Mountain Guide Gary Dickson and his team of three have just returned from a ski tour based out of Tasman saddle Hut at the head of the Tasman Glacier . A week of great weather, good snow and great banter.
Ski tour Tasman Glacier
Tag Archives: ski touring new zealand
Ski Touring the Tasman Glacier
Early September had Mountain Guide Gary heading with two clients up to the head of the Tasman Glacier for ski touring. New snow had recently arrived and they flew in by helicopter on a clearing Southerly, to be based at Tasman Saddle hut for a few days.
Take Photos, leave excellent ski tracks…..10-15cm of powder over a glacier base of hundreds of meters…
Shall we repeat? of course…..
Ski touring locally
Ski touring locally off the back of Treble Cone and Cardrona is looking good as the snow is there and the storms have put the snow down. A reasonable cover of snow has been good for the ski fields and also the back country ski touring conditions. The weather forecast this coming week is for great sunniness and excellent local ski touring.
Recently on the Treble Cone back country – new storm snow brewing…
Recent ski touring off the back of Treble Cone ski field
Winter 2020 NZ
What has been happening?
- Ski Patrol staff training at Cardrona Alpine resort – medical and chairlift evac.
- Pre winter Alpine cliff rescue training – getting used to the new Swiss search gizmo for finding transceivers from the helicopter, and the usual helicopter human longling rescue practice – done up at Treble Cone in 30cm of fresh, a meter in the gullies in the saddle basin!
Today, for a few hours, the Alpinism and Ski team were out developing ski legs fangin around some fresh( 10-15) at Cardies. The weather came and went – great test of the Oakley and Smith goggles, and neck gaiter in the wintery conditions – might have even got some vitamin D!! 🙂
Bring on winter ….. Yeah……
Getting the ski legs for the 2020 ski touring season – Cardrona fresh
Arrival back in NZ – ski touring
On the 19th of September, Gary and Iris will arrive back from Switzerland to their Wanaka , NZ base . Ski touring is on the agenda. Late winter /spring is a superb time to take your winter ski fitness, and enjoy the warmer temps and more stable and stronger snow to go ski touring based out of the NZ alpine huts in the middle of awesome glaciated terrain. Come join us…..
Glacier Ski touring in New Zealand
Magnificent glacier features to ski around, explore, photograph, experience….
Ski touring @ remarkables
Recent snow falls have left the back country ski touring conditions in NZ magnificent. A few days ago, Iris , Gary and two friends from Queenstown did a day ski tour off the back of the very accessible Remarkables ski area, into Y creek.
Skinning back up to curvy basin saddle on recent day Ski tour @ Remarkables.
photo credit : Sue Notley
Fresh winter snow – September ski touring in NZ. Photo credit: Sue Notley
Ski Touring in NZ
It’s storming outside, and snowing in the backcountry. Another log goes on the fire in our base here in Wanaka, NZ. Yes we are about to head over to Switzerland for 3 Months( for the Swiss summer), and then return for what looks like a great ski touring season shaping up.
Ski touring in September and October might be something you are thinking about. At that time of the winter, there will be maximum snow, more stable snow pack and warmer temperatures up high at 2400m where we stay in the NZ mountain huts and go touring. The most fantastic time to go touring in the big mountains and glaciers in the backcountry.
It’s not too early to think about and get in touch.
Glaciated Beauty and fun times
Ski touring on Fox glacier
Ski touring accommodation in NZ
Spring Ski touring NZ
Novemeber 2017 – a momentous occassion having the ‘crew’ back doing a fabulous ski touring trip based at the recently spruced up Tasman Saddle hut, Head of the Tasman Glacier, NZ. John C, Phil, Bill and ( new to the ‘crew’) John K had four days of excellent spring ski touring, hut banter and general sunny alpine / backcountry skiing goodtimes. Great to having it happen again for the base crew after a break of several years. 🙂
Spectacular safe ice formations for ski touring amongst.
From mountaineering in NZ to climbing in Switzerland and back to NZ ski touring
Ski touring in New Zealand, skiing amoungst the ice towers on the Tasman Glacier.
Back country ski touring amoungst very “cool” terrain
As snow lovers in New Zealand had started the best winter in a long time, we enjoyed an amazing run of summer weather in Europe and particularly lots of good climbing in Switzerland. Interested? again in July/August 2016 and don’t hesitate to ask!
Presently, ski touring is still on in the Southern Alps and masses of snow are left for some good ski touring fun out there, as long as those crazy Spring winds would settle somewhat! soon!
Gary can be booked again as a mountain guide this coming NZ summer. Top quality mountaineering instruction courses right here in NZ, Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. From now on, he will offer his guiding service under the concession and sms of Alpine Guides in Mt Cook-Aoraki. Our guided trekking excursions are now part of the past, but we can give you tips and advice anytime for free.
The Alpinism studio-cottage is available again for your independent holidays here in Wanaka, be it action packed or relaxing or mixed.
Enjoy whatever you do and stay safe.
Ski touring in New Zealand
Ski touring near Centennial hut
With all the fresh snow fallen a week ago, winter activities will be on many minds, here just a small selection of photos from past trips in the Southern Alps. While some keen snow lovers are already out there ski touring somewhere in the mountains of New Zealand, remember that back country skiing amoungst glaciated terrain can still be very dangerous and the amount of snow fallen has by no means filled up the crevasses nor made the bergschrunds safe just yet. Enjoy but make sure you have the skills out there. Courses are offered by top mountain guide instructor Gary Dickson, IFMGA expert in NZ. His next job is instructing/assessing in Iceland again, helping the professional glacier guides with quality standards in the industry. But before we leave, the annual general meeting of NZMGA is on the agenda where he’ll act as Mr President.
The first ski tour has been put on the schedule and if you – or anybody you know – are keen on an NZ back country ski tour late winter/spring with chief guide Gaz, at this stage you have the choice from 23rd September on wards. We can be reached any time via email, just beware that occasionally we might be out of touch longer than usual, sitting in plane, or otherwise relocating in the Swiss Alps without the online setup.
loo with a view, ski touring in NZ
Southern Alps back country ski touring
Ski touring , Tasman glacier, New Zealand