Book your trip now. It's official, according to the Wall Street Journal it is going to be a big snow year!  As regular as the phases of the moon, every May snowstorm bring the forecasting of a great ski season.  Usually it is just the local papers but this year is particularly auspicious with the worlds premier financial journal weighing in on the side of great skiing in New Zealand.

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/05/04/light-snow-bodes-well-for-new-zealands-ski-season/.

 

In actual fact we have no way of knowing what kind of ski season it is going to be.  But I can guarantee one thing, if there is good snow out there, Aspiring Guides will be on it!  So if you are trying to decide whether or not to book a trip this year, go ahead, tell your family you are just following good financial advice.

Severe Weather Warning?

Change in the weather?  Not likely.

Foreign correspondent Whitney Thurlow reporting in.

My computer receives severe weather warnings whenever the NZ Met Service issue a particularly nasty weather forecast.  Sitting here in the heat of Peru I am being bombarded with severe weather warning from the South Island.   As I watch a vulture circle the desiccated remains of some poor creature that died from thirst in the desert, the words "gale force winds", "heavy rain", " snow lowering to..." seem like some remotely familiar language.  I guess extreme weather changes, or even the concept that weather can change at all is something I will just have to take the Met Service's word on.  .

Last Aspiring Ascent for the Season 2011 / 12 ?

Is this the last Aspiring Ascent for the season?   David from Auckland caught the weather window and made it to the top last Sunday with NZMGA Climbing Guide - Tim Steward.    The settled Autumn weather has finally broken and we suspect...it will be all over for another climbing season.    Congratulations to David on his summit. 

Next stop....Cordillera Blanca, Peru for 6 of our lucky climbing crew with Aritza Monasterio from Andinista Adventures and NZMGA Guide:  Tony Donaldson.

What's Xavier Fournier, IFMGA up to?

What's Xavier Fournier, IFMGA up to?

For those who met our Euro guide Extraordinaire - Xavier Fournier this summer, you'll know that he's a man of many talents.    He's now back in Switzerland as the safety supervisor for a famous bi-annual ski mountaineering race called the Patrouille des Glaciers.   Its civilians vs.the Swiss Army and Xavier's job is to check and supervise the course and also to ensure that everyone has the correct safety gear.  Given that weight saving is paramount, Xavier has to keep his eye out for the "cheaters" !  Competitors have been known to try and "beat the system" by taking plastic toy shovels and cutting their probes down to 1 m!

Here's some photos from the set up.  Nice uniform Xavier!!  

Announcement:  Aspiring Guides and NZ Snow Tours in 2012.


For most of us, time is short!  So having someone else organise all transport, lift passes, accommodation, gear hire and all the other stuff that goes along with a ski holiday in NZ can certainly make life a breeze.    For the last 8 years, this is what Simon & Ange from NZ Snow Tours have been doing ....and they've been receiving rave reviews!  Check out what the they offer at http://www.aspiringguides.com/nz_snow_tours.html.


NEW for 2012, Aspiring Guides has added 3 backcountry ski options to the packages they offer.  From 1 day Backcountry Touring at Treble Cone, to 3 day touring option on the Pisa Range near Wanaka and from Aspiring Guides private hut at Black Peak.... we've got your next ski holiday organised from the moment you step off the plane!

Celebrating a Summit

Everyone has their own unique way of celebrating when they get to the top!   Liz certainly showed her own style after a successful summit of Mt Aspiring 3033m this week with Felix Landman.     For those of you who may be concerned, unseasonably warm Easter weather meant there was a low risk of frostbite !  

Hmmm ..winter's on its way?

It was fine and sunny at lake level yesterday, but not quite the same in the Remarkables above Queenstown as Richard and his guide Xavier Fournier discovered.   One of our first early dumps of snow.  Certainly made the climbing a little more interesting...that's for sure.