Couldn't Stand the Weather

The photo above is taken from Upper High Street looking down at the entrance to a trail called Superpipe in the Saddle Basin. Before seeing and skiing Superpipe, I was a bit skeptical about the idea of a natural half pipe. What I certainly didn't expect was a seriously steep couloir (note the drop off above) with views clear across the Saddle Basin (note the tracks on the ridge in the far background) and walls that get to be near 15 feet high. It may not exactly be the Sobe Superpipe at Okemo, but who cares? Seriously!

All is well here in Wanaka, though we've been without any additional snow since my last post. In fact, we went from Saturday July 7th until yesterday without any change in weather. Yep, no change at all. No clouds, no wind, nothing. The temperatures may have changed a few degrees in one direction or another and the inversion causing clouds to cover Lake Wanaka below the level of the Treble Cone base area may have cleared on some afternoons, but the mountain remained eerily cloudless and the same. Day after day, after day, for two weeks. Finally, yesterday the wind picked up, the temps fell and, miracle of miracles, we got some cloud cover and some flat light in the afternoon. I never thought I'd be grateful for flat light. I even put on goggles.

We are now in serious need of snow. The cold weather has kept the bumps in the Saddle Basin quite soft, but there is plenty of gravel working its way onto the groomed runs and the drop-ins on the front side are all quite dicey. In another week, the Austrian and Norwegian World Cup teams will be here in force: men, women, speed and technical event skiers, support staff, manufacturers, and all. There are even rumors of a special appearance from a certain racer from New Hampshire. A little snow for the best skiers on the planet would be a great way to welcome them to Treble Cone and keep the rest of us busy. In the meantime it could be worse: I could be in an office and we can't have that now, can we.

Finally, a Day in the Saddle

After weeks of waiting, we finally received some powder and some sunshine on consecutive days. On Saturday, July 7th we skied under clear blue skies in over a foot of light, dry snow and finally were able to sample the incredible terrain of the Saddle Basin, pictured here. It was without question among the most fun days of skiing I've ever had while in uniform. Yes, this is my job.

Devil in the Details

We've just finished our first week of business at Treble Cone. It was a lot of fun and not particularly busy, so a good way to ease into a new job in a new place. We've had a mix of weather, to put it charitably, so with the NZ school vacations over the next two weeks we're in serious need of some snow. Having said that, I thought I'd turn my attention to some of the micro level things that make life here in New Zealand so different from home in the US.

First and most obvious is driving on the left side of the road, which is easy enough to get used to. It's the fact that the blinkers are on the right side of the steering wheel and the wipers are on the left that's tough. I can easily identify foreigners newly arrived in Wanaka when they turn a corner in their cars with the wipers on and the sun shining. One odd difference one wouldn't expect is that in order to turn on a light switch here you pull it down and then flip it back up to turn it off, which makes for good fun at the Southern Hemisphere's expense. Another is that the cold water taps are on the left and the hot on the right. Couple that last one with the fact that our hot water is incredibly hot and our cold water is oh-so-cold, and it can be quite a rude awakening, literally.

Then there is the Kiwi accent and use of language, which involves the flip-flopping of vowels, among other things. Their pronunciations "six" always bring a grin to my face. Kiwi's comfort with risque conversation topics in what Americans consider polite circumstances is pretty funny, and the language is always, err, colorful. I guess when an entire nation is comfortable, easy-going, self-assured and unpretentious, a little foul language is not a big deal. Add to that a typically healthy dose of fart humor, and it's pretty hilarious.

In all seriousness, the Kiwis are very quietly proud of their country, its natural wonders and its place in the world. There's really no jingoistic, in-your-face patriotism, as is found in the U.S. and Australia; just a calm, quiet appreciation for New Zealand's many blessings. That notwithstanding, my housemates and I very much are looking forward to hosting a loud, celebratory and unabashedly jingoistic July 4th BBQ in a couple of days. We've even acquired a whiffle ball to make it official. Happy Independence Day everyone!