THREE DAY BEGINNERS

BACKCOUNTRY SKIING

NEW ZEALAND 2018 TRIP NOTES

1

Three Day Beginners Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Touring

2018 Course Notes

All material Copyright © Adventure Consultants Ltd 2017/2018

Welcome to Adventure Consultants’ Three Day Beginners Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Touring Courses. These three-day courses are designed to give you a taste of winter ski touring in the outstanding backcountry around the Pisa Range, close to both Wanaka and Queenstown. It is directed toward people who have a background in resort based skiing or snowboarding and wish to enjoy three days in the mountains exploring untracked backcountry snow, whilst spending two nights in a mountain hut above the snow line.

Course Outline

Day 1: Meet in Wanaka at 9 am. After quick gear checks, you are driven to the Snow Farm car park on the Pisa Range near to Wanaka, where we gear up with boots, skis and skins. After some avalanche

2

transceiver training, we continue past the Snow Farm area boundary, up onwards towards Mt Pisa and our hut for the night.

Special ski and snowboard bindings are used with releasable heel bindings and we attach a ‘skin’ to the base which slides forward but not back, so walking uphill is almost effortless. For skiing or snowboarding down you simply remove the skins, reattach the heels (or join the snowboard back together) and ski/board as normal.

There are various options for getting to the hut, staying on the tops in fine weather or skiing in the valley if there is a breeze. After dropping our packs at the hut we head out again for some afternoon turns on the slopes nearby.

Day 2: The next morning after breakfast you’ll likely ski tour right up onto the gentle summit of Mt Pisa at 1,963m. Various ski touring options abound, for the adventurous, we can ski the steeper slopes dropping towards Cromwell to the east, or ski less steep slopes towards the west with views towards Cardrona and Mt Aspiring. Day 3: Day three will see you up skiing for an early morning run or two, then after lunch at the hut you’ll load up your gear and tour back down to our waiting vehicle back at the Snow Farm resort, which will seem busy and noisy after your peaceful experience in the backcountry.

Skills Covered

Avalanche awareness and rescue skills

Ski and snowboard touring techniques

Our Guides

Professional and experienced mountain guides run the course. Adventure Consultants have a commitment to ensure the highest standard of instruction and guiding practices and we only employ guides who share our philosophy. Our guides will offer you the best possible learning experience, and a safe and enjoyable time. An open and helpful approach is encouraged within the group to help communicate and reinforce the learning process.

Our guides are all NZMGA and/or IFMGA internationally qualified. They have been trained and assessed through the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association, and operate to the high standards and guidelines set out by the Association.

Equipment While winter ski touring in the New Zealand backcountry requires good quality personal equipment due

3

to the potential cold weather conditions, your regular ski clothing, bulked up with a warm down jacket (and a few other items) will normally suffice. Our focus is on having the essential clothing and equipment, whilst keeping pack weights as light as possible for your comfort and ease of travel.

Upon receipt of your deposit and registration form, we will send out a comprehensive equipment list. We carry a good range of modern rental equipment. If you will be renting equipment from us please advise your requirements in advance to ensure correct sizing and availability. If you intend on buying any equipment items, we are happy to advise on recommended brands and models, and of key importance - their suitability to the type of activity. We offer our clients discounted prices on a selection of equipment and clothing, and can arrange for the equipment to be available upon your arrival.

Your Guide will go through an equipment checklist with you prior to the trip. We have snowshoes available for rent for snowboarders or we can help you rent a split board and climbing skins. For skiers, we can help you with sourcing rental of specialised touring skis, boots and climbing skins.

Weather

Weather is an integral facet of spending time in any mountain range but the advantage of this trip is we do not rely on helicopter access, so we are able to ski tour up on the Pisa Range in all but the worse storms. Temperatures will drop to as low as –10° Celsius at night and could rise to as high as +15° Celsius during the day.

Fitness and Health

To make the most of your backcountry ski touring experience we encourage you to work on your fitness and downhill skiing/snowboarding skill prior to the trip. You need to be a strong intermediate skier or snowboarder. Your guide places special focus on fitness levels and will regulate the pace accordingly.

Our registration form requests that you advise us of any medical problems you may have and if you are on any medication. Any information you supply will be treated as confidential.

4

Food

We place emphasis on providing nutritious meals and a good supply of snack food throughout the trip. If you have any special dietary requirements, please advise us at the time of registration. For special diets such as vegan and gluten/dairy free, we will call you to discuss your needs and how this will work in the group cooking situation.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you take out trip cancellation insurance and travel insurance to protect yourself in the case of injury or mishap prior to/or whilst on our trips.

Whilst our focus is on safety and our track record supports this, the mountains do have hazards and there is always the potential for mishap. If you were injured whilst on the trip the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) will pay rescue costs, however, you may not be eligible for bulk compensation payments. You are responsible for any medical or evacuation costs beyond the cover provided by ACC.

Travel to Wanaka

We commence the Three Day Beginners Backcountry Skiing Course from our base in Wanaka. Air New Zealand and Qantas / Jetstar provide daily services for domestic flights from Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to the airport in Queenstown. There are also direct international flights from most major Australian cities to Queenstown. A shuttle service operates several times daily between Queenstown and Wanaka (approximately one hour driving time and at a cost from $35 each way), check http://www.alpineconnexions.co.nz for details. Bus services operate daily between Christchurch and Wanaka (approximately 6 hours travel time). Wanaka has a range of accommodation from backpackers, youth hostels, motels, and hotels to luxury lodges. We are happy to assist with your accommodation and bus transfer arrangements.

Trip Accommodation We utilise the delightful Kirtle Burn Hut situated at 1,680m elevation on the Pisa Range. This sleeps 8 people and whilst it has no heating, the heating from cooking meals makes the hut rather cosy in the evenings.

Please note: Adventure Consultants will provide food and

5

accommodation while the course is running which is from 9.00am on Day 1 until 5.00pm on Day 3. All food and accommodation outside this time will be at your expense. Accommodation in Wanaka if the trip is not able to access the Pisa Range due to weather, avalanche danger or situations outside of our control, is also not included.

Course Dates Dates: Winter 2018 BBS 1: July 20 - 22

BBS 2: July 27 - 29 BBS 3: August 3 - 5 BBS 4: August 10 - 12 BBS 5: August 17 - 19 BBS 6: August 24 - 26

Course Fee

The course fee our standard Friday to Sunday three day trip is as follows: 1 person NZ $2,150 2 people NZ $1,390 per person 3 - 4 people NZ $1,125 per person

The price includes; Guide and permit fees, all trip-related meals and energy foods, hut fees, group equipment, 15% NZ Goods and Services Tax.

The course will run with a minimum number of one person, and the guiding ratio is 1:4.

Course Registration and Payment

In order to confirm a place on the course, we require a completed Registration Form and a 25% deposit of the trip fee.

You can also use our online registration at: http://www.adventureconsultants.com/adventure/BookingForm/

The balance of payment is then due 60 days prior to the start date.

All payments should be made by bank transfer to the following bank and account:

Bank: Bank of New Zealand

6

For the account of: Adventure Consultants Limited Account number: 02 0673 0043443 00 Account Type: NZ Dollars We can also accept your deposit and balance payment by credit card – Visa, Mastercard or Amex. Please note: In order to reserve a place on a course we recommend that you book well in advance.

Course Cancellation Policy

Cancellations outside of 60 days incur a NZ$250 cancellation/admin fee. For cancellations made within 60 days of the trip commencement date, we reserve the right to

retain 50% of the full fee. For cancellations made within 30 days of the trip commencement date, we reserve the right to

retain 75% of the full fee. For cancellations within 15 days of the departure date a cancellation fee of 100% of the full fee

applies. We recommend you take out trip cancellation insurance via your travel agent.

We look forward to welcoming you onto your Three Day Beginners Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Touring Course!

Contact Us

Adventure Consultants Ltd PO Box 739 20 Brownston St Lake Wanaka 9343 New Zealand Email: info@adventure.co.nz Web: www.adventureconsultants.com Phone: + 64 3 443 8711 Fax: + 64 3 443 8733

Adventure Consultants – is affiliated to the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA), New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) and a corporate member of the American Alpine Club (AAC). Adventure Consultants perform to IFMGA/UIAGM standards

and are world leaders in high altitude guiding.

All material Copyright © Adventure Consultants Ltd 2017/2018