One of our aims for this ski season was to explore some different slopes and not just stick to Mt Hutt. We therefore decided that Broken River was the club field for us and booked a 2 day lift pass an accommodation on the mountain. Saturday dawned bright and sunny with the alarm going early to allow to collect our skis from Methven and then proceed towards Arthurs Pass. Turning off the main road we were expecting a narrow but easy 12km to the car park and so breezed past the sign suggesting the road was unsuitable for camper vans,, our decision to go to BR made primarily based on where
we thought we would be able to get to in Gorden. The first 11km were relatively OK (ignoring some of Amy's comments on the steeper, icier bits) and then we came across a sign saying chains must be fitted to all 2WD vehicles. Someone was chaining up the road grader and thought we would be fine so the chains were fitted and we
attacked the final 1000m stretch that was made up of entirely of hairpin bends navigating a near vertical gradient. I won't pretend to being completely relaxed as we made the ascent, our chained up drive wheels spinning in a desperate bid for traction, but we made the car park in one piece without the engine overheating or sliding off the road.
The next excitement was a trip up to the ticket office in a glorified enclosed coal hopper on tracks that was only converted to carry people a year ago. It felt a little like being in a Bond film and half expected Jaws to jump on the roof and start biting through the tracks. We collected our tickets and nutcracker for the rope tows, dumped our bags at the lodge and walked the 10 minutes uphill to reach the first lift. A short refresher from a member of ski patrol made sure there were no accidents on the first ride up and we made the day lodge in 1 piece.
The great thing about being a club field is that the atmosphere is very friendly and the day lodge had a fully equipped kitchen and BBQ. It was a great place to sit and let the sun get a little higher to warm the slopes which were seriously icy after a clear night. As it was only 1 slope really softened up but I still enjoyed the day immensely. Amy found the going a little harder, especially after an exhausting week at work (it is calving season after all), and so headed back down to the lodge early for a little snooze.
That evening in the lodge was good fun with plenty of regulars staying to provide some lively conversation to go with the excellent 3 course meal we were served. The heating made sure we were warmer up the mountain than we had been at home for some time with a bottle of wine providing extra perceived warmth for good measure. Soon enough Sunday was upon us and we again hit the slopes, a little more refreshed this time. The club was hosting a boarder-cross competition and it was fun to watch the competitors
hearling themselves over the jumps while trying to avoid being wiped out by their opposition. the day was another beauty and this time more of the slopes softened up nicely to allow a few more routes to be tried. Both our legs started to feel lead-filled come mid afternoon which meant we were not too late home after a pleasant drive back to Ashvegus. It was definitely a great first overnight club experience and hopefully there will be more to come
One of our aims for this ski season was to explore some different slopes and not just stick to Mt Hutt. We therefore decided that Broken River was the club field for us and booked a 2 day lift pass an accommodation on the mountain. Saturday dawned bright and sunny with the alarm going early to allow to collect our skis from Methven and then proceed towards Arthurs Pass. Turning off the main road we were expecting a narrow but easy 12km to the car park and so breezed past the sign suggesting the road was unsuitable for camper vans,, our decision to go to BR made primarily based on where 
we thought we would be able to get to in Gorden. The first 11km were relatively OK (ignoring some of Amy's comments on the steeper, icier bits) and then we came across a sign saying chains must be fitted to all 2WD vehicles. Someone was chaining up the road grader and thought we would be fine so the chains were fitted and we 
attacked the final 1000m stretch that was made up of entirely of hairpin bends navigating a near vertical gradient. I won't pretend to being completely relaxed as we made the ascent, our chained up drive wheels spinning in a desperate bid for traction, but we made the car park in one piece without the engine overheating or sliding off the road.
The next excitement was a trip up to the ticket office in a glorified enclosed coal hopper on tracks that was only converted to carry people a year ago. It felt a little like being in a Bond film and half expected Jaws to jump on the roof and start biting through the tracks. We collected our tickets and nutcracker for the rope tows, dumped our bags at the lodge and walked the 10 minutes uphill to reach the first lift. A short refresher from a member of ski patrol made sure there were no accidents on the first ride up and we made the day lodge in 1 piece. 
The great thing about being a club field is that the atmosphere is very friendly and the day lodge had a fully equipped kitchen and BBQ. It was a great place to sit and let the sun get a little higher to warm the slopes which were seriously icy after a clear night. As it was only 1 slope really softened up but I still enjoyed the day immensely. Amy found the going a little harder, especially after an exhausting week at work (it is calving season after all), and so headed back down to the lodge early for a little snooze.
That evening in the lodge was good fun with plenty of regulars staying to provide some lively conversation to go with the excellent 3 course meal we were served. The heating made sure we were warmer up the mountain than we had been at home for some time with a bottle of wine providing extra perceived warmth for good measure. Soon enough Sunday was upon us and we again hit the slopes, a little more refreshed this time. The club was hosting a boarder-cross competition and it was fun to watch the competitors 
hearling themselves over the jumps while trying to avoid being wiped out by their opposition. the day was another beauty and this time more of the slopes softened up nicely to allow a few more routes to be tried. Both our legs started to feel lead-filled come mid afternoon which meant we were not too late home after a pleasant drive back to Ashvegus. It was definitely a great first overnight club experience and hopefully there will be more to come
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