snowing in 'Kune

It's snowing in Ohakune as I type....

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts have announced an early opening at Turoa this Thursday 17th - brought forward from Sat 19th - copy of the release is below.

"Alpine Meadow Opens on Thursday
Posted on 15 June 2010 at 11:03 AM

It will be an early start to the season for the Alpine Meadow at Turoa this season with an early opening on this Thursday the 17th. Join us up here for a few turns, scrape the summer wax off the gear and get yourself ready for the season with some early winter fun!

Snowmaking and trail preparation has commenced on the upper mountain, lifts will progressively open as conditions allow.

To top all of this excitement off, there is even more snow falling today, all the way down to Ohakune! Patrol is skinning their way up to the snow stake right now and we will let you know what the result is as soon as they gets there!

See you all up here very very soon!"

pre-season sojourn

Slept in again! We were supposed to leave before dawn on Saturday morning, but got up when the first tui cracked outside at 7am. (the bird, not the beer) We were supposed to get moving early because Saturday was going to be the best of the long weekend. Nevermind, we can pack pretty quick, and were on the road and in Ohakune at lunchtime. We had beautiful clear drive, and caught glimpses of Whakapapa from as far north as Taumaranui township.

Raurimu view

To make the most of the warm clear weather before it closed in, we drove back around to Whakapapa, and met some friends from Taupo for a walk over there. At the Round the Mountain Track entrance on Bruce Road, we cruised over to the closest ridgeline and then dropped down into the valley to the Whakapapaiti Hut. It got "dark" early as the clouds started rolling in and the clouds started making shapes hinting at the windy weather to come.

Saturday night we cooked a big  feed and consumed red wine by the fire before heading up to the Junction to consume some more. We caught up with winter friends and even some Auckland friends who were in the neighbourhood too. I hope the snow gods were happy, cos the next day my head hurt!

Sunday and Monday were ditto days. Waking up just before dawn each of those days as we thought the old railway house we stayed in was going to blow inside out. The wind seemed to peak in the morning, and it felt like everytime we wanted to venture outside it would rain. By Monday our house mates grumbled "it's too early for cabin fever!" Sundays webcams were not a pretty sight, looking at the rain washed the ridgelines... Mountain streams in town were swelling with rain... BUT the weather maps were looking much more promising for Monday/Tuesday when a snowier looking weather system would hit the north overnight. You could feel a brr in the air (wind change and temp drop) all day Monday...

break in the weather

TYPICAL! It snows after we leave town, AND it snows in town. The Desert Road in the east has closed and word of mouth reports this morning are snow in Whakapapa village and snow flurries falling on Railway Row, Ohakune. Keep it coming.

Ohakune Cam 10.30am 8-June

Whakapapa - Geonet cam

wrong call

The forecast looked bad so flagged going boarding... but Saturday turned out to be a nice spring day! On Sunday it dumped down in the afternoon: snow down to Taihape and as far east as Hawkes Bay, plus the Napier/Taupo road (trapping 100 or more cars in the snow). Snow also closed road desert road and SH49 from Ohakune to Waiouru.

Never mind. At least it's topped up the snow for spring riding.

Here's my Ohakune flatmate Tracey and friends doing a spot of EXTREME sledding on the Sunday. (video by Tim Simpkin from the Snow Centre)

It's the weekend!

Turoa opens tomorrow - WOOP WOOP

Well the Alpine Meadow has been open for 2 weeks (which has been awesome for this time of year), and it looks like it will be High Flyer runs on the upper mountain for the official opening weekend. With all the snow over the past couple of months and a chance of a longer run in their sights, it should draw quite a few people into Ohakune.

It's been a cold week... that big snow came on Tuesday (even to sea level in Dunedin!) - and it was enough to turn Ohakune and Raetihi white again. Snow guns have been cranking all over Ruapehu. I am certainly looking forward to getting my skates on, even if it's just the groomers.

So no more updates till next week... in the mean time here's a movie from our little trip to 'Kune on the 30/31 May (the opening shot is from the 10th May) - Enjoy!

first run of the season

The thing about a 3 day weekend is it makes it a 4 day week at work and things are super busy. So, sorry for the delay… here is the round up from the weekend…

Took a leisurely drive down on Saturday 30th May, arriving in Ohakune late Saturday afternoon. We drove up to Turoa for a look at the snow, only to find 100 or so people had the same idea as us - the Alpine Meadow learner’s area was teaming with people on skis, boards and toboggans. And there was such good snow coverage they could well have opened for the long weekend. (HOT off the press today – Alpine Meadow at Turoa opens this Saturday the 6th!)

Turoa car park

There was no wind, and it was snowing gently as we hiked to the Wintergarden area. I hiked a bit further up to the top of the Boneyard for a bit of a longer run back down to the base before it got dark. Snow conditions down low here were smooth looking icy surface off trail and a churned up groomer track on trail. But when we can ride all the way to the car park for first turns of 2009 in MAY who are we to complain!!

Wintergarden, Snowflake Cafe

The Boneyard, And Giant Chair

Dawn in Ohakune was clear on Sunday. Then it didn’t take long for it to grey over and snow. It snowed ALL day but did not settle on the ground till late afternoon, a few cm’s and then it suddenly stopped?! C’mon, we were hoping to be snowed in!!

Turoa dawn

9km gate on Sunday morning

Ohakune streets at sunset

Ohakune sunset

closed at 3km

The mountain road closed to Turoa due to the snow and ice so on the way home on Monday we drove up the Whakapapa side for a look. Not as much snow on the NW side, it seems that last storm really nailed the south and the east (even snow out on Te Mata peak in Gisborne.)

So Taranaki and Mt Hutt are now open, and soon Turoa will be too. It’s a clear and crispy high over us this week. Ruapehu snow guns are now all go!

SO (snow) JEALOUS

Woop Woop - Snow in Ohakune town, Desert Road, and National Park, Raetihi, all the places in between - and more! This happens a few times each winter, but in May? Well... no one's complaining :)

Was very hard to concentrate at work yesterday. I was constantly checking the 'net for pictures and updates from down there.... people snowboarding in their back yards and on the roadsides, kids learning to ski on the lawn...

So I don't have my own pictures to post, but I do have a picture scraping ice off my car for the second day in a row... This doesn't happen very often at my house either - not bad for the "winterless north"