Big Mountain Chill Series 2010
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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.
Snow Safety Weekend | 26, 27th June
Well here we are just about to launch into another damn fine looking winter. Things are already looking fantastic on the hill with some great early season storms. Just before we crank up it is time again to get your avalanche kit out of the cupboard and come on up the hill for the annual Snow Safety Weekend. If you ski outside the boundary (eg Castle, North Middle) then how about you come on up and brush up on your transciever search technique and other really important self rescue skills like probing and shoveling (yep there is a right way to shovel a heap of snow in a hurry). While you are at it how about convince your skiing mates to come up and get their skills up to speed to as they are the ones you will be relying on to dig you out if you happen to get your self buried in an avalanche. There is no avalanche control past the boundary. When you head out there you need some basic skills to determine if its safe. You also need to have the gear to keep you safe if it all goes pear shaped! Most importantly and most often neglected is developing your avalanche rescue skills to the point where you can rescue your mates in a hurry when they most need it. The time to figure out how to use your transceiver efficiently is not when you are trying to find where your mate is buried. Becoming efficient at avalanche transceiver searching takes ongoing practice.
This year we hope to target learning activities differing skill levels. We hope to be able to split up and provide some terrain travel avalanche awareness skills to the more advance folk and while those just starting out can focus on transceiver and probing skills as well as some!basics on avalanche awareness. What we can do will depend entirely on the weather and avalanche conditions on each day. Provisional Programme (dependant on weather, snow and avalanche conditions)
Saturday 26th June
- 9am The Avalanche Rescue Plan and avalanche rescue techniques.
- 11am Transceiver practice for all based in the carpark for a starter.
- 12 noon Lunch.
- 12:30pm Up the hill for transceiver and probe searching practice. For those already proficient in single beacon search we will stretch your skills with multiple beacon searches. We will also get out the avalanche rescue gear on the hill so you know were it is and how to use it.
- 2:30pm Avalanche rescue scenario. 5pm Debrief & MSC Avalanche Safety Video. Saturday Night – meet and greet the staff who will have all turned up for the start of training and set up week. Lets have a few quiets and get the bar warmed up for the season!
Sunday 27th June
More detail on aspects of avalanche awareness not already covered. Back up day for avalanche rescue scenario if weather no good on Saturday.
·If conditions allow we will head back up the hill to continue working on avalanche awareness skills As our snow safety programme wont have started we need to be cautious in what we do and where we go so if you want to come up onto the field then as a minimum you will need an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. If you don’t have this gear try and borrow it from someone who does. It wont the the end of the world if you don’t have it all. So long as you have a beacon with you we will have plenty of activities around the base area to make it well worth your while.
Booking Details
We are offering this weekend as a pre-season refresher session for members only. If you are not a member and wish to learn more about avalanche safety the Mountain Safety Council offer courses from indroductory to advanced level visit the Mountain Safety Council website for more information.
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.
Club Snow Safety Weekend
Title: Club Snow Safety Weekend
Location: Craigieburn
Cost: Ordinary members $50; Privilege members $30
Many of you wear an avalanche transceiver when you ski and ride in the valley but:
Are you really confident that you can effectively search for a buried mate? Do you know the latest search techniques for single and multiple burials? Can you confidently find two buried transceivers in under 4 minutes? Do you know how to be part of, or supervise a probe line? What do you know about the Craigieburn Valley Ski Area Avalanche Rescue Plan? How old is your transceiver? They loose effectiveness with age.
These questions and many more will be answered if you turn up for the Avalanche Rescue Exercise on the 4th of July.
Wearing an avalanche beacon and carrying a shovel and probe does not necessarily make you safe. It is essential that you have the knowledge of how to use the gear. You also
need to regularly practise avalanche rescue techniques to ensure that if the worst happens you are able to be an effective part of an avalanche rescue effort.
Craigieburn is just about all avalanche terrain, all the more reason for you to improve your avalanche safety skills. It would be fantastic if we could have a high turnout of members to make the most of the weekend.
You don’t need to own an avalanche transceiver to participate. But if you do please bring it along (please make sure you have installed new batteries for the 2009 season) with your probe and shovel if you have them.
Program (Weather and avalanche conditions dependent)
Saturday 4th July
10.00am – The avalanche rescue plan and avalanche rescue techniques.
12 noon – lunch
12:30pm – up the hill for transceiver and probe searching practise
2:30pm – avalanche rescue scenario
5.00pm – debrief + MSC Avalanche Safety Video
Sunday 5th July
More transceiver searching practise. (you can never do enough of it!)
Back up day for avalanche rescue scenario if weather no good on Sat 4th.
If time allows we will run a basic session on safe travel techniques in avalanche terrain and general avalanche safety.
Everyone wishing to attend MUST email Nick staff@craigieburn.co.nz or leave a message 03 018 8711 by Wedensday evening.
Ortovox Winter Forum
When: Thursday June 18th
Where: Aurora Performing Arts Centre, Burnside High School
Doors open and ticket sales from 6:30pm forum commences at 7:30pm
How Much: Tickets $10
Speakers:
Al Uren – Winter Mountaineering
Jeff Small – NZ Free Skier
Alpine Search Dogs
MSC alpine and avalanche safety information
