Monday, November 2, 2009

not over just yet

It's been a funny old spring... today on the 2nd of November they are reporting it to be the coldest October in 25 years! The upper slopes of Turoa are loaded. October brought us wintery snowstorms that kept topping things up so in between times, when the weather cleared, there has been lots of happy faces shredding the pow. Spring 09 saw winter (and SNOvember) reappear. Turoa, at Mt Ruapehu, will be open til November the 8th, so make the most of it and eek out some last turns.

Saturday saw a stunning drive up the Ohakune mountain road with freshies down to Massey Flat. I did quite a few runs down Branchline and Slider to warm up, but as I was making my way back to the Giant Chair I made my way down deserted untracked drainage gully's belwo the Jumbo T Bar to the ski area boundary. The home run did not have enough snow coverage to get back to base, so I lapped my own tracks hiking this line 4 times.

Massey Flat

Hiking out on Home Run

Bottom of the drainage gully

start near the Jumbo T

SNOvember the 1st was Sunday. Another clear day to play all over and I opted for the Branchline runs back to the Giant Chair. Took a friend who is learning this season for his first black run - he was stoked! Bought the T shirt and wore my jandals in the car park too. It was a beautiful departure heading north in daylight with the full moon rising above Girdlestone. I love Spring!