School Holiday Skiing

20 July 2018 -

The school holidays are always a busy time in the Southern Lakes. Queues on the mountain look like queues in the seventies, though due to fast moving, high capacity lifts, they fortunately move a lot more quickly.

The seventies were the days of getting five runs in a whole day at Coronet Peak, maybe six or seven if you count those from halfway on the double chair. Waiting for an hour, leaning on your poles to prevent yourself from sliding forward in the not-quite-level queue, the sun beating down on you.

The lift queues were social events though. It was before direct flights into Queenstown from almost everywhere, and the queues and common room were peopled largely by locals, Southlanders & Otago-ites. You’d hear the odd Australian accent and spot a few Japanese in their fancy Descente skiwear.

We skied through the key hole and met up at lunch rocks. The Rocky Gully poma lifted you off the ground at the steep bit near the top, and you had to raise your ski-tips at halfway on the triple to avoid tipping yourself off the chair.

It was before the Remarkables and Cardrona were established. Treble Cone was a recent addition, born in 1968, with its two t-bars. The lower t-bar infamously featuring waist high moguls, three feet apart - perfect only for hotdoggers.

The gondolas were coloured like Christmas lights in red, yellow, blue and green and there was only a handful of restaurants. On the occasional family outing it was to Cobb & Co or The Cow. Forty years later The Cow is a rare and affirming remnant of seventies ski nostalgia.