20 Runs and 8208m

After being snowed out of Mt Cook we had that rare event come around the following weekend...we were on call! Having become used to a 1 in 4, a 1 in 3 and for Amy a 2 in 5 rota our current 1 in 7 makes it feel like we seldom work. The weekend did little to correct that thought thankfully as apart from a steady Saturday morning clinic I was only called once and did not feel like we were missing out on much more than we would have done anyway. A walk around nearby Lake Hood was our Saturday afternoon activity followed by a pint in Speights Alehouse and on Sunday we merely watched the rain hammer down. The best thing about working the weekend is that the following week is converted to a 4 day affair with both of us getting the Thursday off. This is how we found ourselves waking up earlier than a normal working day and heading to Methven to hire ski kit from Jace's Ski Hutt. 5 minutes later we had been fitted with boots and skis and were on the access road to Mount Hutt skifield. Forget about nice roads to the top and easy driving, in true NZ style the access road is gravel, steep and icy as hell. The going was slow and on one section we came across relatively soon there was a risk that traction would be lost completely. We overcame that obstacle and at the designated spot fitted our snow chains (yes, they came with the van of course!) before arriving at the carpark 16km and around 40 minutes after leaving Methven.

The day was simply glorious. The sun either shone or was obscured by the smallest whisp of cloud. The slopes were empty and neither of us appeared to be too rusty as we sped down a total of 8208 metres elevation in 20 runs, our electronic season pass tracking our lift usage. The Alps this is not and only 2 of the 3 lifts are running this early in the season with around half of the runs still closed due to the snow conditions (mostly the steaper blacks). That said, there are definitely no complaints, the slopes are well groomed and of good variety providing plenty of fun for weekend or day off skiing. Now thats something you can't do back home!