Hi there folks. Here we are again. There has been a few wee drops of new snow over the last weeks so I thought we should crank this up again for the season. At the moment there is about 15cm of snow on the ground from 1800m up on Ruapehu and firm crampon conditions can be found on most slopes. With the lower freezing levels lately have also produced some early season ice features around the place around 2000m or lower in shady aspects so get out there and amongst it!

We guided a group up the standard route to the Crater yesterday. There hadn’t been a freeze that night so the snow was in good walking condition from 2000m on. The cattrack is still in for the Traverse of Fear and this is a good option to take to gain Restful Ridge. We turned around at Glacier Knob and the Whakapapanui was in good condition to the top of the Waterfall T Bar.

It may be spring but the ice climbing at Whakapapa’s hidden Grand Gulley is on! Great water ice with a rambling 35m single pitch with two slightly steeper sections makes for a worthy target these days. We climbed it on the 26th Oct and it should still be on for a number of weeks due to it being well shaded and at about 2000m. Good V threads can be constructed at the top for a clean rap off into the gulley. 60m rope advised.

Lot’s of great snow down to 1800m more or less on Ruapehu. We had a great day touring into the upper Whangaehu Gl which had softened by about 1200 then down the Te heu Heu Headwall in perfect sun softened Firnspiegel. Awesome days to come as there has been a snowfall in the last few days topping things up by about 15cm or so up high.

Looking down the Glacier - we skied to 2300m no probs.

Well, winter is back at least for the week. We have been graced with a good old fashioned South East storm for the last 24 hrs and it has brought with it about 30-50cms of new snow at 2000m and showers of new snow down to 1200m. Although this won’t really change the skiable snow line elevation, when it clears up around mid week the mountains will look great! Just what we needed for a nice start to the spring ski touring season. Expect deep pockets of hard wind slab lee to the S quarter and bare, firm ridges after the storm abates. Keep an eye on the Avalanche Danger at www.avalanche.net.nz for daily updates.

Well it certainly does feel like spring around here which means that the world’s best spring skiing is here for the next month or two for us all to enjoy. The backcountry touring is on right now with tons of exploration going on while the access is good with RAL’s lifts open. They are set to close on both sides on the 27th October or there abouts so get hopping. After the lifts close it is still possible to hit the snow but will add an hour’s hike to your day… and the slopes are that much quieter! Currently the skiable snow line is hovering about 1800m and still provides for a massive corn run from 2600m.

The spring view from the North Face of Te Heu Heu of Tama Lakes

Beacon Basin at Whakapapa - free to all to use!

Hey there team, the beacon basin that Whakapapa Ski Patrol have set-up is open for anyone to use. It is located by the Staircase Workshop which is out on the flats near the bottom of the Waterfall Express chair looking towards the bottom of Broken Leg Gully. It is easy to use,  just open the box lid (careful) and then open the pelican case – you can turn any one of the switches on or as many as 7 at the same time. This turns on the beacon associated with that switch, go out and find it with your beacon and strike the wooden strike pas buried beneath the snow to confirm your search. Don’t dig them up please! When finished, turn it all off and close both boxes. Have fun and keep practicing.  AH.

With 50cm or so deposited overnight on Wednesday the death crust that was the bain of our lives has been buried effectively now. Although it has been affected by strong southerly winds there are certainly some great turns and general travel conditions. We toured up to the top of Pare on a scoured new snow surface which provided great traction and skinning conditions.

Lee slopes seem to have a bit of wind crust on them making for some interesting challenges but it’s all better than skiing ice!!

Skinning up S face of Pare

Found good skiing in the drainages and valleys below Te Heu Heu and around the back of the pinnacles. Good corn snow from 2300m down to 1650. Due to the high freezing levels all aspects had good skiing. Snowpack was stable.

Warm conditions and rain to high elevations have stripped a lot of ice off of the Pinnacles today leaving the ice lines looking a little sparse. The snow conditions have improved as the rain has destroyed the hefty crust that was present up to about 2200m. With a decent freeze the smooth Melt form surface will provide good travel in the backcountry. If no freeze occurs, things will be a little sloppy.

AH