Skiing in Queenstown

During our July long weekend in Queenstown, I wanted a taste of the famed New Zealand ski fields. Having grown up in the US midwest, saying you're skiing the local "mountains" is a bit of a nudge and a wink affair, and therefore was very much looking forward to what Queenstown had to offer.

Of the four commercial ski fields within reasonable driving distance (Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone), I decided to go with Coronet Peak given it is the closest to town, has a good mix of beginner (30%), intermediate (45%) and advanced runs (30%), and is known for its recently upgraded and high quality lift system.

When I first got onto the slopes around 9:30am, I was surprised to see the huge amount of fog that had settled in among the mountains, making for some picturesque views.

As the sun rose over the mountain, the fog started to dissipate and reveal the truly awesome vista of the Southern Alps.

One thing which most impressed me was how not busy, relatively speaking, the mountain was (again, this coming from a midwesterner). Run after run, I found myself with plenty of space, often with few or no other people in sight. Given the size and variety of runs (the longest being 2.4km), this really set a new standard for me, and I can't imagine wanting to go back to glorified hills ever again.

Taking a breather and enjoying the view back towards Lake Wakatipu.

Decent views.

Enjoying the 'pride of the South' from 1649m

Can't wait for my next ski trip to see what else NZ has to offer, and with any luck will have some company next time! (wink wink Mark and Erin).

** p.s. for those curious, Megan took a spa day today, so we were all winners here.

Our Trip to Winter

Last weekend Rob and I headed down to the South Island for a weekend in Queenstown, which is a ski resort town nestled in the mountains on a lake. More so than anywhere else we've been, it's filled with tourists from all over the world.  And with good reason - not only is it a jumping off point for many of the South Island's best adventures, it's also one of the more beautiful places we've seen in New Zealand - and that's saying a lot!

A friend from Southern California once explained to me that to him, winter had always been a destination, not a season. This year, I finally understand what he meant by that. It flurried our last day in Queenstown, and unless it snows in the States in October, that's likely to be the only snow we see all year! A bit different from life in Chicago - even without the Polar Vortex. We're planning to spend Christmas 2014 in Queenstown with Rob's parents and brother, and we can't wait to go back in summer.

On our second day there, Rob did some skiing while I slept in, went to the spa, and spent some quality time knitting while drinking tea and wine.  Be on the look out for Rob's post about his ski day on Coronet Peak!

Left: Welcome to Queenstown! Right: Views from our hotel room at dawn and dusk.

Queenstown also has a luge! The tracks aren't as good as those in Rotorua, but the views are stunning - I may have even talked myself into trying paragliding at Christmas!

At the biggest ice bar in New Zealand - complete with ice sculptures and an ice hockey table. For those of you keeping score, I beat Rob 1-0! He promises he didn't let me win.

Top left: Rob has finally found a backpack big enough for all my tramping 'necessities.'  Bottom right: warming up at the Winery after the Ice Bar by wearing all my knit things - I made that hat, cowl and sweater!