From Temple Basin we drove in convoy with Smoothy and Pete to Blenheim, stayed the night at Pete’s place and took the ferry the next day from Picton to Wellington.

Ferry ride from Picton to Wellington

The boys catching up on some reading on our way to "the Kune"

Our destination: Okahune, the town at the southern gateway to the Tongariro National Park World Heritage Site, at the foot of Mt. Ruapehu. One of the world’s most active volcanoes which last erupted in 2007, Mt. Ruapehu is actually New Zealand’s largest ski area offering two different ski areas: Turoa and Whakapapa (and yep, you pronounce the “wh” as an f). The latter was to be our playground for the next week, which is the perfect description for it. Never before have I seen so many cliff bands and rocks to jump off.

The Turoa ski field side of Mt. Ruapehu

Perfect corn snow conditions in the sunny aspects prevailed,  however the take-offs over rocks had melted so far back that one could only ollie over features with a truck load of speed to take any air. Challenging for spoilt me, used to skiing in Europe. Oh and did I mention that it’s pretty exposed here?

Terrain at the "Policemen's" for the Export Gold Xtreme

We had 2 comp days – the weather gods truly blessed our event as so many good weather days here are unheard of – 2 runs each day, a total of 4 runs, with the 2 highest scoring runs going toward the final score. I skied a nice solid 1st line in some exposed terrain, the snow had softened up by the afternoon and it was great! For 1 day now I had been eyeing a straight-line at the bottom of the venue which required you to ollie into it blind. I decided after much lining up and psyching myself up, that I just had to do it.

My line on comp day 1 for the Export Gold Xtreme

I felt really good during my second run and decided to go for it. After all, I had everything lined up and it has just got to be here, right? Well without hesitating I launched myself – I knew I didn’t even have to go that fast to make it over the rocks into the straight line – and landed with both skis smack bang on the rocks. Aaarrrrggh! The moment I touched down I tried jumping right off the rocks again, did a forward somersault and miraculously just skied out of it, albeit in a lot of pain. I got a good smack on my upper back and neck, ouch!

The boys put on an awesome show, with Geoff Small in the lead but plenty of younger skiers on his heels. Sam Smoothy had a scary crash above exposure on his first line but got it together for a second solid run. Pete Oswald skied a really nice, technical line no-one else attempted, airing over exposure onto a small snow pocket followed by a gnarly straight line requiring a whole heap of commitment. Mt. Ruapehu local Nathan Johns skied mostly in the fall-line, straight-lining basically through the gnarliest terrain and just able to hold his speed together during the second half of his run. Click here for the video of comp day 1 on snowtv.

My goal for comp day 2 was simply survival skiing: on pain killers and after much icing I hiked up to the start for my run. I pretty much decided already that this was going to be my only run for today, so I wanted to make it solid. On inspection even the smallest drop seemed kinda big to me, I was hurting and not really having much fun but I had to get this run done to get a score and those Freeride World Tour points. I choose to ski the venue on the skiers left today, with an obligatory cliff band to drop in the middle. I was so nervous at the top of my run, but my nerves settled as soon as I was given the all clear to start. Now I could just concentrate on my line, which I (almost) skied as I had planned. Nice!

Smoothy managed to come out on top by a mere 0.2 points after an awesome and very balsy line. Geoff Small had the crowd cheering with a 360 over his last cliff, the guy can spin! All in all it was an amazing show and an awesome after party.

Click here for the video of comp day 2 on snowtv.

Women's podium ski

Smoothy and I got some cash!

After everything I’d heard about Temple Basin and its amazing terrain, I was stoked to be able to compete in the big mountain event held for the first time with Black Diamond. After two absolutely epic powder days at Treble Cone (according to the locals the best conditions in 4 years) we started the 7 hour journey to this legendary club field on Arthur’s Pass.   We arrived the day before competition and it soon became clear that conditions were going to be very firm and that a late start would be necessary.  The wind had done it’s magic up here and scoured the snow pack down to blue ice, especially in areas around cliff take-offs. The landings on the other hand were filled up with wind-blown snow and quite good. I went to bed excited about the first comp day.

Comp venue day 1

Pete, Smoothy, and Williman working on their tans...uhm visualising their lines

We inspected the venue at 11am, much too early. Inspection did more good in making me nervous about the icy conditions than in instilling confidence in my line. I couldn’t quite get into the right frame of mind and skied a quite conservative first line. Not feeling entirely happy about my previous performance and with conditions softening up considerably, I vowed to myself to step it up for the next line. I felt much better skiing my second line and built in a number of smaller to medium sized airs. I also knew that Claire Yvinec, a French competitor and ski-instructor at Temple, had skied really well and that I would have to do something special to come out on top.

What happened on day 2 of the comp is best described by the BD Big Mountain press release, quoted here:

“The women’s title was closely contended between French skier Claire Yvinec of France (Temple Basin ski instructor) and Lori Huber, based in Austria. All was on the line on the final day, with Claire dropping first out of the two and skiing a solid line to lock in a good score similar to that of her first run on Saturday. Strong, fast and technical skiing by the French-woman had her primed to take the title, with just Huber left to drop.

Huber’s Freeride World Tour calibre was evident in her final run through the course, choosing to utilize the new addition of terrain on skiers left and skiing a strong and fast line, impressing the judges. Dropping in above some fairly exposed terrain, Huber held nothing back. She skied fluidly and aggressively above the cliff band, before lining up a chute entry to a 25ft air, stomping the landing and ‘straight-lining’ the run-out as a vocal crowd showed their appreciation. Taking the honours by just 2 points, an ecstatic Huber took her second victory in a week after claiming the K2 Big Mountain title a week earlier.”

My line on comp day 2. The yellow line depicts air time. Yeehaa!

So in the end, I really learnt how to ski out of my comfort zone at this comp, and that was such an important learning curve for me. It’s time to take a bigger bite, as my mate Simon Guthrie would say.

Watch the Black Diamond Big Mountain video clip and visit the License to Chill page for full results. Here’s another cool Temple Basin competition clip seen on Sky Sports.

Ready to take on the Export Gold Xtreme aaarrrgghh!

From the start it was clear that the normally 2 day big mountain event at Mt. Olympus of the 2009 Big Mountain Chill Series would be reduced to skiing on Saturday only; so far the event had been plagued by wind, rain, and gale force winds, and the same was forecast for the last day on Sunday. Luck was on our side though as we awoke to blue bird skies on Saturday – comp day! The chosen venue this year was a ridge line referred to as “Little Alaska”, where competitors are given the chance to ski two lines to impress the judges: one on the left and one on the right of the venue .

Comp venue 1, Little Alaska, Mt. Olympus

Comp venue 2, Little Alaska, Mt. Olympus

The first line I skied was more technical than I usually choose at a comp, but I liked the challenge it posed for me and I decided to hit it. I carved the first two turns in beautiful dry powder over a spine and wind lip before the terrain narrowed into two tight chutes (tighter than I had anticipated!) separated by two large rocks. Taking the skiers right chute I managed to stay on my feet, a couple of hop turns between 2 boulders, and then I came maching out of the chute at full speed. The remaining 150 vertical meters went by in a blur of 3 huge turns. Thankfully I managed to hold it together, what a rush!

My first line, Little Alaska

I really was looking forward to skiing my second line – the face was quite short but packed with features to play with. As I was watching the competitors before me at the start, it became quite clear that the conditions were icy. Should I change my line? Ski a more mellow one but be sure to stay on my feet? No I decided, I know I can do this! Finally it was my turn to start. My heart pounding, I waved my poles above my head before dropping in. As anticipated, the snow was wind-scoured and icy, and I was only just able to make a turn to the left and to my first drop after my steep entry. Two turns later and I was at the first cliff, I hesitated briefly seeing some rocks in the landing, but managed to land to the left of them. The snow was fast, but I could use the terrain to my advantage by making a long turn to the right, taking out speed before turning to the left towards the largest cliff at the bottom of the venue.  Sliding over the snow band on the top of the cliff, I jumped at an angle to the left and stomped it! I was so stoked to have skied my line just as I had planned!

My 2nd and winning line, Little Alaska

I was able to take first place, with Katerina Kuncova from the Czech Republic and Naomi Richards from Australia taking 2^nd and 3^rd place respectively.

Marc and Jake enjoying a well deserved beer after a strenuous comp day

1st place at the Big Mountain Chill Series 2009

The Chill Series big mountain competition, held this year for the 10^th time at Craigieburn Valley and Mt. Olympus, is renown in New Zealand for its challenging terrain and positive vibe. I couldn’t wait to be part of it this year and finally get the real New Zealand “club field” experience. The club fields are usually non-profit organisations run by enthusiastic club members and seasonal staff. They exist solely for the purpose of skiing and snowboarding, not for commercial gain. These grassroots, unpretentious club fields also have one more enticing element—namely, steep, gnarly terrain that remains relatively untouched. Bowls, chutes, cliffs, short and long hikes are the flavours of the day. Terrain is accessed using high capacity rope tows and so called nutcrackers – more about that little adventure later!

After a 6 hour drive from Wanaka with Jake and Freeride World Champion Susan Mol, we arrived at the cosy alpine lodge nestled in the native bush of the Craigieburn valley. It had been absolutely pouring all day, so our expectations regarding the snow conditions weren’t too high. Furthermore, we were being pounded by gale force winds of up to 120 km/hr. The rope tows were forced to remain closed the following day, so we made use of a brief clearing to explore the area by foot, before it started snowing again in earnest.

Craigieburn's Siberia Basin, with 1st to 6th Gut visible in the background.

Day 2 brought more snow and gale force winds, but luckily for us we were able to ski 5 runs before the rope tows were closed again due to the wind. However, the comp was on hold for today. But we did get to learn, albeit in extreme conditions, how to clamp our nutcracker onto a high speed rope for the first time. What scared me most were the pulleys which hold the rope in place – never once did I forget to take my hand off the rope so as not to get it caught in-between the rope and the pulleys. Without a doubt this day was one of the funniest ski experiences ever!

We were almost blown off the mountain but had a great time

Day 3: The Expression Session

Really strong winds again today. The clouds whipped past the mountains so fast it looked like a time lapse. The top rope tow remained closed but that didn’t stop the event staff from organising an expression session in Gut 2 and 3. What looked like a ho-hum little area turned out to be a great playground showcasing the talents of the New Zealand freeskiers: getting super creative and throwing down in terrain a European skier would simply overlook. Super inspired and motivated, I joined the skiers and snowboarders in finding sketchy straight-lines and doing ollies over rocks at high speed, something I would otherwise not attempt. What a great day of skiing! To top it off, I was awarded the best female performance for skiing strong lines from top to bottom. A great way to end the Craigieburn Valley section of the 2009 Big Mountain Chill Series.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 05:45 am on Saturday morning: it’s big mountain finals day! Competitors staying in Wanaka had to make an early start to make it to the Remarkables near Queenstown at 8:00 am. The decision to relocate the finals to the Alta Chutes at the Remarkables was made yesterday due to the high avalanche danger still present at Treble Cone. I had checked out the venue together with my mate Janina Kuzma yesterday and had mixed feelings about it. Snow conditions were definitely good thanks to the southern aspect of the Alta chutes (the shady aspect in the Southern hemisphere), but I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the sharks (rocks hidden in the snow) or the “rock garden” style of terrain. Here, “billy goaters” would rejoice in the many lines they could hop through and around the rocks. But I made myself stay positive, it definitely wasn’t a bad venue.

The finals venue, the Alta Chutes at the Remarkables ski area

Once I had chosen a line studying the photos I had made the day before, I definitely felt better. But during our inspection run, my heart sank. The main feature I had planned to drop was a no-go. The run out was much steeper and gnarlier than I thought – it meant I would have to straight line down the entire chute over rocks – too risky. Ok, I need an alternative…I quickly pieced together a new line, open but with some nice drops. More my style. Another quick look and I had to ski to the lift and hike up to the start.  10 minutes later I hear the head judge’s voice crackling over the radio: “the judges are ready for Lorraine Huber”. “Ok 5 seconds Lorraine”, you can drop in now.”

A few minutes before my start

I hit my first bump, land, arching turns through the chopped-up, heavy powder, spot my first drop: a shelf on my right, dropped it, so far so good. I ended up further right than I had planned, but could get back to the shoulder on my left without stopping my flow, I had slowed down considerably though. I lined up my next drop, stomped it, and then…I just skied past my final and largest drop! All too quickly I was down at the bottom, panting. 70 seconds of high intensity skiing, but I hadn’t managed to ski what I wanted. Bugger! Man was I disappointed! But I couldn’t stay disappointed for too long hanging out in the sun with my mates and watching some amazing skiing from the guys.

Rebecka, Janina and me after our run

After the comp I hiked back up the venue and skied my line again, this time as I had planed. For some reason I still haven’t managed to ski in competition as I usually do when skiing alone or with my mates.  Finding out why is a great challenge, one that I’m working on right now. Lets see how I go in the K2 Big Mountain Chill Series coming up at the end of the month.

In the end I was stoked to come 3rd at this comp, and especially to compete with skiers like Janina and Rebecka, who are both competing in the Freeride World Tour 201o. Visit the NZ Freeski Open website for video footage and full results.

It was awesome being on the podium with my mates

It snowed last week. We decided to avoid battling it out with the powder-crazed skiers and snowboarders in Treble Cone and to head to Ohau instead, a small ski area with 1 double chair which takes you to the top of a beautiful bowl of off-piste terrain. I was going there with Camilla Stoddart, up and coming photographer here and overseas, as well as a crew of boys from NZ Skier magazine.  We left at 7 am sharp to be up at the Ohau ski area 2 hours later.

Ohau excited I was to ski the fresh pow pow!

Ohau ski patrol was spooked. Some serious slab avalanches had covered the road in debris in two places and had taken out the shed, where the dynamite safe as well as the tools were stored. We had to wait for the roads to clear, the powder frenzy was thick in the air.

The tool shed was destroyed by an avalanche

1 hour later, we had made it up! There were still freshies to be had, and since the light for shooting wasn’t great yet, we could indulge in a couple of warm-up runs. The powder was great and people were hooting, having a ball!

Small but heaps of fun

The boys put on a great show throwing massive back and front flips over a decent sized cliff. All 3 of them stomped the landing first go, and all 3 of them crashed and burned the 2nd time. The snow had become quite firm during the course of the day, a regular occurance here due to the mild temperatures.

Pete Oswald sending it

Camilla took this photo of me at the end of the day.

Ohau I love that spray!

After having spent 3 weeks in Wanaka last year, I decided right then and there to do a whole season in this awesome lakeside town located on the South Island of New Zealand. Only a 30 minute drive to Treble Cone, arguably NZ’s best ski resort, Wanaka is to be my home for the next 3 months.

Here I will ski and compete in the New Zealand Freeride Series, consisting of: the NZ Freeski Open Big Mountain at Treble Cone, the K2 Big Mountain Chill Series at Craigieburn and Mt. Olympus, and the Export Gold Xtreme at Whakapapa, Mt Ruapehu. This is the first ever Southern Hemisphere Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) Event and I’m stoked to be part of it!

I’m pre-qualified for the big mountain finals for the NZ Freeski Open because I podiumed last year. The finals are on the 14th August, wish me luck!

Knowing that I would be missing out on the European summer months once again due to my annual pilgrimage down to Australia, I decided I needed to treat myself to some hot weather and surfing action. And what better place to visit than Bali for a surf trip of 2 weeks? So off we flew to Denpasar, where we were picked up by our driver, Komang, and whisked away from the hustle and bustle of the city to the idyllic rice paddies of Canggu. Here we were to stay with friends of ours, very close to the excellent Pererenan beach break.

For the next 10 days, our daily agenda consisted of surfing, checking the surf, eating, and resting. And boy did I need to rest, because 3 or more hours of surfing every day sure makes you tired.  For the first 4 days of our stay, we were blessed with small waves (well perfectly sized according to me) to get back into it after such a long break.

Weee look at me!

After that, Bali was getting hammered with massive waves, some of the biggest for the past 5 years. There was 1 day we couldn’t go out, it was just too big. Instead, we watched the cracks shredding wave after wave and the carnage of broken boards at the famous Padang Padang break down south.

Watching the action and carnage at Padang Padang

Surfing the big sets at sunset, Padang Padang

With new inspiration, it was back to our local break where all I cared about was getting a ride on a wave.

I wasn’t always successful.

But the hard work did pay off in the end.

Dropping in!

Front side turn at the Rivermouth

My surfing buddies Nyoman and Jake

Here are some more stunning photos from my recent trip to the Lyngen Alps.

Hey guys, just wanted to share this with you: Stefan Häusl’s amazing run at the Röldal Freeride Challenge. He came 2nd and therefore won a wild card for the FWT stop in Sochi, Russia, next year.

Good on you mate, you deserve it!