Skiing Queenstown NZ ..... the countdown is on!

Summer is long gone, autumn is almost over and winter is knocking on the door. Loudly in fact.

Over the last week Queenstown has seen some very wintery weather with snow falling to quite low levels. Coronet Peak picked up some snow and snowmaking is looking like it will be switched to full automatic in the next few days as the temperatures look to be cold and good for snow making.
The Remarkables also picked up plenty too and I am sure between now and when the Remarkables opens for the season(18th June) they will pick up plenty more. I am due to be making turns on the snow at Coronet Peak on the 4th June (CP's opening date) if all goes to plan weather wise which is looking pretty good right now.

Do you want to improve your skiing? Do you want to be able to ski more difficult terrain? Do you want to learn how to ski? Do you want to ski faster (and stay in control)? Do you want to get more fun out of your skiing?

Come and spend some time with me – I am an internationally qualified ski instructor and ex-trainer/examiner for the New Zealand Snow Sports Alliance. Over the winter skiing months here in Queenstown (June – September) I am available to instruct you and aid your enjoyment in the pastime of skiing at either Coronet Peak or the Remarkables Ski Areas for the 2010 winter. Come ski with me and sharpen up your act!

Private ski lessons are the way forward as they will maximize your time the best and allow you to get the most out of your time on snow. If you want private ski lessons with me make sure to book in now. (I am already booked out for the first 2 weeks of the Aussie school holidays in late June/early July) Please use my online booking form.

This is the first of regular posts that will be coming out each week over the winter so be sure to keep reading if you want the heads up for the slope conditions, ski tips, Salomon ski equipment and lots of other stuff.

Coronet Peak gets 45cms of fresh snow

Over the week end Coronet Peak picked up 45cm of fresh snow and is back at it's best!

All the ski areas picked up something out of the storm and August is looking like its going to continue as a snow month, now is a good time to come to Queenstown for your winter blast on the slopes. September should shape up great too.



Skiing or snowboarding in Queenstown, New Zealand is a little different from most snow resorts around the world. The thing that really stands out apart from the spectacular scenery is that the valley floor is not covered in snow during the winter apart from the odd snow fall that blankets the valley. This means that on any given day you can ski or snowboard in the morning and 20 minutes later be teeing off for a round on one of the many fine golf courses in the Wakatipu Basin. If golf is not your thing then Queenstown offers a variety of other off snow activities that may be more associated with the summer season, fishing, parasailing, bungy jumping, parapente, jet boat rides, rafting and many, many more.



The Wakatipu Basin is home to 5 ski areas, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables near Queenstown and Treble Cone and Cardrona which are closer to the town of Wanaka, about 1:15 hrs drive from Queenstown. Just across the valley from Cardrona is the Snow Park which is home to one of the most impressive Park and Pipe facilities in the world. They also cater to cross country skiers. For the wicked work out you can test your self on a biathlon course, ski – shoot – ski.

The NZSKI areas operate a great bus service from Queenstown to Coronet Peak and free shuttles to the Remarkables. If you are in Queenstown you can get away with not hiring a vehicle although it is handy if you want to go explore some of the other options in the area.

All the ski areas or to be politically correct these days, snow sports areas, offer very different experiences. Between them they most certainly look after the wants and desires of almost all the different wishes a snow sports participant could ask for. But if that is not enough the heli skiing in the region is world class, especially if you get on a Clarke glacier day with Southern Lakes Heli Ski – out of this world! About the only thing I can think that is missing is the lack of tree skiing. All the ski areas are above the native tree line, and introduced species are black listed above the snow line.



The accommodation and eating options are next to endless in Queenstown and are pretty good over the hill in Wanaka too. Fine dinners might want to check out The Bunker in Queenstown. Fergberger offers one of the best casual meals going. For a relaxing day check out Dart River Safaris, make sure it’s a fine day and grab a feed in the GY Cafe while you are there.

Wine buffs will love to taste the most southern pinots in the world, grabbing a wine tour or better still a limo to investigate the delights of the Gibbston Valley, especially good after a wee ski at Coronet Peak in the morning and taking full enjoyment an early tracks pass.

A good time to visit is usually around Aug/Sept for the best snow and avoiding the school holidays. This place is just one big playground!

Make sure to book me for your private ski lessons while you are here enjoying the snow in Queenstown

Natural snowfall hits Queenstown ski areas

After a month of fine weather the weather patterns have changed and the snow has arrived with Coronet Peak getting 12cms overnight and 10cm at the Remarkables. It has continued to snow in the ski areas this morning and they have picked up another 10 or so.

Coronet Peak has had amazing skiing even with the lack of snow over the last month due to the fantastic snow making system with great chalky snow to ski on. Perfect for the NZ schools holidays. Now they have finished it was the perfect time to get some natural snow. It looks like we should get some more later this week on Thursday with another front coming in. My bet is we will now see quite regular snow falls throughout the end of July and August. For those of you heading to Queenstown for some skiing or snowboarding action the next month should be awesome.

The heli skiing is going to be excellent through August so make sure you book with Southern Lakes Heli Ski for your big day out in the mountains.

Ski Tip - approx 25% of your overall body mass is in your arms and hands, make sure you carry them in front of you. You should be able to see your hands at all times while looking straight ahead. If you can't see you hands they are not in the right position and you will tend to have your weight move to far back.

Driving Tip - Make sure you carry chains in your vehicle and know how to put them on. Drive to the conditions!

Snow Blankets Queenstown Great skiing at Coront Peak and The Remarkables

A pretty good size drop of snow for Queenstown. Skiing at Coronet Peak and the Remarkables was going off with 20-30cms added to the great base.

You don't often see the Wakatipu basin quite like this.



If you are headed to Queenstown for some skiing or snowboarding over the next little while you are in for a treat.

Snow on the way for Coronet Peak Queenstown New Zealand

This was the view from Coronet Peak this morning at about 1000 today. The skiing is awesome right now and the base is building slowly but surely. The forecast storm front hit around 15:00 and has dropped a bit of fresh snow on both Coronet Peak and the Remarkables. The temps have also dropped so snow making will be in progress over the next few days just adding to the brilliant early season conditions.

Every run I do on the Salomon Storms skis just makes me love them more. Still need to test them on some hard snow but from what I have found so far they will just eat it up.

Ski Tip - lateral balance. Drag your poles either side of your toes making sure they stay in the snow thru each turn. This will mean you have the correct amount of lateral balance for the slope you are skiing on and you should feel more edge control as a consequence.

Remember to as for me, Simon Wilkinson, when you book your private ski lesson at Coronet Peak.

Also make sure you subscribe and you will get updated automatically each time I put up a new post.

Queenstown skiing just around the corner.

It's raining outside my place here in Queentown New Zealand, in fact it's raining over most of the country right now and even better its cold enough to be snowing at elevation. The snow is meant to be falling to 1100m today and 1200m 2moro which is great news for Coronet Peak. The top of the Coronet Peak sits at 1649m so they are getting it. Mt Hutt in Canterbury has also been receiving snowfall and both areas look likely to get more snow over the next few days. This is exceptional timing as Coronet Peak has a opening date set for 5th June and Ht Hutt 12th June. Hopefully cold temps will follow this storm and Coronet Peak will be able to swing the awesome snow making system into operation.

Due to the very different terrain of the Remarkables ski area and the requirement for a much bigger base of snow to be on the ground before they can get going they open (snow dependent)19th June.

NZSKI have pumpmed a bunch more money into Coronet Peak this season with a new beginners lift which will make life a lot better for all the visiting low intermediate skiers and children. They have also put in place electronic lift passes and a number of other things to make life on the mountains easier and more fun.

I am back on ski school again this year and if you would like to make a booking with me please use my online booking form and secure your time with me early.

Again I am working in closely with R&R Sports in Queenstown (the place to get all your snow gear) and with Salomon NZ (skis). If you need anything head in and see the crew at R&R Sports so you are all ready to go when the Mountains open up.

Keep a watch out for my future ski blogs as the season gets under way - they will be coming on a regular basis.

New Zealands Southern Lakes Ski Areas get Snow

Since my last blog we have had a series of storm fronts drop snow on Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone. All the ski areas further north have also recieved snow.

CP got approximately 20 - 25 cms at the top of the mountain and is skiing and riding very well as it has just topped up the base very nicely.

The heli skiing has also come alive again but due to the very unstable snow pack all the operators are using low angle terrain to negate the avalanche risk.

Unfortunately a heli ski operator near Mt Hutt had a incident yesterday that resulted in the first avalanche fatality in 5 years in NZ. The group had 2 guides with them and were being incredibly careful and still one let rip buring 2 skiers and a partial burial of the 3rd skier. The guides dug out both skiers in 7 minutes but one skier had died most likely from other underlying health issues but this will be clarified over the next few days.

Certainly travel in the back country is not recommended right now as the danger is extreme and avalanches have been running to the ground in places. It would pay to give it a day or two before touring to let things settle and a high degree of caution should be used. It would pay to check with your local ski patrol about conditions and also check out www.avalanche.net.nz for up to date reports.

If you are going into the back country do your homework and take all the safety gear such as transceiver, probe and shovel and know how to use them - your life or your friends life may depend on it!

In the mean time come and have a private ski lesson with me at Coronet Peak and I will give you some useful techniques on how to ski big fat powder so your time in the heli skiing is well used.

The weather looks like we are in for regular snow falls now for the next month so now is certainly the time to get to the snow.

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

Coronet Peak and the Remarkables Skiing well in late June

The Remarkables opened last Saturday with all lifts open (first time ever for opening day)and a good base coverage. More snow will be needed but with the base that is already there its looking like an awesome season ahead to ski the Remarks.

The last week has seen quite a bit of flight disruption with the cold temps trapping a fog layer in the Wakatipu basin and quite a few flights have been diverted or cancelled, flying in later in the day seems the best option as the valley fog seems to clear late each day.

While the fog has been in the valley, Coronet Peak has been in the sunshine but as the temps have been cold up there they have been pumping snow out with all guns blazing and continuing to cover the Peak in armarnie snow. The Peak is skiing great and the snow is very grippy and also very squeaky.

Going into winter festival next week with such fantastic snow coverage is going to make a lot of people happy.

I will look forward to seeing you on the slopes and remember to ask for Simon Wilkinson when you book your private ski lesson at Coronet Peak Snow Sports School.

The 2009 New Zealand Winter snow season is gearing up

The last 3 weeks has seen some amazing weather delivering a huge amount of snow to the mountains of the South Island of New Zealand. Queenstown and the Southern Lakes has been getting blitzed by tons of snow.

Coronet Peak is reporting a 80cm base

Remarkables and 130 cm base

Considering I live just below CP and Re i can testify that they are on the money with the snow depth reporting.

There will be lots of excited skiers and snowboarders getting geared up for the opening of Coronet Peak on the 6th of June.

We are stil getting snow today and some more is forecast for later in the week with a big high ridging in after that which wil supply the cold temperatures required for snow making.

We normally say that the snow in May never stays but this time I think it is going and the start of the season will be off to a cracker. The long term forecast for the winter is also good with plenty of good storm system that should deliver plenty of snow for the South Island and North Island ski fields.

I will be starting fairly regular updates to my ski blog from now on - stay tuned!

Light snow falling at Coronet Peak

Today saw cold temps at Coronet Peak but very good snow and skiing conditions. The morning Coronet stayed mostly under the cloud layer and the snow was in great winter nick. Around 1230 snow stared falling and it may turn out the they pick up 5 cms during the night. Tomorrow should be a pretty good day before the next storm rolls in and more snow is expected. Treble Cone and Cardrona will have picekd up some good snow today and my pick would be to get to TC for tommorrow - no face shots unless you are a telemarker but should be good. The Remarkables have started to come on in the last week or two and is getting a base building up so if the snow arrives this week it will be also worth a visit. The Doolans have been skiing well.

The rest of the week is looking a bit manky but we should see snow on and off for most of it with fall late thurs early friday and the a clearing trend towards the weekend and early next week.

Everywhere is skiing well right now and the cold temperatures are keeping the snow in good nick.

If you have the cash - b looking for a heliski day for the week end or early next week - conditions should be great in the backcountry after what we get this week.

Tight Lines,

Simon

Official Opening Day at Cornet Peak

Coronet Peak put on a good show today for all with a 1/2 price deal on almost everything - a lot of people took full advantage of course. It was also the the official opening of the new facilities with Helen Clarke amongst the guests for the ceremony. The new base facilities handled the big crowds easily and made it appear that it wasn't actually busy at all - the cars were parked on the side of the road a long, long way down the hill below the car parks!

The skiing/riding is surprisingly good with the man made product being pumped out at full noise. With all the main trails open the crowd thinned out very well over the mountain. The forecast front arrived about midday and has produced a small amount of natural snow over the course of the afternoon but nothing major - maybe it will keep snowing tonite with some luck. The on piste snow quality is pretty good with the technology in the new guns pumping out wet gorilla snot but nice light dry snow. 10 more cms and Coronet Peaks' off piste will open up - keep your fingers crossed! It is rumored that the Remarkables will open on Monday 30th June and I am sure there will be a lot of snow borders checking out the stash. I hope that the Remarkables side of the Whakatipu Basin may have received a bit more snow today than Coronet Peak.

Well my new skis - WICKED. The Rossignol Z10's are great - straight out of the factory and on snow and they ripped. The ski has plenty of grunt when required but if you back off they still ski well. I managed to get a little in the back seat a couple of times and watch out the are fairly ferocious back there --- it took a bit of recovering to stop going down in a screaming heap. They ski a GS and Medium radius tun very well but I found a little slow edge to edge for cranking short radius turns which is to be expected considering the width under the foot. I will be interested to see when I get the new arms attached how the go in a short Radius turn. Given that it was all on piste skiing today they performed as good as they are designed and look. I have a feeling from todays performance that they will rip off piste too. Anybody who is a top end (NZ level 6) skier will like these skis a lot. If this is you and you are in the market for a new ride check them out you will enjoy them! So where to from here with the Z10's - I will ski then one more day with the factory tune and then I will get them tuned to my liking and see what happens (I imagine they will only ski better) and of course get them in some off piste terrain, try the different arms and keep testing. I will keep you posted on what I learn about the awesome Z10.

I will take my flip vid and shoot some footage to load up 2moro if possible.