Queenstown, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables getting ready for Winter Fest

Tomorrow is the official opening of Queenstown's Winter Festival with the opening party and fireworks starting at 1800 - 2100 and in the tough economic times is quite special as it is free. Bonus!

Hordes of people from all over NZ and Aussie and the odd visitor from elsewhere around the globe turn up to party the arse's off at night and ski or snowboard hard during the day at one of the local ski areas. It a big 10 days of crazy fun and a good time to be here.

The snow at the NZSKI ski areas is in great nick and I have heard that Cardrona and the Snow Park are riding well too. If you are staying in queenstown it's pretty hard to beat going to Coronet Peak or the Remarkables as there proximity to Queenstown is amazing, 20 mins to the Peak and 40 mins to the Remarkables. Add to that the new transport system NZSKI are offering it is certainly a cheap option to get to the Coronet Peak and the Remarkables ski areas from QT.

SKI TIP

Well by now if you have had a few turns under your belt you should be starting to feel like you have found the center of your foot and have become more balanced along the length of ski. Now is the time to start exploring the range of movement available while staying in a balanced position along the foot/ski. Try some full range of movement turns this means moving into a tall position to start each turn tall and finish the turn with your mass closer to the skis (a full range of extension and flexion movement - straightening or bending at the ankle knee and hip), explore what happens while remaining well balanced along the center of the foot/ski and try changing the movements around to be flexed to start a turn and extended when you finish a turn just to really mess with your ability to balance and change movement patterns.

Note that this is an exercise only but the concepts apply to regular, good skiing especially in off piste terrain.

Remember to book a private ski lesson with Simon Wilkinson at the Coronet Peak Snowsports school to maximize you skiing enjoyment this season