August 30, 2010

In mid August I joined forces with three intrepid friends and headed to New Zealand. The plan was simple – we would fly to Christchurch, buy beer, drive to the mountains, walk to Temple Basin, and ski until our we had to catch the flight back. If our legs weren’t up to the task? Well, there was the beer, and someone packed a poker set for emergency use. It was a perfect plan.

Until then I had never skied in New Zealand, so the steepest slope I had ever had the nerve to point my skis down was some quasi-black run at Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps. New Zealand does not share Australia’s reputation for flatness. My friends had been there and skied there before, and had always returned to the Australian slopes scoffing at the hordes of people ready to throw themselves down what was apparently no steeper or more exciting than your average off-level pool table. “New Zealand has spoiled me!” they’d cry, before skiing the whole day at Thredbo, having an absolute ball. So it was with some trepidation that I started the walk up to Temple Basin, a field that is renowned for its amazing terrain, blue runs that are properly steep, and rope-tow lifts that are tricky to ride.

Temple Basin is a club field – a concept which, much like “really steep in-bounds runs”, we don’t have in Australia. It means that it’s non-commercial and therefore small, friendly, and with great atmosphere. There’s a 40 minute walk from the car park up to the lodge, with a convenient gear lift to carry your skis (and beer). It’s typical of Arthur’s Pass walks in that it’s steep right from the get-go, and we puffed our way up, itching to get the first glimpse of the field. The first sign of trouble was when a line of poles on a beautiful grassy slope got close enough to be identified as the field’s first lift. On closer inspection the second lift was access only, and the descent from the upper slopes looked like a choice between a long grassy walk or a ski down a scary icy chute. Oh dear. Break out that poker set.

Apart from the fact that there wasn’t much snow, everything else about Temple was perfect; it has an amazing atmosphere, and its position is incredible – right over the valley from Mt Rolleston, surrounded by snowy peaks. I spent a good deal of time taking pictures and video and looking at the amazing terrain. We decided we would ski elsewhere for the rest of our trip – but those details are for another blog post. For now, here are a few pictures of Temple Basin and surrounds.