When to go to New Zealand
There's an awful lot to like about skiing in New Zealand. Epic terrain, empty slopes, cool locals and interesting, low-key ski areas. But there's not denying that conditions here can be tricky.
One of the most common conversations I have back in Australia is about the timing of people's ski trips here. For some reason, a lot of people end up planning their trips here in July. So let me make this really simple:
The best skiing in NZ is August and September. September typically has the most snow, but it gets pretty warm from mid September onwards, so it's hard to ski powder. August is the most reliable option for winter conditions.
Officially, the season here starts in June. Keep in mind that the club fields don't have snowmaking or grooming, so they're absolutely reliant on natural snowfall to open. Plus, rope-tows need enough snow on the tow-lines (where you get pulled up the slope) to open, so they need decent coverage to get started. Less than 50% of the last 6 seasons have opened in June. If you plan a trip here in June, there's a very good chance you'll end up sitting around in town, or skiing a strip of man-made snow down a groomer at a commercial field.
Trip report: Skiing with James
Keen followers of the Powder Project instagram account (@thepowderproject - it's good) will no doubt be wondering, "Who's that guy in the orange jacket?"
It turns out he's my brother, James. Not only is he ruggedly handsome, he's a good ski touring partner and we've done a bunch of good trips together in New Zealand and Japan. He's basically the perfect photo model. At least until we can afford pro skiers.
Gear in Hokkaido
If you're planning on renting, buying or repairing your gear in Hokkaido you could be in for an unpleasant surprise. There are plenty of good places to go, but it's not as intuitive as you might hope and many a traveller has been stuck trying to ski pow on skinny carve skis because it's all they could find. We've got the lowdown on the best places to go to rent, buy and fix your gear.
Kurodake dates for 2016
Kurodake's opening and closing dates for the season are up on their website. It's already open (with about a metre and a half under the chairlift).
The whole place closes down from January 4th to 28th. The gondola re-opens on the 29th of Jan, but the chairlift will still be closed until the the 18th of Feb. You can still lap the gondola while the chairlift is closed, but you'll have to pay ¥1,100 per ride.
All day tickets (¥3,800) and good times resume on the 19th of Feb. See you then!