The best kept weekend getaway secret

Come on, tell us you’ve got something better on – we dare you.

FIRST TRACKS

Who saw that coming? Not most weather forecasters as it turned out. With a sloppy, wet weekend that ate away at the snowpack and started to raise serious questions about whether there’d be a spring, many a powder-lover went back to what was left of their snowcaves to hibernate.

Then, boom! Despite predictions of a lot more rain – or at the very least a very marginal snow line – the gods delivered up to 30cm from Monday through Tuesday in NSW. In some instances the snow dropped to 1,000 metres ensuring more than adequate coverage, even in Thredbo Village.

Yep, there has been some rain since, but there is more snow ahead. With the manic weekend crowds tending to ease as August moves into September, you may even find a bed somewhere!

OH, CANADA

August skiing is no big deal – except if it happens in Canada. Even glacier skiing is usually done and dusted by then but on the off chance there’s some new snow, well, it’s game on.

Some great footage is lurking on YouTube of a little expedition undertaken to Highwood Pass in Alberta over the weekend, where John Elder and a snowboarding mate punch through some powder in the height of summer. Snow fell well down from the 2,206 metre peak. Turns out it was snowing pretty much on the same day as in our own resorts.

Catch the video right here:

CONDITIONS APPLY WITH PETE `THE FROG’ TAYLOR

“Even looking at the charts on the day, you’d swear it was only snowing up high,” says The Frog, who was among those who thought rain would dominate this week’s mountain weather instead of the snow that eventuated. While the temperatures have varied and we’ve seen a little more clear moisture since, the good news is the weekend looks like producing snow down to as low as 1100m – well below all resort levels in Australia.

The Frog says colder weather may hit as early as Friday morning and should make for a great weekend, particularly in the NSW ski areas. They enjoyed better returns from the previous storm than their Victorian counterparts. After a break in proceedings there looks to be another front circling the weekend after, suggesting spring riding may not be so bad in Australia this season after all.

Much of New Zealand continues to get top ups, too, and with the weather still cold there’ll be plenty to do across the ditch next month.

For up to date snow forecasts in Australia and New Zealand go to: www.snowatch.com.au

TOP GEAR

Powder skis, or not to powder skis? To the skier, that is the question. Like surfing or cycling there is no one piece of equipment solution. On piste and generally firmer conditions such as those usually found in Australia, you’ll be wanting a narrower ski at the waist. But go to Japan and hit the deep stuff and you may well be hankering for something wider.

“The 90-100mm waist ski width is really versatile,” says store manager Jaryd Heslop from The Snow Skiers Warehouse in Rockdale, Sydney.

“You will compromise if you like short turns but if you have a wider stance they still work well on the piste.” There is however no question that skis over 100mm make tackling powder, slush and chowder (chopped powder) easier.

The big movers in this category are still the Rossignol Soul 7 (108mm) and the Armada JJ (115mm). The Snow Gauge skis on the former, and its a super fun ski to throw around, but definitely has its limitations on the groomers. Jaryd says anything wider than the JJ is a bit wasted unless you spend most of you time heli or cat skiing.

And if that’s the case, you may be able to run to more than one set of planks anyway! Web: www.snowskierswarehouse.com.au

DEALING WITH IT

With September looking a whole lot rosier with this week’s snow falls there should be decent riding for a few weeks yet. With its elevation and reliable coverage, Perisher is generally the pick of places to go in Australia early and late in the season. It’s worth considering an on snow deal at a time of year when the prices become a bit more sensible.

If you can get away mid-week, the bed and breakfast special at $149 per night isn’t bad going at the Perisher Valley Hotel. See: www.perisher.com.au/perisher-valley-hotel

LAST RESORT: A LOOK AT AUSTRALASIA’S FORGOTTEN SKI AREAS

Temple Basin: Another classic Kiwi clubbie, locked away in the Craigieburn Ranges, about two hours from Christchurch. This place ain’t for lightweights – on so many levels. There’s the best part of an hour walk in from the carpark, the main saving grace being a goods lift to take all your gear.

Assuming you’ve got your head around that, you’ll then have to negotiate the three nutcracker lifts (a rope-tow pulley system that can fashion you a new set of lips if you’re not careful) and some pretty rudimentary facilities. The reward is some amazing terrain, often the snow to match, and very few punters to poach your tracks. There’s a couple of lodges, lift passes are $NZ70 ($NZ50 for members), and the snow base up top this season still sits at a healthy 1.8 metres.

Web: www.templebasin.co.nz

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