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Summer issue of Adventure Magazine
Summer issue of Adventure Magazine
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"We saw wild landscapes, skied during sunset,<br />
found fantastic snow, got our adrenaline pumping,<br />
and had great yarns."<br />
Once clicked in he begins to slide towards the<br />
center. Hop turns are the first choice for turns<br />
when the terrain is this steep. The first one always<br />
brings your heart rate up. You’re wondering if your<br />
equipment is dialed in. You hope that your skis<br />
will stay on, but you never know.<br />
Nick executes his first hop turn without a hitch<br />
and quickly makes his way down the guts. Next,<br />
Matt then followed by Kit. Each has a slightly<br />
different technique but manages to make easy<br />
work of the terrain. We all agree the snow was<br />
perfect. It is rare to find such favorable conditions<br />
in the backcountry. The excitement from such<br />
a feature has caused great curiosity about the<br />
surrounding mountains. We transitioned back<br />
towards the uphill gear and set off for a final lap<br />
around the side of the peak we had just skied.<br />
Final Lap<br />
We boot pack up another chute ensuring we<br />
beat the spring thaw that was forecasted. The<br />
top brings to a large outlook with the surrounding<br />
mountains are towering over the glacier lake<br />
below. Time to crack a well-deserved cold one<br />
with the boys!. The Parrotdog brews from Welly’s<br />
have never tasted so good.<br />
At this point with great snow, extreme steep<br />
skiing, and a few thousand metres of vertical<br />
under our belts we all feel extremely satisfied.<br />
The post lockdown jitters have been given the<br />
boot and anything from here is a bonus. For our<br />
last run, we scope a few more features we want<br />
to ski on the way down and are stunned as we<br />
find the best snow yet. 30cm of straight beautiful<br />
cream. We ski back to the hut and pack up. A<br />
four-hour trek down the valley to the car and<br />
we’re done. I bag on Nick telling him there is no<br />
way that the hike was only 4km.<br />
The trip couldn’t have gone better. We saw wild<br />
landscapes, skied during sunset, found fantastic<br />
snow, got our adrenaline pumping, and had great<br />
yarns. I would just give caution to the next guy<br />
for any trip with Nick is likely to be twice as far as<br />
what he thinks, but it will be worth it.<br />
Left: Creating fresh lines<br />
HIGH<br />
PERFORMANCE<br />
THAT DOESN’T<br />
WEIGH<br />
YOU DOWN<br />
Lightweight, compact and comfortable.<br />
What’s most important to you?<br />
FIND A STOCKIST www.southernapproach.co.nz
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