Snowy tracks (Big Chills of 2011)

Perfect winter conditions have often drawbacks for Ruapehu skiers.

So this beautiful sunny day, when everyone was dreaming about skiing in rare powder snow conditions on the mount, Mountain road was blocked from early morning by a sad bus accident on 18km(?).

Even when the road was eventually opened just after 12am, it took 2..3 hours for most determined ones to get to the fields.

We gave up and turned back at the ~6th kilometre, taking an opportunity, however, for a magical walk along snowy Blyth track.

Skiing 2010c, spring time

Spring time of year 2010 on and around Ruapehu.

Rapidly melting snow, slushy trails and teeth or rocks everywhere. On the plus side there is no struggle with the ice and you land safer when jumping.

Much of the season snow level was just above 1 metre mark. The weather was not too good either, allowing just a few days of full day skiing in some of the months (September for instance)

Nevertheless, many of skiers/snowboarders managed to do 10 or even 20 good days (for myself it was 9), and still, in the middle of October there were plenty of good rides on the upper mountains.

Kites Festival

Each year, on a second day of a new year Kites Festival happens on Chateau Tongariro golf course.

Sir E. Hillary Pursuit centre

Exercising ground of the Sir Edmund Hillary Pursuit centre.

Nice for stretching muscles, practising balance and good fun over all.

But be careful to escape without injuries.

Skiing sceneries 2007

This day Turoa forecast was not promising and we made the wise decision to go Whakapapa.

Few beautiful scenery pictures from there.

Skiing 2010a, morning exercises

It can sound odd - to do a 5km run in the morning before 6 hours of skiing, but in fact this is a nice warm up exercise. It is as pleasant as helpful to lower risk of injuries in the first hours on the slopes.

Try it yourself next time.

Mountain Bath

This is a real spell of the mountain in summer time.

Highlanders say bathing in snowy streams drops 10 years off your age.