South Of The Equator Conditions - Page 2

We now have a repeat of last weekends snow storms ... getting better all the time.

Oz

Things have finally started to cool down and we should be seeing some action this week.

Mt Hutt is opening Wednesday 16 June, Corontet Peak on 19 June.

Full story http://www.nzski.com/nzskicom/news_i...sletterId=1994

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Winter has not yet arrived in the South Island of NZ yet. In Christchurch our average temperatures this month have been 5 to 6 degress above normal for this time of the year. So the mountains are looking very sad, or should I say brown. Hutt opened for a few days but rain and warm wind have made things look very grim. It is supposed to cool down over the next few days, fingers crossed.

Well I'm in NZ now, and I can attest that things around here are looking pretty bleak so far.. The temperatures over the last couple days have been below zero at night, and between 5-10 degrees during the day.. I was out to Porter Heights today, and they were blowing snow, but we need to get a big storm. Hopefully it will come this week, locals are saying it should. Friends of mine that were out to both Mt. Hutt and Craigieburn say that they are also pretty much snowless, however Hutt did have one or two runs open, but rocky. I've been told by everyone around here that there have been late seasons in the past, and really it doesn't start really snowing around here until July, so it'll come..

Anyway, happy skiing for those of you lucky enough to be doing so now, or soon!

Cheers,

Evan

Sorry kiwis and aussies we gauchos are having a good early season .All first line resorts are open.
Let's hope the winter shows up there soon! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Just had another very warm weekend, groan.........

But the good news is that a cold front is on its way tonight. Maybe winter is finally arriving. Our weather is going crazy, last week we had a -10 degree ground frost in the city and then it got up to over 15 degrees celcius during the day. The ground frost was a new record for Christchurch but we are having our warmest June ever. No wonder all the skiers and ski area workers are getting a bit restless.

it is finally snowing at the South Island ski areas, fingers crossed it will continue [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

We've been skiing for a month already here in Chile, for this weekend we expect heavy snowing, it looks fine.

edox, pleased to hear there is snow somewhere in the southern hemisphere. We have had our shortest day with no real skiing available, in the northern hemisphere they have had their longest and Bob has been skiing at Jackson Hole. Weird!

Before we had snow making, very few ski areas opened before July, sometimes mid July. Now have snow making everyone expects to start skiing in June. Just have to be paitent.

[ July 03, 2003, 12:34 AM: Message edited by: julie from nz ]

According to our weather forecasters, we are going to get the 'worst polar blast in 25 years' to hit the country. Cool, I just hope it makes it to the ski areas and does not go up the east coast like it sometimes does. But then sometimes our weather forecasters have been known to get it wrong, but I am being optimistic. The farmers are hoping they are wrong.

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3882-2496534,00.html

I am off for the first Oz junior ski team adventure tomorrow. As far as my on slope secret ski reporter tells me it is pretty crap at the moment. Oh well how much snow do two kids really need to light up the hill.

Julie you should be getting something by now. The surf and winter weather north of Sydney has been Epic these past two weeks. Something must be bashing NZ. Nice big clean waves, lots of sunshine, a bbbbbrisk offshore wind and just the local winter water men getting amongst it .... paradise.

I will report in a week.

Oz

[ July 03, 2003, 11:33 PM: Message edited by: man from Oz ]

Yes.

add 60cm last Staurday

add 80cm yesterday

Yep the snow was crap. Thredbare lived up to its well deserved name. I asked the ticket guy what they charged for a day ticket when they actually have snow

PerisherBlue was a big improvement on Thredbare BUT still crap. Some fresh way outside on Eyre lift and in the trees on the Guthega side. Major brown stains on the high traffic areas. It was nice skiing on hardpack again and getting some edge work happening. Skied with Dis and she was making some nice "modern" carve turns, looking very centered and not freeking out about skiing with the crazy men Oz junior squad. (#1 son thrives on cliffs, speed and air)

Dumping snow when we left today after a wild night of rain and hairy bath foam falling from the heavens. It will be good this week if it keeps on snowing on sunday BUT watch out because 20cms off fresh on exposed granite makes for a pretty grinding time. I reckon next weekend (around the 20th) will be good after this dump and what looks like a bigger one later in the week.

On the bright side the CCGS ski team (5 kids from year 4) cleaned up the Northern Region Interschools (Div 4) championship in both Freestyle and Alpine events (first time entered). A small talented bunch of 9\10 year olds looking very smooth and relaxed on snow. There goes another retirement plan ...... as we head back down around the 20th to guide #1 son on the finer points of ski racing in preparation for the State Interschools. I guess it must be time we stopped crashing the shredders terrain and hit the racecourse.

Kids make skiing all brand new again.

Maybe a second mortgage will get us some of this Chile powder ....

Oz [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ July 12, 2003, 02:20 AM: Message edited by: man from Oz ]

Well - now that I have a computer & a pjone line again(instead of stealing time during coffee at work while hoping no-one comes in with a nice gory wound the hospital has stuffed around with - I can give some reports...

Thredbo was WORSE today than last time I skied it (is that possible) - some nice off-piste near Karels but High Noon's steep pitch is a sheet of BROWN ice (yes BROWN!!!! - Oz can explain this phenomenon...)

Oz is as usual being a gentleman.... Dis was skiing VERY badly on a new pair of skis.... & was sooking a little...
Seems Dis's instructor was using the 'ski elsewhere' phase to test out how well Dis could cope with the change - he happened to be at Blue Cow & saw us (he says he waved) ... just he FORGOT to mention he would be there for race training that day...
(Oz - seems he had about 2-3 degrees extra base bevel on those skis - hence my bleats about not being able to 'feel' my edges)

& now he is being modest - number 1 son has his fathers great balance & athleticism (Grrrr )

Yes

Skied Perisher today - also worse than last week....

Hoping for snow [img]smile.gif[/img]

Xtreme V, Hows Las Lenas going? We had some good snow at the begining but it's been a bit too sunny lately. Heading up to Mt Buller tomorrow but I think I'll need to tune my edges to be razor sharp.

What is your average base in August? Is there much steep stuff? Do you think Las Lenas is the best in South America?

dumping, dumping, dumping .... the snow gods private party storm is here. Just about to leave work for the 8 hour haul from Newcastle. yehhharrrgggggg.

Thursday 24th 2003.

Oz :

It's here!!!!!!!!!!!

And what a dump!

Any Oz skier not on the hill this weekend must be insane.

Hotham here I come! 2WD not even allowed access! 4WD fitting chains at the base!

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I'm not there this weekend

BUT

I was there Thursday & Friday & will be there Mon - Thursday [img]tongue.gif[/img]

About 40cm of fresh all over the place. (not 1.5m as Thredbo reckoned ... sheesh)What the snow report neglected to say was that it basically fell on grass as the rain washed the pretty thin cover away.

But

Saturday was a yo yo pow pow day on Mt. Perisher. First tracks down Back P in the morning and then full day hunting on Mt P. Excellent.

Sunday was a wind blown fluff blue sky day at Thredbo skiing with me mate Fast and cutting it up. Lots of new cornices and all the big rocks covered for some air time. Man those Thredbo skiers think they are something "special" [img]graemlins/evilgrin.gif[/img]

The weekend attracted the "core skiers" together from all over the country and some excellent skiing and socialising was in order. I saw faces I had not seen in 15 years.

So the season has shaped up again and some more on the way this week. Not epic conditions but still a very nice day out if you can get amongst it.

Back to work .............

Oz :

purfect snow in Oz ... watch out for terrorists though

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[ July 31, 2003, 06:20 AM: Message edited by: man from Oz ]

Had a fun day skiing The Bluff at Thredbo...
Nice windblown snow .... mmmmm.... pity I had to ride Ramshead & Basin T-Bar to get there as Kosci Express, Anton & Sponars were on windhold due to the wind (well there was a land gale warning so I suppose I'm lucky that Basin ran)

R word due tomorrow

Poured rain all last night - can see the ground coming through

Went down for a lesson this morning & my 2 instructors turned me back as teh reports from race guys was lots of rocks etc popping through.... 5degress up top...

Supposed to turn to snow tonight & tomorrow... - hope so ... bored sitting here watching the white stuff wash away!

So I just returned from 8 days of skiing in Portillo, Chile. The weather was great, spring skiing and the views are spectacular. They still have not received snow since the beginning of August so the conditions were rather hard packed. But if you hiked you were able to get some great spring turns in.
The Austrian speed team and the US women's ski team were practicing down there this past week and were enjoying the hard packed conditions so much that they were sometimes able to practice until 1 or 2 oclock in the afternoon.
If anyone is thinking of taking a ski trip down to Portillo it is definitely well worth the trip.

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Snow at Perisher has been excellent. Last weekend was one of the best couple of days I have had skiing in the last 3 seasons. Days number 28 and 29 coming up tomorrow. Yee hah.

They have had over 70cm in since Saturday night and it is still snowing. remember this is usually the last 2 weeks of our season.

[ September 16, 2003, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Moose21 ]

Last Sunday was just brilliant at Hotham.

Falls has 216cm and climbing, should be awesome by the weekend!

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[ September 16, 2003, 07:11 AM: Message edited by: Bec ]

Seems like the fat lady is singing in Chile. Portillo was super warm last week, and the reports from El Colorado and Valle Nevado were discouraging. Generally, a lousy season in Chile.