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Backcountry in New Zealand
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Hello people! I have a plan, quite an awesome one in fact. The plan is to spend a season in New Zealand, and of course spend as much time as possible on skis but off piste. Anyway, I am tryingvto get a general idea of what it's like and was wondering if anyone had any experience there. Main concerns are:
Best areas to be doing this?
How much of the terrain requires glacier gear?
Anything else that could be useful...
Thanks!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

The thing about the backcountry here is that a lot of it is quite remote without easy access. Lots of it is not on glaciers but plenty of those at higher altitudes. There are some good short tours available from some of the ski areas but they tend to get quite a bit of use. It does depend on whether you are into day tours or multi day adventures.
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 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?

I am basically looking inti multi day tours, relying on the awesome backcountry huts system. You say most routes are not on glacier terrain, so would you recommend not buying a set (harness, carabiners, cord, etc) and simply renting it according to need, or do most people own their own set?
By the way, you said "here", ao I assume you are a Kiwi (correct me if I am wrong). Are there any local ski touring forums you can recommend for further questions?
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Yes I am a Kiwi and live in Queenstown. The best easy access multi day terrain is probably in the Mt Cook area and a lot of that is glacier country. I'm not sure about the rental situation but a quick search on the net should help.. Maybe these guys have what you need https://www.nzadventure.com/snow_safety_hire.html
Not into the multi day thing so can't help you with forum advice but there are sure to be a few.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Blister Gear Review have done several trips down to the Canterbury club fields during the southern winter and wrote some colourful reports on their travels. Don't know how much use it is to you technically but makes for mouthwatering reading if you're lucky enough to be doing the same.

http://blistergearreview.com/features/blister-heads-south-new-zealand
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