International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) 2022 Southern Hemisphere Ski Resort/Conditions/Meetups

[James]

It's not the muted heart. It's the friggn racing heart, chest pains and crushing fatigue she's experiencing on any given day. Last couple of weeks felt like back to back episodes of ER. Heart tests apparently showing nothing. Appears she just lost the long covid lottery.

Damn, sorry to hear that! How does Australia view Long Covid? It’s a mixed bag here.

After Months Of A Racing Heart And Burning Feet, A COVID Long-Hauler Gets A Diagnosis

Jennifer Minhas is among those who suffer lingering problems after COVID-19. A diagnosis of POTS, a little-known circulation disorder that mostly affects women, offers a way forward.

www.npr.org

 

[Stacks]

In that case I'll withdraw my " No friends on powder days "comment
I had covid in March 2020 and still feel some tiredness due to it.
I hope she gets better soon
Kind Regards

Likewise, still trying to fully recover from Covid about 8 weeks post first symptoms. Lots of fatigue, 'brain fog'. Amazed that I could ski at all but in truth you just have to point them downhill and then let gravity take over.

 

[geepers]

Damn, sorry to hear that! How does Australia view Long Covid? It’s a mixed bag here.

After Months Of A Racing Heart And Burning Feet, A COVID Long-Hauler Gets A Diagnosis

Jennifer Minhas is among those who suffer lingering problems after COVID-19. A diagnosis of POTS, a little-known circulation disorder that mostly affects women, offers a way forward.

www.npr.org

We're about to find out. Mostly seems to be blundering around in the dark, eliminating what it isn't. Lot of head scratching by the medicos.

Australia has a both public and private health resources. The public system typically works well for anyone turning up with an emergency condition (broken bones, heart attack). If it's not an emergency but merely a condition that renders you unable to work or enjoy life then there's a lot of waiting around or referring to private.

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

Well. What can I say? New Zealand has this year seen record snow falls and coverage in the South Island and virtually the complete opposite in the North Island
Turoa and Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu have had virtually no snow.

I've logged twenty one days so far, by driving to the South Island fields on two separate trips ,where the snow coverage and conditions have mostly been exceptional. I've just booked yet another Cook Strait ferry sailing on the 15th to finish my season off in the South Island

Here's a couple of photos. First is looking up to the top 1/3 of Turoa and the second is looking up at the middle 1/3
Turoa has a base elevation of 1620 mts and a top of 2322mts .Unfortunately its been a warm wet winter in the north

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

 

[geepers]

Well. What can I say? New Zealand has this year seen record snow falls and coverage in the South Island and virtually the complete opposite in the North Island
Turoa and Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu have had virtually no snow.

I've logged twenty one days so far, by driving to the South Island fields on two separate trips ,where the snow coverage and conditions have mostly been exceptional. I've just booked yet another Cook Strait ferry sailing on the 15th to finish my season off in the South Island

Here's a couple of photos. First is looking up to the top 1/3 of Turoa and the second is looking up at the middle 1/3
Turoa has a base elevation of 1620 mts and a top of 2322mts .Unfortunately its been a warm wet winter in the north

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

View attachment 177253
View attachment 177252

Wow, those northern fields not so good.

What's the story with the slides that closed Saddle at Treble Cone late August?

 

[geepers]

@Decreed_It - may have missed it but haven't seen any comment re your trip to an Aussie ski resort. Hopefully it wasn't too bad...

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

Wow, those northern fields not so good.

What's the story with the slides that closed Saddle at Treble Cone late August?

There's some great drone footage showing the terrain of Saddle Basin

 

[jimtransition]

Wow, those northern fields not so good.

What's the story with the slides that closed Saddle at Treble Cone late August?

It rained really hard and saturated the snowpack down to the ground. I don't think it has reopened.

Cold day today, actually the first snowflakes I have seen down in town.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I've logged twenty one days so far, by driving to the South Island fields on two separate trips ,where the snow coverage and conditions have mostly been exceptional. I've just booked yet another Cook Strait ferry sailing on the 15th to finish my season off in the South Island

Do you mainly ski the weekends? How have the lift lines been with all that good snow?

 

[James]

There's some great drone footage showing the terrain of Saddle Basin

That’s one of the best spins to “it’s going to pour rain, then freeze up solid”, I’ve seen.

 

[Stacks]

Saddle Basin at TC opening today again but you have to hike to get there as the access cat track is too dangerous with avi risk. Also fairly limited terrain in the Saddle available with large areas roped off still because of the glide crack risk. Such an upside down season, started with so much promise and then washed out with rain and warm temps. Still have heard that it was snowing to lake level yesterday so maybe we get a late charge at it.

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

Do you mainly ski the weekends? How have the lift lines been with all that good snow?

Pretty much depends on how much skiing I managed to get in during the week days and what conditions are going to be like.
I’ll always ski club fields on weekends but If it’s a commercial field, I’ll try to avoid them as a rule due to the expected queues

 

[Decreed_It]

hey @geepers sorry been crazy here with life and stupid adulting stuff. Moved house twice since we got here - finally landed in the 'permanent' home so haven't been online much.

I posted this review on ski.com.au forum after my 1 day at Thredbo. Hope you enjoy - some of this was addressing discussion there. Good bunch on that site.

First time skiing in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia, August . . . lots of firsts checked off. I'm on the Ikon pass and not a fan of Vail (Epic/Perisher) so it was an easy call. Ski a lot in North America, favorite is Altabird (Alta, Snowbird) in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, US of A.

What to say. Welp, the weather reminded me of home skiing in North Carolina, yeah believe it or not we're the first ski areas as you come North from South along the East Coast USA. Multiple seasons-within-a-season are common as our hills scramble to make as much snow as possible when it's cold, and it's plenty cold a lot of the time, and colder than here, for longer, but we get these mid season high temp rain events that can kill off the snowpack and cause the occasional mid season shut down. Sound familiar?

I've skied in 40's (4-5c) and rain back home, on boilerplate ice, spring-like mud-slush in January and February (our winter) and even great, but rare "powder days" of heavy wet snow to medium density snow. And our mountains there top out at 6684 feet (2037m) - highest point east of the Mississippi river. So, pretty much Thredbo.

The weather was shite, the skiing so-so, though I did catch the gum trees and blown in powder, albeit heavy "Sierra cement" stuff - and spent about 3 hours w/ some new friends in Merritts Mountain House waiting out the multiple wind holds. Never got a chance to embarrass myself on a T-bar, I think they were closed every time but once when I went by on the uhhhh the long traverse across the hill Super Trail? And I didn't stop was more focused on keeping the exposed skin on my face by getting through the ice blaster tunnel as quickly as possible. I got damp in Goretex Pro.

It was awesome. I had a fantastic day and really hope to make it back one more time this season. Bad day skiing always beats a good day at work . . .

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

I’m back in the South Island for the third time this season, hoping to get in another ten days or so of spring skiing.
Last week Mt Hutt patrons had 30cms of freshies to ski on on Wednesday ,which was our first day of travel southwards.
Thursday was spent mainly getting the legs back into action by mostly cruising on the groomers .
Went off piste a couple of times but it was mostly crusty chewed up lumps from the days before . The next couple of days were very similar, but interrupted every now and then by some annoying bands of very thick fog hanging around mainly the base area.
On Sunday, our last day there, the base temp was around 4 -5 degrees C. and bluebird again. This helped soften up the off piste crud, so there was some fun to be had below the Towers and also off Virgin Mile. Unfortunately the notorious South westerly winds came in, closing a couple of lifts and it was game over for us about 1.30 p.m.

Overall we had a fun few days there. Its a great field with lots of varying terrain packed into its area of 365 hectares and 368 vertical metres
There is still a pretty good base there, so I hope to return in a couple of weeks on my way home

Today we were overly optimistic that Coronet Peak could be a opportunity to get a few runs in before forecasted rain and light sleet would turn up....... We were on the first chair of the morning , had one run and then we left.

Waiting for the chair to start though was a real highlight We met the lady who is at the top of the leader board for skiing the most vertical at all of the NZ Ski owned resorts. Natalie has just cracked 1 million vertical this season on and was on day 85 today. Its pretty good considering the field is only 462 mts vertical She's a local legend

The Remarkables, Cardrona, and Treble Cone are now in my spotlights.
There's fine, calm weather arriving in a couple of days and with a lot families and people having moved towards summer sports I'm not expecting any crowds.

Bring it on

 

[geepers]

just cracked 1 million vertical this season

That's meters?

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

That's meters?

Yes. I’ve edited my post

 

[geepers]

Yes. I’ve edited my post

Impressive average day.

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

Impressive average day.

She has breakfast in her car at Greengate Chair carpark then skis first tracks every day,8.00 am start, and smashes out the laps until 2pm when she heads back to Queenstown where she works in a hotel. Very unassuming smaller lady with older skis and gear. I was well impressed

 

[Turoa Kiwi]

I’m back in the South Island for the third time this season, hoping to get in another ten days or so of spring skiing.
Last week Mt Hutt patrons had 30cms of freshies to ski on on Wednesday ,which was our first day of travel southwards.
Thursday was spent mainly getting the legs back into action by mostly cruising on the groomers .
Went off piste a couple of times but it was mostly crusty chewed up lumps from the days before . The next couple of days were very similar, but interrupted every now and then by some annoying bands of very thick fog hanging around mainly the base area.
On Sunday, our last day there, the base temp was around 4 -5 degrees C. and bluebird again. This helped soften up the off piste crud, so there was some fun to be had below the Towers and also off Virgin Mile. Unfortunately the notorious South westerly winds came in, closing a couple of lifts and it was game over for us about 1.30 p.m.

Overall we had a fun few days there. Its a great field with lots of varying terrain packed into its area of 365 hectares and 368 vertical metres
There is still a pretty good base there, so I hope to return in a couple of weeks on my way home

Today we were overly optimistic that Coronet Peak could be a opportunity to get a few runs in before forecasted rain and light sleet would turn up....... We were on the first chair of the morning , had one run and then we left.

Waiting for the chair to start though was a real highlight We met the lady who is at the top of the leader board for skiing the most vertical at all of the NZ Ski owned resorts. Natalie has just cracked 1 million vertical this season on and was on day 85 today. Its pretty good considering the field is only 462 mts vertical She's a local legend

The Remarkables, Cardrona, and Treble Cone are now in my spotlights.
There's fine, calm weather arriving in a couple of days and with a lot families and people having moved towards summer sports I'm not expecting any crowds.

Bring it on

The season has come to an end and here is the final leader board. #284 times on a chairlift!!

RANK	GUEST	DAYS	RUNS	VERTICAL METRES
1	NATALIE U	109	3,284	1,253,446
2	KARL D	93	2,070	812,830
3	MIKE U	78	1,894	808,801
4	DARIO P	92	1,911	672,858

 

[dbostedo]

#284 times on a chairlift!!

What do you mean by this? Surely all those leaders rode a lot more lifts?