Shredding at Temple Basin

This weekend I went on a trek to a place called Temple Basin. Temple Basin is one of many "club fields" in New Zealand which are smaller, very low key, member ridden ski fields. This one was up above Christchurch, about a 6 hour drive from Dunedin.

Let me start by saying there is absolutely no place in the U.S. that compares to what Temple Basin is (some say Silverton does, but I've never been there). It is essentially an all inclusive resort without all the bells and whistles that you might get at a high class American resort. First off, Temple Basin is right in the center of the Southern Alps so the drive up to the mountain was a mix between grassy and mountainous areas with rivers and jungle/rain forest looking sections. When you get there, you park your car in a cutout on the side of the road and it is a 45 minute hike through rocks, water, and snow up to the base. There is also a goods lift where you can put all of your gear in so you don't have to carry it to the top. Its kind of like a mini gondola just for snowboards, clothes, sleeping bags and of course beer.

Once up at the top, there are two small lodges, a few rope tows, and endless amounts of terrain waiting to be hiked. The coolest part about Temple is the atmosphere. Everyone eats meals together cooked by the chef that lives there, and everyone hangs out together at night. Its very much like everyone is there on a trip together. Its cheap too. I paid $140 NZ (roughly $100 US) for two nights staying in the lodge, one day of amazing snowboarding, and breakfast, lunch and dinner each day while I was there.

They also use these things called nutcrackers, which was an experience in itself. Envision a ropetow, except instead of holding on with your hands, you grab the rope, rap this metal nutcracker over it, which is attached to a harness, and let that support you as you ride up.

I don't think I have ever done so much hiking (or sweating - it was a really hot, sunny day) in my entire life. Because they call it "In bounds backcountry" there are endless places to hike and ride. Although the snow conditions weren't so great, the guys from Canterbury University found a great place with some nice snow to have the Gnomes freeride competition. It was two very long hikes up to the top where the competition was but it was well worth it for some fresh snow. The contest was based on difficulty of the line you took, aggression, technique, and a couple of other things. Out of the snowboarders, I placed 2nd and my friend Case placed 3rd.


Because my internet is so slow here, I thought I would just post a link instead of posting all of the pictures of Temple Basin. If you want to see pictures, check them out on facebook.

PICTURES ON FACEBOOK