Kiwi Snow Reports, New Zealand

July 12, 2001 - Free and Independent

Kia Ora

Cold? Mates!

A doozy of a stable weather system for the last 2 weeks over the south island with a high dominating proceedings and no precipitation since June 28. Squirrel Lake near Hamner froze over for the first time in 12 years, Alexandra had a day time high of 0 degrees Celsius and didn't see the sun in 10 days for icy damp fog cover, Queenstown had a July average MaximuM of 7.7 degrees Celsius and the hoar frost through central Otago was spectacular.

In between all of this 250 curlers got a chance to have their first bonspiel for five years on 6 1/2 inches of ice at the Idaburn Dam - "good keen ice" as they say.

The snow has stayed remarkably good. In fact some good dry frosts really improved it. Not much off the main trail and yes we need more. Well don't you always?

Evan " my pond froze over " Bloomfield

>== This Issue

** snow takes
** fresh snow
** CMA
** snow forecasts
** snow area reports
** fly to snow
** queenstown winter snow festival
** last snowy newZ
** Subscribe and unsubsnow information

>== Snow Takes

<Ruggers off> So much cold all premier games in the Otago Countrywide competition were called off one Saturday because the grounds were frozen. Softies.

< Racers > You know what I mean. Alpine ski racers. Bashing the sticks. Flashing the ultra kit. Doing things with skis you didn't believe was possible. Plenty of them about this winter with Japanese, Italian, Swiss and German teams scheduled to train at Coronet Peak. Things are pretty intense with the Winter Olympics just around the corner. Great visuals from the chair.

< Retail is busy > And all you keen snowfers that saved on season passes have splurged on a new board or skis. Snow shops are busy up and down the country with many reporting record sales and yes they are getting a bit short on selected items .... if you are in the market let your fingers do the walking.

< solo on a mountain > Thumbs up to 25 year old Auckland climber Glenn Pennycook who made the first solo winter ascent of Mt Cook's Caroline face via the Denz route. Onya Glenn. So who is Denz anyway?

< DJs galore > The DJ scene is going off in Queenstown with some hot acts from all parts of the globe priming the early morning scene downtown. Check it. Tune in to The Studio on 96.8FM for a 24 hour dance party beamed direct to your living room, hotel suite or camper.

>== Fresh Snow

Nope hasn't been a whole lot of snow for the last two weeks. Remarks got 3cm on the 12th of July with Cardrona claiming a "skiff", or should that be "wiff"?

To be brutally honest we need some snow seriously. If you are planning a trip here in the next few weeks pray. Hard. It's early in the season so watch the rocks hiding out back. Plenty of horror stories off-piste with boards and bodies getting trashed. Main trails are still in pretty good nick.

Here's a nice little table showing reported new snow falls from four of the local fields. A few gaps coz getting some of this information is like trying to find snow in the Sahara .... but you get the picture.

Up to the contents

>== CMA

Calcium Magnesium Acetate. Heard of it? Neither had I.

See with the cold and the like we have seen some wild driving conditions and the roads around much of the lower south island have at times resembled the Iraqi retreat from Kuwait .... oohhh, aaggh, OK bad taste but you get the picture.

Two weeks of clear frosten star clad nights and a lowly orbiting sun combined to lay down a nice slick in places on the road. Heck. Even shed gurrl did a 180 and ended up in the ditch. Thankfully most of the accidents have been slow speed and un spectacular.

Now icy roads aren't the only problem. The "ice grit" that is applied currently ends up stacked after a while at the side of the road. Waiting for a wandering wheel. In some instances more slippery than the original ice it was due to deal with.

So that's where CMA comes in. It's a "highway deicing material". An "alternative deicer that has fewer adverse environmental effects than road salt".

Are we worried? Well manufacturers claim it helps protect the environment! Just like liming a garden. Not only is it non corrosive but they claim it acts as a corrosion inhibitor! Too much.

The United States geological survey "The Effect of Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) Deicing Material on the Water Quality of Bear Creek" in 1999 measured streamflow, precipitation, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and water temperature for one winter. The conclusion? "There was no measurable effect of the application of CMA to Highway 26 on the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), calcium concentration, or magnesium concentration of Bear Creek and its tributaries". Hmmmm.

So why aren't we using it already? Maybe because it is $3,000 a ton.++++-

Up to the contents

>== snow forecasts

Last issue I had a weee blurt about Snow Forecast New Zealand and invited you over to be an official beta tester. We had excellent responses from 26 people and some great ideas on improving content and navigation. Some of these we have already we have put in to effect while others require a bit of tinkering with the thousands of lines of programming code.

One person didn't like the colour scheme :-(

One of the more interesting ideas was to get some Australian's to post some controversial remarks on our Snow Forecast Forum. See heaps of people are looking but no one is talking! Any takers over there?

Our SnowMaps or colour coded birds eye view forecasts proved to be a winner with one suggestion that we provide a 3 day accumulated snow fall forecast rather than just 48 hours out. Well that makes sense.

So thanks to all you beta testers and the lucky winner of the free weekend in a luxury Queenstown apartment is Andy Bond in Australia. Onya Andy and give me an email to collect your prize.

New Zealand Snow Forecasts
http://www.snow-forecastnz.com/
Mountain weather for outdoor people.

Up to the contents

>== snow area reports

The Southern Lakes has been blessed with 14 odd days in a row of crystal clear blue skies and sod all wind. Packed snow with cold dry temperatures.

Idyllic conditions for the school holidays. Pretty busy with lots of families and Cardrona even announcing one day that they would reach capacity by midday and a couple of the fields running out of hire gear!

Night skiing / boarding underway for 2001 at Coronet Peak. Waddya say? Sweeet. Generally Friday and Saturday night until mid September but as you can see from this shot open for group hire! Limited off trail on the upper mountain and main trails on the lower. Great for beginners, intermediates and pros warming up for the real season.

Snow making is pretty limited due to a lack of water. Darn.

Things are looking OK at The Remarkables. Tubing is in full swing and Homeward bound hit the season with a bang although it is looking a little brown at the bottom presently.

Cardrona Lifting seven tonnes of snow at a time in its massive 11m bucket, Cardrona's monster new loader is revitalising the slopes. They say it has moved over 1,500 cubic metres of snow in just three nights. Pick me!

Patches of hard packed snow (ice some may say but then we are being pc here) emerging in the afternoon along with the odd stray rock on the lower double and rollovers. 100% Learner, 100% Intermediate, 50% Advanced.

Friday 13th ( eek ) was the first big event of the season with 30 top kiwi riders putting on a spectacle in The Snowboard Jam and Saturday 14th
Pipe Event for skiers! They say twin tips are making skiing "cool" again. Hmmm, I thought it always was?

Treble Cone Low overnight temperatures (around the minus 8 Celsius on many
nights) meant some vigorous snow making including the lower main trails. In the Saddle Basin and on the upper part of the main basin, the snow is chalky and responsive - remaining very dry and providing very nice skiing and riding conditions especially in the shady parts of gullies where there is some loose wind-drifted powder. In the lower part of the main basin, it is best to stick to the main trails - Triple Treat or Main Street.

Well a bit brave of me to pretend to do a snow report about OZ but having had a quick look at the forums at Sno-Info I got the following up close and personal ......;

Falls Creek, the disaster ..... Friday night ( 6 July ) saw 30cm of dry powder snow-time to celebrate which the whole village did!! Some of the heaviest snow I have seen. Then about 1.00am it hit. 92mm of rain till 3.00pm Sunday. Virtually all the snow has gone,including extensive snowmaking over the back. There is no skiable stuff left .....

I am sure things have changed by now ....

Up to the contents

>== fly to snow

Now when you gotta go, you gotta go. And truth is, when you get down to it, there is only one real choice in New Zealand. Queenstown. Scheduled flight, less than half an hour to the snow. We are talking flying to the back door step here.

QANTAS started their trans Tasman flights from Sydney and Brisbane on Saturday 7 July scheduled every Saturday till September 29. QANTAS are code sharing with Origin Pacific in New Zealand and currently have no direct flight from Auckland.

Air New Zealand have the wider range of flights which being the national carrier is I guess to be expected.

Prices? Well you would have to say they are pretty similar. Bring on Virgin Blue! Prices below are return full fare ( 21 day advanced purchase in brackets ) and times are depart / arrive.

Up to the contents

>== queenstown winter festival

Yep it's festival time again and locals and visitors alike are trying to sort through the myriad of events in and around Queenstown .... suitcase race or bird man, dog barking or the night glow, big air or the jazz night .....

To check out what you are missing out on see our winter festival page or the official page;
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz/

For some up to date reporting and pics try Boarderzone.com or the Southland Times.

Coming next year are we?

>++ Outside Sports - Proud to sponsor Kiwi Snow Reports

>== last snowy newZ

22 June 2001 - so long? Collar gone, short takes, fresh snow, Queens Birthday bash, win with snow forecasts, snow field reports, we have a winner, make a snowflake.

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Up to the contents

>================ Contact Details

Evan Bloomfield
Email: evan@KiwiNewZ.com
fx +64 3 442 8342
PO Box 2125
Queenstown 9197
AOTEAROA
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