What a day!

fantastic day in the valley today. Clear with moderate winds to start with then gale westerlies then snow with gale westerlies then sunshine and no wind for a good few hours and now it is snowing with no wind! Man we had it all today. Best skiing of the season for me. Skiing on the top tow was dang fine. Richard Mahoney reckons the skiing was better than anything he had in Canada for 7 weeks this summer! With the winds in morning it was surprising how great the pow was. Middle Basin chutes primo! More freshies tomorrow with Ham Face not skied yet. Should be a great day tomorrow! Snowing hard out at the mo.
cheers
Tony P (aka Malone)

Femme’s Weekend

Come on up for a girls weekend getaway in the mountains at Craigieburn! This weekend is focussed on providing you with specific skills and tips for making the most out of the off piste conditions, enhancing your enjoyment of skiing, and having a great time with a bunch of like-minded people.

Schedule

Saturday – 10am at the daylodge

A day to fine tune your technique

• Personal improvement clinic with your own goals as the focus. Learn to cruise gracefully or charge like the boys!
• Includes video analysis.
• End of day Apres wine and cheese in the Koroheke bar.

Sunday – 10am at the daylodge

Skiing the ‘Big Mountain.

• Tactics to deal with different off piste conditions.
• Skiing the steeps! (Optional)
• Intro to avalanche safety. How to use tranciever, probe, shovel. Safe ways to travel in the backcountry.

$125 for the clinic ($65) per day. Email ski@craigieburn.co.nz for reservation. Usual lift ticket and accommodation rates apply.

Great opening turns at Craigieburn

Yeah sure it’s early season conditions but hey we had some damn fine skiing on Hamilton Face and the Middle Basin Chutes today. The fine nights have really improved the conditions on the hill. There are plenty of good turns to be had. Check out the new photos from Hamilton Face this afternoon!

Accommodation bookings filling up fast

The snow is still falling, and it is looking set to be a great season.

Accommodation for the School holidays and peak season in August is just about full. If you are planning a trip to Craigieburn this season now is the time to secure and pay for your booking before space runs out. This season we have special off-peak rates available from $50 per night for a non-member Adult. This includes three-course meal and breakfast in our slopeside accommodation. Ski holidays just dont come any cheaper!

Get in quick before we are all booked up! www.craigieburn.co.nz/accommodation/book

Freeride Programme

This is an ongoing coaching programme designed by our ski instructor Sophie Norton for junior skiers aged 12 – 17 to improve the participants fundamental skiing skills.Freeride Photos

CV Big Mountain Programme 2010

* Start date 10th/11th July (Saturday or Sunday) through to 28th/29th August.
* 5 sessions for $250
* Sessions run for 3 hours
* Must have some rope tow experience
* Separate intermediate and advanced groups (maximum of 6 per group)
 
Kids can come along for a taster during the school holiday week prior to the start of programme. We recomend this for anyone new to using nut cracker rope tows so you can learn before starting lessons.
Programme Outline
This is an ongoing coaching programme designed to improve the participants fundamental skiing skills. They will be introduced to a wide range of snow conditions and types of terrain and will work on tactics to deal with different skiing situations. We will also look at line selection in big mountain terrain and how we can use natural features to make the skiing as exciting as possible.

Alongside this we will educate our skiers in the use of avalanche equipment and safe methods to ski the type of terrain we are in. There may be some hiking involved however we will be within the ski area boundary at all times.

For further information, or to register interest in attending these sessions, please email ski@craigieburn.co.nz. Numbers are limited and priority will be given to members first, then to non members on a first come first serve basis.

Individual  Sessions – Intro  to Craigieburn

The intro to Craigieburn lesson is for people new to club field skiing and rope tow use. Come along for a couple of hours at the start of your day and you’ll learn the skills needed to cope in the current off piste conditions, learn where to go on the mountain, and have professional assistance in using our lifts.

• Sign up at the ticket office.  First come first serve unless booked in advance.
• 10am to 12am Saturday/Sunday.
• $40 per person
• Maximum of 6 per group.
• First come first serve unless booked in advance

These ski sessions are designed to give kids the technical skills needed to cope in off piste conditions. However the emphasis will be on introducing them safely to the thrill of free skiing in a big mountain environment.

Programme outline

Meet at Daylodge 10am through to 12am. Skiers should be able to ride blue runs comfortably, rope tow experience is recommended but help will be provided for less experienced users.