Since my last post we’ve had a couple of snowy days, its not much, but it provided one awesome powder-day. Twenty centimeters of snow overnight meant I could charge about the mountain without risk or restraint. A had a few big stacks, but they caused no pain or injury, just a Willy Naylor shaped imprint in the fresh snow. One even warranted a knarly sign from a hot boarder chick. It was probably ironic, but I’ll assume it was sincere.

Since then there has been a severe lack of the white stuff, but thankfully The Remarkables ski field has opened. My visits to the Coronet Peak have been reduced to the night skiing sessions, as I have been spending my days in the snow park; Learning to hit the big jumps, trying to nail rails that I have no idea how to ride, shooting off cannons, and generally causing my self a lot of pain. Occasionally the pro’s even turn up and entertain the punters. The park can be frustrating and from time to time it hurts, but I love it! I go to bed thinking about what to try out the next day and wake up excited about spending a day on the mountain. I even feel strangely disappointed in myself when I miss a day through injury, or more commonly a hangover. Not that it stops me getting drunk.

In the last couple of weeks Chris’s Birthday and the Queenstown Winter Festival have both been and gone. I didn’t get fully involved in the Winter Fest, but managed to see the fireworks on opening night, the dodge ball competition, rail jam, and closing ceremony. More by accident than purpose, I also saw the dog and owner mountain race, which was actually quite funny. Although seeing the dogs roam the mountain has made me less inclined to eat the snow when I’m thirsty. Dodge ball was entertaining, but the Rail Jam was my highlight. I’m definitely looking forward to the bigger and better competitions that are to come later on in the season.

For a quick look at The Remarkables, and at some of the better boarders we get to watch, check out this video: