Joel and Frosty get their ski on in the two thumb range

Well after some good times up in Mt Cook area, me and triple black diamond extreme skier Joel L. got our ski on in the two thumb range! Me and joel meet up on our ski mountaineering course and lined up some BC skiing afterwards. We were keen to keep it low key and ski out of some of the fields in the two thumb range. We based st the Fairle top 10 ($50NZD for twin room a night, 3rd night free).

Day one was a mint day with around 10-15cm on fresh snow falling over night and bluebird skies. We lashed out and got a day pass for Mount Dobson and skied ourselves sick, cuminating in the 900m vertical run off the back of dobson down to be picked up on the access road, luckily i won the rocks paper scissors decided, and skied while joel bought the car down.

Day two we headed top to check out dobson back/side country. We skinned out of the resort and up the west ridge and skiied a couple of runs  here. Snow was nasty and crusty by this stage. We had lunch at the car at around 2, and was offered a guys lift ticket who was heading home. Always the optunistic types we got around this and skied on the resort for a couple of hours, then headed home.

Day three we headed up to roundhill ski area, beaing too tight to spend $20 bucks on a single ride to the top we embarked on the massive 900 vertical metre slog up the main face to reach the ridge line above the car park. The ski partroller said the record was 2hr's, we got it in 2:15 and were pretty happy with that. The patroller caught the lift up just to have a laugh we suspect just as we reached the top! Luckily we had the last laugh and skied some knee deep light and dry pow pow in the back bowls behind round hill. After a few runs here we skinned up and made the leg destroying decent down the face we had skinned up in the morning. Knee deep crusty, wet sun affected snow....mmmmm pain.

Day 4 we headed on up to fox peak, however once again the weather got the best of us and we made a hasty retreat in the face of a massive NW storm coming through. Me and Joel bid fairwell in fairlie and i headed on back up to chch as his sister was arriving that night in qt.

Gearing up in the car park at dobsons

The ridge above dobsons

Fresh tracks much??

Joel in skinning mode

2 thumbs up here mate!

Getting ready to go down....view down to Lake Tekapo

On the way uo 900 vertical metres of pain.

mmmm fresh tracks!