Hello,
I am an avid reader of this forum since a couple of years and I have decided today that it is time for me to subscribe. Please forgive me if my English look sometimes weird, it is not my first language. I just came back from New-Zealand where I spent the last 2 months skiing so I thought that would be a nice first post.
My girlfriend and I bought the Chill Pass 11 (http://www.chillout.co.nz/) which gave us the opportunity to ski 11 mountains on week days for 500$ each. Not bad at all! But watch out, I am not talking here about commercial ski resort, this is 11 classic Kiwi club fields (http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Club_skiing_in_NZ). The New-Zealand Club fields are ski cooperative are operated and maintain by a group of skiers and it is a 100% non-profit organization. No big infrastructure, not even chairlift! In fact, the way to go up the mountain is with a rope tow: a single rope on which you need to attach a metal piece that is fixed on to a harness that you wear. Very rudimentary but extremely reliable and fast to go up the hill!
You would know by now but the Club fields are left in its wild state. No grooming, no trail marking… It is a big playground where an alpine touring setup is really a must to take complete advantage of what the mountains has to offer. We didn’t get a huge amount of snow; I would say that the conditions where a lot like what I am used to ride here on the east coast.
I took with me only one pair of ski. It was skis made by ALT., all carbon fiber made. New-Zealand rocky terrain really tested those skis. Those skis performed well and were super versatile, going down as well as skinning up the mountain.
Those who are planning to visit New-Zealand, I really suggest that you forget about the commercial resorts and focus on the unique experience that the club fields have to offer. You won’t regret your choice!
Here are a few pictures:
I am an avid reader of this forum since a couple of years and I have decided today that it is time for me to subscribe. Please forgive me if my English look sometimes weird, it is not my first language. I just came back from New-Zealand where I spent the last 2 months skiing so I thought that would be a nice first post.
My girlfriend and I bought the Chill Pass 11 (http://www.chillout.co.nz/) which gave us the opportunity to ski 11 mountains on week days for 500$ each. Not bad at all! But watch out, I am not talking here about commercial ski resort, this is 11 classic Kiwi club fields (http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Club_skiing_in_NZ). The New-Zealand Club fields are ski cooperative are operated and maintain by a group of skiers and it is a 100% non-profit organization. No big infrastructure, not even chairlift! In fact, the way to go up the mountain is with a rope tow: a single rope on which you need to attach a metal piece that is fixed on to a harness that you wear. Very rudimentary but extremely reliable and fast to go up the hill!
You would know by now but the Club fields are left in its wild state. No grooming, no trail marking… It is a big playground where an alpine touring setup is really a must to take complete advantage of what the mountains has to offer. We didn’t get a huge amount of snow; I would say that the conditions where a lot like what I am used to ride here on the east coast.
I took with me only one pair of ski. It was skis made by ALT., all carbon fiber made. New-Zealand rocky terrain really tested those skis. Those skis performed well and were super versatile, going down as well as skinning up the mountain.
Those who are planning to visit New-Zealand, I really suggest that you forget about the commercial resorts and focus on the unique experience that the club fields have to offer. You won’t regret your choice!
Here are a few pictures:
.
