The comp took off last week, Tori Beattie and I road tripped up from Wanaka with a car full of ski gear, sleeping bags and dub step. The coolest part about this event is that it is one big road-trip with some skiing in the middle.
parked at Lake Tekapo to take photos of Mt Cook across the way
tori beattie- flippin' me the bird- I was ruining her concentration
lake tekapo
documentation is necessary
tori looking for fish
Up, down, around and through mountains. The Canterbury clubfields are about 4-5 hrs north of Wanaka, about an hr from Christchurch. The roads are awesome, until you hit the mountain access roads. All I can do is advise: 4WD, chains and not a Juicy rental. On the final leg of our journey north, Tori , Hanna (our stowaway) and myself happened upon some silly ladies who decided to take their elCheapo up the brutal snow and mud infested road. UH UH, not cool. We were stuck on the road for an hr, but luckily made it up to the Cragieburn hut just in time for delicious leftovers and a hug from the chef, Aaron.
tori all ready to take on rope-tows and nutcrackers
There are a few things that make the clubfields different to other resorts. They have no chairlifts, terrain access is based on rope tows that you hold onto with a metal instrument called a nutcracker.....I'll leave the rest to your imagination, all I can say is going up is is sometimes more challenging than skiing down. Not to say it isn't fun. Plus the resort are huts/ a group of huts, so everyone gets to hang out together after a day of skiing.
Cragieburn Valley held the first series of qualifications and finals. The resort is tucked away in the only set of trees I have ever seen in the NZ alps. It's like a cosy little wonderland. The faces for the competition were super interesting but with the wind stripped ridges and solid landings, I found it hard to find a solid line. I went simple, fast and fluid down the gut with some baby hits. Frustrating, as this became the trend of the comp, but sometimes you have to ski smart. I took 2nd overall at Cragieburn, a nice solid result!
Here are some video highlights from the Daily Dump:
http://thedailydumpsnowreport.com/new-zealand/new-zealand-tour/2011/08/25/25th-august-craigieburn/
After two beautiful sunny but a little breezy days at Cragieburn, we jumped in the cars and convoyed to Mt Olympus. Olympus is a raw, more intense version of Cragieburn, wild is the word I would use to describe it. Most people say it has the toughest access road of all the club fields and the bar at the top hut yells 'PARTY'!
the last leg of Mt Olympus access rd
top hut at mt olympus, avec hot tub
the ladies checking out the olympus finals face
little alaska- finals face- let's just say it was nice and sharky
i got creative with lunch
tori had a party on the hill
and we all watched in awe as the heli dropped several loads of beer for the G.N.A.R party that was kicking off after the comp
looking down the valley to the bottom hut
on one occasion we skied down the valley to the car- i lost a gumboot but tori found it and decided to brandish it as a belt buckle
On Saturday night the results were announced, but not before Stu Waddell, the organiser sculled a beer. Prizes were aplenty and so was the beer. I took out 3rd overall with a nice prize including a sick Cactus Equipment backpack. Stoked! As we hadn't found accom on the mountain, we decided to drive down the valley to sleep at Glenthorne station, where the beds were big and comfy. However, not before tasting a few of the delightful beverages on offer and dancing in our thermals and ski boots. I hate to say it but I think the highlight of that night was skiing down in my thermals in the dark. Nothing better than a dusk ski.
me, jess and hanna fischer showing the top hut how to get down!
The last sign before leaving the Olympus road
Big wooop wooop and thanks to the organisers, Cragieburn Valley and Mt Olympus. You put on an awesome show as well as a great comp. You discussed the decisions you made with the athletes and as a result, we all went home satisfied.
For more info, check out: http://www.chillout.co.nz/archives/625
Just cause we are going back to reality, doesn't mean we can't sing in the car!
tori all ready to take on rope-tows and nutcrackers
Cragieburn Valley held the first series of qualifications and finals. The resort is tucked away in the only set of trees I have ever seen in the NZ alps. It's like a cosy little wonderland. The faces for the competition were super interesting but with the wind stripped ridges and solid landings, I found it hard to find a solid line. I went simple, fast and fluid down the gut with some baby hits. Frustrating, as this became the trend of the comp, but sometimes you have to ski smart. I took 2nd overall at Cragieburn, a nice solid result!
Here are some video highlights from the Daily Dump:
http://thedailydumpsnowreport.com/new-zealand/new-zealand-tour/2011/08/25/25th-august-craigieburn/
After two beautiful sunny but a little breezy days at Cragieburn, we jumped in the cars and convoyed to Mt Olympus. Olympus is a raw, more intense version of Cragieburn, wild is the word I would use to describe it. Most people say it has the toughest access road of all the club fields and the bar at the top hut yells 'PARTY'!
the last leg of Mt Olympus access rd
top hut at mt olympus, avec hot tub
the ladies checking out the olympus finals face
The comp went down a little smoother at Olympus as the wind was a lot more cooperative. Qualifiers was held on a small face above the top hut, I managed to pick a line that had a staircase of ruts in and broke-off one of the stairs, sending flailing me down the little chute I had tried to bomb. I still got to do finals on little Alaska, which I skied smoothly and took 2nd overall. My favourite part of the whole thing was hiking up to the finals venue.
little alaska- finals face- let's just say it was nice and sharky
After four days of straight competing, we had a heaps of time to kill while they recorded the results and way too much energy to sleep. So we played.
i got creative with lunch
tori had a party on the hill
and we all watched in awe as the heli dropped several loads of beer for the G.N.A.R party that was kicking off after the comp
looking down the valley to the bottom hut
on one occasion we skied down the valley to the car- i lost a gumboot but tori found it and decided to brandish it as a belt buckle
On Saturday night the results were announced, but not before Stu Waddell, the organiser sculled a beer. Prizes were aplenty and so was the beer. I took out 3rd overall with a nice prize including a sick Cactus Equipment backpack. Stoked! As we hadn't found accom on the mountain, we decided to drive down the valley to sleep at Glenthorne station, where the beds were big and comfy. However, not before tasting a few of the delightful beverages on offer and dancing in our thermals and ski boots. I hate to say it but I think the highlight of that night was skiing down in my thermals in the dark. Nothing better than a dusk ski.
me, jess and hanna fischer showing the top hut how to get down!
Like all good things, the Chill Series had to come to an end. However, Olympus is prepared for this and not only reminds you of it but also rubs it in your face on the drive home.
The last sign before leaving the Olympus road
Big wooop wooop and thanks to the organisers, Cragieburn Valley and Mt Olympus. You put on an awesome show as well as a great comp. You discussed the decisions you made with the athletes and as a result, we all went home satisfied.
For more info, check out: http://www.chillout.co.nz/archives/625
Just cause we are going back to reality, doesn't mean we can't sing in the car!
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