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Black Peak POWDER in June - Mark Thomas
It was a comforting feeling. Wanaka,early June and there was a metre of new snow
on the surrounding mountains. The storm had come in cold and windless - things
looked pretty good up there.
But the ski fields were still weeks away from opening, and the time to be skiing
was now. Ski bums around the town were muttering about the cruel irony of so
much quality snow and no way of accessing it.
It was time for a bit of lateral thinking. In town I bumped into my ski touring
buddy, Paul Wilton. We had a coffee at his lakeside restaurant and gazed up at
Black Peak, which was looking fat with snow and alluring against the blue sky.
"What do you reckon?" I asked.
"I'm in," he said.
In the past ski touring missions to Black Peak have always been possible but it
has involved the discomfort of overnighting in a snow cave or tent - a
distasteful proposition for those of us who like a warm bed and a glass of wine
after a hard day's touring.
But now there is a new kid on the mountain hut scene, the Black Peak hut at
1800m. Now it is possible to venture into the mountains around Wanaka, even in
the dead of winter, and still be warm and snug at night. A cunning plan was
formulating.
I rang Nick Cradock, a director at Mt Aspiring Guides and the man behind the
installation of the hut, to check on its availability. Not only was it available
but things were looking so good he was keen for a trip himself. So we put
together a posse - me, Nick, another local mountain guide, Whitney Thurlow, Mick
Wheeler, the telemarking photographer, and the two restaurateurs, Paul and Al
Wearn (both excellent skiers but more importantly, men of proven form when it
comes to mountain pleasures such as fine food, wine and coffee.)
We flew in the next morning. Having a hut so close to home yet situated in the
heart of the back country really is an asset. One afternoon we were sitting in
the town looking wistfully towards the mountains, and by the next morning we
were up there skiing the powder. Using Cattle Flat farmer, Charlie Ewing, the
trip in is only five minutes in his Hughes 500 helicopter. The helicopter can
take four passengers, plus gear, but because there were six of us we did it in
two trips.
Everything was falling into place nicely. Charlie dropped our gear at the hut
and then deposited us on top of Black Peak, at 2283m. As soon as we stepped out
of the helicopter I knew we were in for some top shelf skiing. The snow was
light and dry and the whole mountain had received a perfect, uniform coating. It
was a gift from the snow gods. Most of us hadn't skied since the previous season
but that was not a problem because even a heli-hampster would enjoy this snow.
Nick dropped off the summit and disappeared into a series of face shots as the
snow billowed up around his shoulders at the compression of each turn. Mick and
I followed next on our telemark skis and the nature of our bent-knee turns meant
we were even more immersed in the snow than Nick had been. We skied down to a
shoulder where we joined Nick. No one said anything, we just smiled. In fact, I
laughed. This was great skiing but in terms of my first turns of a season, it
was the all time best.
We skied down to the hut to meet the other guys. Nearly 500m of champagne powder
followed by a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It wasn't a bad way to start a trip.
The hut itself is a simple, alpine masterpiece. It was built by Wanaka engineer,
John Davidson, and helicoptered into place. It is everything a mountain hut
should be, and more than a lot are. It comfortably slept all six of us. The
insulation and LPG heater ensured we were as warm as we wanted to be. This was
the first time I've stayed in a mountain hut with a heater and I'm concerned I
may have developed a habit. That night as the temperature plunged below zero,
frost drying the snow even further, we were wandering around the hut in shorts
and t-shirts, supping wine, laughing and anticipating the next day. Definitely
my idea of how ski touring should be. There is good lighting, so you can read if
you want, and all cooking facilities and utensils are provided. There are even
sleeping bags, so if you choose to ski tour in or out your load will be as light
as is possible short of hiring sherpas.
Black Peak offers fantastic ski terrain. There is a choice of aspects, so you
should generally be able to find good snow somewhere. As it was on this occasion
we couldn't miss the stuff. The wide summit slopes give way to a series of
benches and gullies, which funnel down onto the plateau where the hut is
anchored. Your can ski another 500m or so below the hut to the valley floor if
you want, but with so much snow at our doorstep we confined ourselves mainly to
the upper slopes. Once we'd established the skinning track it took about 30
minutes to get from the hut back up to the ridge, and another 15 minutes on top
of that if you chose to go back to the summit.
I lost track of how many runs we did in the two days we were there. There were
no bad runs. We absolutely gorged ourselves. Early season lack of fitness wasn't
a factor because we were all so amped up and determined to make the most of what
was a privileged opportunity. By the end of our stay the slopes above the hut
were covered in neat tracks - the tight, tidy ones were provided by Nick as the
only alpine skier in our party, while the rest of us on telemarks were happy to
lay down more generous, sweeping turns. There was no shortage of space. The snow
was so good I don't think anyone fell the whole time.
It is possible to ski tour out to Treble Cone. It is a great journey. It takes
about five hours, depending on snow conditions. As gentlemen, we chose to
helicopter out on this occasion.
Mount Aspiring Guides offer three day guided ski touring trips to the hut from
$735 per person. What can I say? It was as good as a ski touring trip can be.
It's definitely a comfortable feeling knowing the Black Peak hut is there. And
definitely a comfortable experience once you get there. Highly recommended. |
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