The Remarkables, August 24, 2006

Tony Crocker

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First day of the NASJA trip was to The Remarkables. This is the newest lift served area of the Southern Lakes district of New Zealand and did not exist on my first trip in 1982 and I did not ski there in 1997 either.

The Remarkables are the jagged and photogenic range viewable across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown. The ski area is in a small basin behind the jagged peaks. From the base a beginner area faces north (that's into the sun down here) with a west facing intermediate lift above that and the more advanced terrain served by a separate east facing lift rising a bit over 1000 vertical from the base. From that lift you can extend the vertical to about 1500 skiing two large (also east-facing) bowls to a shuttle bus pickup on the access road. When conditions are right there would be lots of room for powder back there. Some of Monday's powder was still there but you needed to find a southern tilt to it or it was sun-affected.

The intermediate terrain is fairly flat and the number of groomed runs is limited. Grooming was of better quality than in 1997, but most off piste areas had crunchy or sun affected snow because the previous day had been warm after a modest dump on Monday 8/21.

Fortunately the east facing Shadow lift serves a bowl with wraparound south and north-facing ridges and the south faces were in good shape. The best snow was to be found by hiking (11 minutes for me) up the north facing side and dropping into the steep and sheltered chutes behind, where there is a traverse and runout to the base area.

The Remarkables are fairly quiet due to the limited appeal to intermediates and since much of the steep terrain requires hiking above the lifts. At only 6,000 feet the hiking is less arduous than at most areas we know. The Remarkables average about 150 inches a year of snow, but since 2006 is an above average year I was able to ski the most interesting runs in pretty good conditions. Terrain is rocky and The Remarkables should be avoided in low snow years except by beginners.

Weather was overcast with "sunny breaks," a familiar condition to NW skiers, for whom NZ's winter climate should be quite familiar. I had no trouble with light (remember NZ's tree line is much lower than its snow line) but some who wore dark glasses thought the light was sometimes flat.

At the Remarkables I stayed on to 4PM but only skied 14,200 due to slow lifts and 3 hikes to get to some of the best skiing. The NASJA group left at 2PM to go the 143-foot Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump, which I did in 1997 but Andrew did this time.
 
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Here are the pics:
082406_alta_sugar.JPG

082406_shadow_chair.JPG

082406_homeward.JPG

082406_queenstown.JPG

082406_view_hike.JPG

082406_shadow_south.JPG

082406_elevator.JPG

082406_chutes.JPG
 
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