Welcome to a fusion of New Zealand adventure!
In 2024 I will lead a 9 day ski and snowboard touring trip on behalf of Ice Axe Expeditions based from my home in the picturesque alpine town of Wanaka (7 days skiing). Each day is spent touring New Zealand’s amazing alpine tree-less terrain with stunning views down to the grass and glacial lake filled valleys over 1,000m or 3,000 feet below.
Access is always an issue in New Zealand where the snow is a long way from the towns and roads. A highlight of this trip is visiting the high alpine chalet of Whare Kea via helicopter for two nights.
Tours will depend on the groups fitness and abilities, but expect upwards of 700 to 1000m (2,000 to 3,000 feet) a day. There is the option of doing big or small tours depending on the weather and conditions. The skiing in September will be spring like with great corn, or even fresh powder. Sometimes both on the same day (different aspects)!
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Length of Trip: 7 Days skiing.
Trip Dates: Monday September 9 to Tuesday September 17, 2024.
Cost: $5,200 USD per person based on 3 people.
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ITINERARY
Please note this itinerary could potentially change depending on weather and snow. Accommodation upgrades are also available.
Day 1: Arrive into Queenstown International Airport. Shuttle transfer to Wanaka (1 hour). Stay at Bella Vista Motel in twin share ensuite rooms. Meet your guide for trip welcome, briefing, and dinner.
Day 2: Cardrona ski tour. Cardrona is less steep than TC, but has some great back bowls that hold good snow through to the end of September. Leave town at 7:30am (45 min drive). Breakfast and packed lunch included. Return about 5:00pm, dinner not included in one of Wanaka many fantastic boutique resturants. Overnight at Bella Vista Motel.
Day 3: Ski tour near Treble Cone Ski Area, the closest ski area to Wanaka. TC as it’s known, is the largest ski area in the South Island, boasting one of the longest vertical rise in New Zealand. It’s steep and the touring behind the resort is some of the best in the country. We’ll leave town at 7:30am (45 min drive). Single lift ride provided to access the backcountry. Breakfast and packed lunch included. Return about 5:00pm, dinner not included. Overnight at Bella Vista Motel.
Day 4: Transfer to Whare Kea Chalet. Nestled amongst the peaks of the Southern Alps, at 1750 metres (5700ft) in the Albert Burn Saddle, the Chalet sits on the edge of the Mount Aspiring National Park with astounding views of Mt. Cook and Mt. Aspiring with its tumbling glaciers. Just a twenty minute scenic helicopter flight from the edge of Lake Wanaka to access some of the finest ski touring terrain in the region. Shady powder bowls, steep corn faces or cruisy mix. If conditions are right, maybe we’ll even get the helicopter to drop us far from the hut (once we’ve dropped all our gear) and we can spend the day touring back to it. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Whare Kea Chalet.
Day 5: Ski tour around Whare Kea Chalet. We pack our skins, don our skis and ski off down below the hut towards a stream still running under the snow. Pop on the skins and touring up around to the east for an hour, strip the skins, enjoy the views and ski off towards another untracked bowl. We have the region to ourselves as access is exclusive to hut users and a few heli-skiers far away. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Whare Kea Chalet.
Day 6: Ski tour around Whare Kea Chalet then transfer back to Wanaka. Another ski down from the hut, a one hour skin to an spectacular viewpoint followed by a steep ski down to a river before skinning back to the hut to clean up and get ready for our flight back to Wanaka. Breakfast and packed lunch included, dinner not included. Overnight at Bella Vista Motel.
Day 7: Leave Wanaka at 7:00am, drive to Ohau Ski Area (2 hours), single lift ride to access back country. Ohau is a small family run ski resort with views out over a lake and great ski touring on the side bowls. Breakfast and packed lunch included. Return about 5:00pm, dinner not included. Overnight at Bella Vista Motel.
Day 8: Drive to Queenstown (1 hour) and ski tour behind Remarkables Ski Area. The Remarkables have some great back bowls not far from the ski lift in the Doolans Basin. Breakfast and packed lunch included. Return about 5:00pm. Overnight at Sudima Queenstown Five Mile with final dinner included at local restaurant.
Day 9: Depart for home.