 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi gdizzle,
I only know Treble Cone and Cardrona in NZ and of the two would recommend TC. It is not really for beginners and has a lot of back country. NZ is very different from European and North American resorts. Most ski areas are based at least a thirty min drive from their nearest resorts and you have (the companies organise transport for their workers) to drive up the mountain via unsealed and unprotected tracks. Wanaka, which is equidistant from both TC and Cardrona, is a very friendly and fantastic place to live in and is a little less touristy and cheaper than Queenstown which also has access to its own resorts (and has NZ's only gondola),
hope this helps a bit,
Aneira
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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?
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| Aneira wrote: |
| (and has NZ's only gondola) |
It should be noted that this 'one' gondola is not in a ski area but in the centre of Queenstown with a restaurant and cinema at the top of it but all it not lost. Get the context right and it is well worth a visit.
The Queenstown Gondola - A case study:
One Sunday afternoon in 1989 having just finished shrooming with a friend and having found a pack of head in the field we were in too (bonus), the person who lost it must have hunted for hours 'cause it was ACE, we promptly downed said shrooms and chasing them with a couple of j's to kill time we went for a ride on the gondola to look at the view from the top and decided we'd might as well watch the tourist film that was showing at the time while we were there. The only other people in the cinema were a coach load of American OAPs and one fully cross dressed tranny who was sat directly across the aisle from me posing like hell for I don't know who. We started laughing immediately, before the film had even started, and didn't stop for 4 hours! Pant wettingly evidenced the best most funny day of my life.
I guess you had to be there.
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My understanding is you need CSIA Level 3 to teach in S America
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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flowa, im not sure this really helps me thinking about ski resorts... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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flowa,
Yep, you are corrrect about said gondola but I'm surprised you are able to remember, given the content of your thread and it mashed your section of brain for grammar and spelling too  . No intention to mislead those travelling all the way to NZ only to find their hopes dashed of travelling in a gondola up one mountain in one resort in order to ski. But TC is apparently going to (or may have done by now) install a gondola, which is a very good thing given the fatalities they have had with folk falling off the road,
Aneira
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gdizzle, but some handy hints for how to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon when the weather closes everything out, no? 
I haven't skiied Central Otago (Queenstown/Wanaka ski fields) since the early 90's so I can't add anything to Aneira's spot on post but I'm sure some other Kiwis will be along eventually to help.
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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.
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flowa,
Was there two years ago visiting my daughter who was working at TC. All very state of the art and a swanky Doppelmeier detatchable chair from the base. They had had a nasty fatality involving a group of Aussie lads in a car on the unsealed road up to the ski area and there was much talk of putting in a gondola. Cardrona even has accommodation! I have to confess, it took me a fair bit of adjusting from European resorts; maybe your Sunday afternoon treat would've eased the transition 
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gdizzle, You gotta have a look at Las Lenas if you are thinking of heading to the Southern Hemisphere. Skied it this August, absolutely brilliant, bear in mind, however, that Marte was open all week and blue skies everyday. Still though, amazing off piste, easily accessible, great night life, Argentinian steak and women, its a hard combination to beat.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
but if there are some great south american resorts people know about would love to know about them aswell!
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Well we went to both Las Leñas and Cerro castor this year, and have to say that I was quite impressed by the skiing in Las Leñas, even though the organisation was wee wee poor. When Marte is open the place is great. However if it's too windy and Marte (and most of the other lifts) is shut, then the place is very boring. Also bear in mind that it's fairly high at 9000 - 12000 ft.
Cerro Castor would probably be too small for a visit from the UK, unless you are doing a SA ski tour.
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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.
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| Dublinfella wrote: |
| gdizzle, You gotta have a look at Las Lenas if you are thinking of heading to the Southern Hemisphere. Skied it this August, absolutely brilliant, bear in mind, however, that Marte was open all week and blue skies everyday. Still though, amazing off piste, easily accessible, great night life, Argentinian steak and women, its a hard combination to beat. |
sounds good! shame about having to be CSIA lvl 3 to teach there though... does anyone know how much harder it is to get lvl 3 than lvl 2?
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bump
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You know it makes sense.
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gdizzle,
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shame about having to be CSIA lvl 3 to teach there though... does anyone know how much harder it is to get lvl 3 than lvl 2?
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I'm BASI not CSIA, but i think it's quite a considerable jump up as it is with the comparable BASI levels.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| flowa wrote: |
gdizzle, something else to bear in mind about skiing in NZ is how changeable the weather can be. You know the Crowded House song "Four Seasons In One Day"? Well it's not about blighty 
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i actually think it's about Melbourne, but could be wrong! Your point is correct regardless ... and I'd highly recommend Treble Cone - by far the best commercial ski area on south island. Some really great terrain there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gortonator, yep I'm from Melbourne and here now... atm it is lovely... max 28 min 15 mmmmmmmmm
However I have seen it drop around 20degrees C in around 1/2 an hour...
and yes can be an issue in the mountains... I've gone from clear skies to white out in around 10-15mins... luckily instructor spotted the clouds coming and we were moving down before the white out hit... I know of 1 person nearly spent a night out back in a snow storm after turning around wrong way in similar situation...
In Oz you will almost certainly have to do a hiring clinic(ie treated as not qualified) because ISIA is CSIA 3
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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?
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gdizzle, level 3 is a pretty big jump.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Cheers for that. Didnt end up going this year as nowhere near enough pennies in the bank but hoping to head there next year!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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gdizzle, how did your CSIA exams go?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There are plenty of ski resorts in Australia. They range from big resorts with a stable of quad and six pack chairlifts, down to small "club fields". The snow this year is quite good (although not epic) and most lifts are operating at the moment.
I'd suggest people start with the five really big resorts. In the state of Victoria they are Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham. In the state of New south Wales the big resorts are Perisher and Thredbo.
Australian ski resort web cams: http://ski.com.au/snowcams/index.html
Australian snow reports : http://ski.com.au/reports/australia/index.html
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beanie1 they went really well. Passed Both pretty comfortably getting all meets expectations for my teaching in both CSIA 1 and 2 and then i got a couple of refinements for my skiing in CSIA 2 and all you need is consolidation so was really chuffed!
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gdizzle, Congratulatins 
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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.
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gdizzle, I am currently in New Zealand doing a season (not working just skiing!)
I can't tell you much about South America but as an overview of NZ you should bear in mind that each ski field is a fair bit smaller than anything you will have skied in europe and much more like skiing a glacier in size (think Hintertux). The snow itself is also fairly sparse but a few of the resorts (not many) have ample snow making to make good skiing possible most days.
My advice would be, if you're looking for fun, parties and younger culture then head to the south island and stay in Queenstown. In my opinion Coronet Peak would be the best place to instruct as it has the best snow (virtually guaranteed) by hundreds of the latest snow makers, a fair altitude, nice on and off piste and sealed acces road (which is a miracle in this country!).
If you're looking for something a bit more civilised, less expensive, a virtually guaranateed shortage of workers and the two biggest fields head to the north island and do Whakapapa/Turoa. They are without a doubt the best commercial fields in the country - huge compared to the remarkables/mount hutt etc and the town, Ohakune, has decent places to live without Queenstowns rates!
Hope that helps - any questions feel free to send me a message.
NB
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Both Australia and New Zealand are having below average seasons, not disasters, but definitely below average. The exception is the two small resorts in Tasmania which have almost no snow. 
In regards to resort size, there are five resorts in Australia and one in NZ which would be regarded as decent sized in a North American context. (eg. over a dozen main lifts.) There is nothing to compare with the Euro mega resorts.
The unique attraction of New Zealand is their "club fields", which have a few very long drag lifts, (mostly Nutcracker tows and T-bars), accessing amazing terrain and uncrowded powder. One of the better run club fields is Broken River. Any northern hemisphere skier visiting NZ should definitely spend a few days at a decent club field for one of the most unique and rewarding ski experiences available.
This link gives an excellent background to the NZ club field experience.
http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Club_skiing_in_NZ
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| Both Australia and New Zealand are having below average seasons, |
Not at all true for the Southern Lakes area of New Zealand. Coronet Peak, The Remakables, Cardrona and Treble Cone all have great snow coverage. Best in at least ten years so come on down. Mt Hutt is not having a record year but it has a better base than the last ten year average.
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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.
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cheers guys! all info greatly appreciated!
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FAQ
