Southern Lakes including Queenstown and Wanaka
Free and Independent
So nice to see Ruapehu get a good old fashioned dump. "Snow flakes straight from heaven" as they said. Seasonal workers were thrown a life line as many were ready to bale, nervous local businesses heaved a collective sigh of relief and North Island snowfers skipped a heart beat. TV One had a series of live crosses from the Chateau bathed in white and looking beautiful. Both fields are expecting to open although with limited high mountain lifts only.
With the weather the way it is we got slammed in Queeners as well. Can you believe it! Road conditions got pretty interesting and a number of people had their ambitions and their abilities confused. Roads all over the country were closed with Central Otago in grid lock, heck I even had to tow the baby sitter up our driveway!
Follow this up with some cold temperatures and clear nights and Wednesday was the best day for 3 to 4 years. And what was Ev doing? Sitting in a conference all day with the curtains pulled tight shut ... aaaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh
Evan " so fwustwated " Bloomfield
View our previous snow reports online.
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>================ Last Issue
KiwiNewZ SnowReports on TV One, more weather reports on the web, Oz gets some snow , Queenstown Winter Festival does it again.>================ We Get Mail - Comments and tips from SnowReport readers
Tony Partington Organization: Fisher & Paykel
"I'm predicting a big dump on Sunday 25th July. No science behind this one, it's my bro's birthday and I'm desperate for some good, cheap skiing ! Keep up the good work, Tony"
Sorry Tony, pretty close but it was Monday! And so we have another winner. Boy that's 3 in one year! We had over 10 correct entries with most of these coming in a day or two before the big day.
And the winner is Lesley Collett from Australia. Go Lesley! She guessed the correct date over three weeks before it even happened. Now that's cool. So Lesley wins two nights accommodation in a luxury apartment in Queenstown.
The competition starts all over and however you guess what the weather does make sure you enter our competition to guess the date when snow will next fall on the trees in our CoronetCam and you could win two free nights accommodation in a luxury Queenstown apartment!
>================ Austrian Olympic Ski Team
Well it has become an annual pilgrimage and the Austrian Olympic Ski Team is back. The Austrian team arrived in Wanaka recently and will begin their training at Treble Cone at the end of the week. The squad includes double Olympic gold medalist Hermann Maier, you may remember his flying antics in the Nagano Winter Olympics, see our August 1998 issue for more about Hermann..
The team will train from 7.00am to 9.30am every morning and the public can view these amazing athletes during the last half hour of training on 'Main Street' run.
>================ Halfpipe and Giant Slalom at Cardrona
A large field of eighty riders took to the halfpipe today in the K2 Snowboard Challenge event held at Cardrona Alpine Resort last weekend. The pipe chosen for the event was the 'Monster'. "It was an obvious choice due to it's size"- according to head judge Ste'en Webster. "Big walls allow the good riders to really gain a lot of air out of the pipe. It's what the spectators come for as well."
The halfpipe event is the first of four regional qualifying events being held for the NZ Snowboard Nationals later in the year. In the women's event Australian champion Sasha Rhzy gave the Kiwi girls a scare. Going into the finals in top place. However, with two good high scoring runs local Julianne Bray came through a clear winner. ' Behind those two Suzy Parker, 1998 NZ champion and Rachel Newton.
The men's field contained many of the best Kiwi riders and the final dozen riders were getting up to 2.5m clear of the pipe. Number 2 ranked Japanese rider Tsuyoshi Fujiso put in some very technical runs but was unable to get in range of high flying Dylan Butt and settled for third. Dylan also left Quentin Robbins in a distinct second place. Dylan's three final runs were the top 3 scores of the day.
Next day fifty riders took to the giant slalom course in the K2 Snowboard Challenge event. The competitors were riding hard and fast with some new kids on the block blasting there way to the forefront this year . Rachel Newton clearly won the women's division, while Vicky Course (2) and Jana Gibson (3) were hot on the tails. The men's races were also extremely tight. Kota Sudo, from Japan, and Martin Sporli, from New Zealand, raced fiercely against each others times today. Although Martin produced the fastest time of the day in his second run, his overall time wasn't quite fast enough to beat Kota. Greg Prouse came in close behind in third.
>================ Coronet Peak
Recent Snow falls
|
Base
|
Top
|
|
|
13 June
|
10cm
|
15cm
|
|
16 June
|
2cm
|
5cm
|
|
26 June
|
10cm
|
15cm
|
|
03 July
|
80cm
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1m +
|
|
08 July
|
5cm
|
10cm
|
|
12 July
|
3cm
|
|
|
26 July
|
15cm
|
15cm
|
|
27 July
|
25cm
|
25cm
|
A brilliant couple of days snow 26 - 27 July. Not much wind, light and fluffy. Pity about the visibility! If you were on the Peak at 2.30am Monday26 July you would have hit the tiny weather window - and had time for 3 epic rides. Then of course biG Wednesday. ooohhh aaaahh
Don't stress, I missed it and I live here!
>================ Cardrona
Recent Snow falls
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Base
|
Top
|
|
|
13 June
|
10cm
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|
|
14 June
|
5cm
|
|
|
26 June
|
8cm
|
|
|
03 July
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70cm
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1m +
|
|
08 July
|
8cm
|
|
|
12 July
|
2cm
|
|
|
26 July
|
5cm
|
5cm+
|
|
27 July
|
25cm
|
25cm+
|
Halfpipes gradually opening after the big snow of the last few days. Skiercross meets Boardercross this Sunday with skiers taking on the Boardercross course minus their poles. Grab three mates and go for it!
>================ Treble Cone
Recent Snow falls
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Base
|
Top
|
|
|
13 June
|
5cm
|
15 - 20cm
|
|
26 June
|
5cm
|
12cm
|
|
03 July
|
65cm
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1m +
|
|
08 July
|
5cm
|
|
|
12 July
|
7cm
|
|
|
26 July
|
3cm
|
5cm
|
|
27 July
|
15cm
|
15cm
|
Very dry and wind affected in exposed places with some deep pockets of snow blown into the gullies. Current snowbase is 35 to 85 cms with excellent skiing and riding conditions.
New terrain park is open and going off! Feedback from riders has so far been fantastic. Treble Cone is offering all season pass holders from other mountains a $10 day pass from Saturday 31st July until Friday 6th August, now that a deal!
The Boardhouse Boardercross series kicks off this Sunday with race one of a four-race series. Open to individuals or teams of three, the Boardercross will be one of the most exciting events on the mountain this year. Entry is on the day and costs $10 for individuals and $25 for teams. Registration is between 9.00am and 10.00am in the Treble Cone cafe.
>================ The Remarkables
Recent Snow falls
|
Base
|
Top
|
|
|
13 June
|
10cm
|
|
|
19 June
|
6cm
|
8cm
|
|
26 June
|
10cm
|
15cm
|
|
03 July
|
1m +
|
1.2m +
|
|
08 July
|
5cm
|
8cm
|
|
12 July
|
5cm
|
|
|
26 July
|
15cm
|
15cm+
|
|
27 July
|
15cm
|
25cm
|
30 - 40 cm of new snow in the last few days with all those big pockets and guts filling in. The Remarks was closed on Tuesday which meant that yep, you guessed it and Hamish called it right .... " for those who know what I mean it will be one of those vintage Remarkables days" - yep it's big Wednesday again..
So picture this - we've got the learners on the groomed slopes cracking a tan in the sun and the experts conducting some frenzied, frenetic and fabulous deep south snow exploration all oVEr the mountain. Now you have to work a bit for these runs, a ten minute walk here, long traverse there and bugger me if you don't have to take your skis or board off and get in a truck for one run!
But this is vintage. Long constant pitches. Tight chutes bound by large cliffs onto a frozen Lake. Acres of wide open panorama and snow. And the snow ...... There were a few shattered locals in town after an intense session of mountain madness - you know the feeling - dead tired bones, a warm glow on the face and a big grin all through your inside!
Sometimes it just pays to listen to those snow reports.
>+++ Thanks to our sponsor == Cardrona Alpine Resort
Cardrona's fourth Halfpipe new this year is aptly named the Rookie and is the ideal introductory pipe, perfect for those first tentative launches in to space. And to shape them all up is the 'Pipe Master' shaping blade.
Check out Cardrona's daily field image at;
>================ Queenstown Winter Festival 2000
July 15 to July 23 year 2000. Be here. It'll be big.
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>================ Contact Details
Evan Bloomfield fx +64 3 442 8342
PO Box 2125
Queenstown 9197
AOTEAROA
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