may be even enough to lure me up the mountains in a few days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Whitegold, Yes it looks more like average temperatures and precipitation for the next couple of months. Coronet Peak opened this morning with very limited runs open. The Remarkables is looking a bit better but the best pick would be Cardrona at present. Looks like a light snow fall on Sunday night, Monday morning but not expecting any great ammount.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Not much snow worth skiing here a the moment. The "big resorts" (I use that term lightly) in Queenstown/Wanaka are all on man made snow - Treble Cone is yet to open (due to open this weekend, but I am expecting that to be postponed). Cardrona is the place to go if you need to ski - but personally I'd stick to the bike for a few more weeks.
North Island "open", but only one beginner slope - it's still way to early. Whakapapa have some great new snow making machine this year, so it should be a better season for coverage, but as they say down here - "June's too soon".
But on the up side I hear there is some good ice climbing to be had at the Remarkables.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
I went up to the Remarkables this morning for a few runs to just get back on the skis and to check out the conditions. There are only a few runs open as yet but the snow surface was ok and I had a couple of hours of fun. Things went downhill after that as I took a bad fall in the car park due to an unseen ice patch. So lying on the ground with a dislocated shoulder was not what I had planned. My friends drove me to hospital where I was put back together with the help of codeine and morphine. Home now and wondering how long this is going to take to heal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@Sarge McSarge, How annoying! Hope you heal quickly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| BenAS wrote: |
North Island "open", but only one beginner slope - it's still way to early. Whakapapa have some great new snow making machine this year, so it should be a better season for coverage, but as they say down here - "June's too soon".
|
Did have some slow starts to the NI season the years we were there and as you say June is very early.
Good to see the recent investment in both lifts and snowmaking by RELC.
Sarge McSarge, sorry to hear about the injury and so early in the season. Heres to a quick recovery.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
A few cm's of snow over night and snow making every minute when it's cold enough is slowly improving the conditions here. Still very limited terrain open on all the local mountains but the snow surface is reported to be quite good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hope the shoulder's getting better sarge.
Lots of snow in the Mackenzie today. pretty warm in Christchurch, went for a surf this morning and it wasn't at all cold. Heading to Hutt in the morning, had about 25cm today, about half a metre at Ohau apparently
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@hang11, It's a lot better thanks but will be a while before I'm back on the snow. Bit by bit the snow is improving in this part of the country so most of the mountains now have reasonable coverage especially at higher altitudes. A cold change coming through tonight with a bit of snow to low levels by the morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Look out for the British and Irish Lions. Apparently they're in Queenstown for some R&R before the big game in Auckland on Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@BobinCH, Yes they are here doing the tourist things like Shotover Jet Boats etc and quite a lot of supporters in town.
5 to 10 cm's of snow overnight and plenty of snow making so the improvement continues with Cardrona still looking to have the best coverage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We fly a week tomorrow and will be staying in Wanaka 6th - 12th Aug. Hoping to get some time on the slopes at Cardrona. It will be junior DBASKLS's (age 13) first time since he broke his collar bone skiing in Italy in February. He's a little nervous so we're planning on him having an hour's private lesson to try to get his confidence back and then see how things go. Our trip to NZ is not about skiing, any skiing will be a bonus so we are going to take it very gently.
@Sarge McSarge, Hope your shoulder is better now. I see Cardrona has offices in Wanaka. Would we be ok to turn up to book lessons a couple of days in advance? I don't want to book any earlier in case junior DBASKLS decides he can't do it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
@dbaskls, or you could go up to Treble cone. My stepson and his girlfriend are instructing out there for the TC ski school. Ask for Aly G or Louis C! (The latter has definitely had the broken collar bone experience, albeit from Rugby, at a similar age and then got back on skis......). Kids love skiing with L, and I'm sure he'd have fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@dbaskls, Booking a couple of days out should be no problem at all. The NZ and Australian school holidays will be well finished by then so the mountains will be a bit quieter and plenty of instructor availability. Cardrona has better learners/intermediate terrain than Treble Cone and at present better snow. Snow conditions may have changed by then so just keep an eye on the snow reports. The shoulder is greatly improved and today was my first back at work but no skiing for a while yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Sarge McSarge, Thanks for your reply - I'll let you know how we get on 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@rungsp, Hahaha! I'd put money on my two knowing your daughter!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@Perty, almost a certainty...PM sent
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
is anyone skiing queenstown this weekend? need a buddy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@treeslayer, Sorry still injured. Good news is that we have had a bit of snow in the last 24hrs. 15 to 20cm's on the mountains. With the little falls over the last couple of weeks and some epic snow making this latest snow fall will freshen things up nicely. So now most runs will be well covered and fun for all (except the grumpy old injured ones)
This latest weather has cause havoc on the roads. Yesterday morning it rained onto frozen roads and everything iced up. Then more rain at low levels through the day froze last night and now has a light covering of snow, with a bit more falling at present. So traffic is crawling with a number of reported crashes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Another few cm's in the last day so conditions just continue to improve.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
At least with all that snow piled up on the outside of the road the chances of falling off the road are reduced. Many years ago one of my sisters was skiing at mount Hutt and the wind got so bad that on the drive down they had to escort cars across an exposed area with the grader acting as a wind shield to avoid the cars being blown off the road. You gotta love it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
5 to 10cm's on the local mountains. A bit crap considering Mt Hutt has just reported 90cm's of fresh snow. But they are on hold while doing avalanche control and lift deicing. Round Hill near Tekapo is reporting 1.5m from the storm. So the South Canterbury mountains really got the goods
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Went up to hutt today. Was more like a big ice cube with massive wind drifts all over the place. Sat in the car park having a picnic all day and got up there about 3.30 in the end.
The crew up there did a great job getting it open. Huge 4m+ wind drifts on the road and only letting up 4wd vehicles with chains on. Being honest the best bit of the day was the drive up - was loads of "fun"
The mountain is looking sweet with a great base but it wasn't an epic powder day. Still I had lots of fun smashing the wind lips then sliding 200m on ice afterwards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds like an "adventure" rather than a powder day. A few cm's of fresh down here over night and light snow forecast off and on for the next few days. Little by little it's turning into a proper winter but no epic days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nice one sarge
Hutt was really good today. Got on the first lift at 8 and still riding untracked snow at 2pm. Perfect pow day conditions after 40cm on Thursday night. Day of the season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
