Comment Share Posted on Wednesday September 23rd at 10:36 a.m.

I have hanging in my garage a wooden plaque given to me the by Eastbourne Christian Surfers association a few years ago that reads “The bigger the wave the closer I get to God: Surfing, a religious experience”. If that’s truly the case, then skiers must be blessed as Gods chosen disciples. ‘The bigger the mountain, the closer to God we get’.

It's a recent week long excursion to Canterbury that reminds me how much I love this place. Growing up here through high school and then moving up to Wellington in my mid twenties, I often forget how lucky Cantabs are having so much recreation potential at their fingertips. Trying not to be a sounding board for Canterbury Tourism, I can't help but wonder what took me away from this place to begin with.

Making it an annual ‘must-do' trip for me and my family, we often decide to make the most of each visit here and try something new. Travelling with 2 very young children is never easy (2 and a half and 8 months old), nor is the ability to convince my spouse that a well deserved ski break for just me towards the end of a bumper season is in order. The only way to earn this ski break for myself is to pamper and spoil the non-skiing heathen first.

So enter a working holiday...

First stop was the Millennium Hotel, downtown Cathedral Square, Christchurch.

Welcoming us to this 5 star location is frontage and a foyer that that oozes sophistication and grand style. Concierge and Valet parking along with instant surname addressing among the first impressions, guest relations being a priority from the get go. Points for the porter who took all bags and had them delivered to the room without even asking. Facilities are ample and with a well recognized restaurant and cocktail bar, this venue is among Christchurch's finest.

Being in the Cathedral Square meant that within a blocks radius we had an aquarium for the kids, ample shopping opportunities for the wife as well as restaurants and bars of every style and flavor. The view from the 9th floor intoxicated me as I gazed longingly at the Southern Alps, both Mt Hutt and Porters easily identifiable from this height and only an hours drive away. For a higher vantage point we day tripped to the Gondola and had the bird's eye view of Canterbury on a clear spring afternoon. 360 degrees of the Lyttleton harbour, the coastline, the plains, the city and the mountains make for spectacular scenery that is hard to describe and I can only imagine the romance this place would bring at dusk.

So, no skiing just yet - I bide my time and ensure everyone is having a good time first. A stunning Sunday brunch at the New Brighton pier over-looking the beach on a balmy 17 degree morning caps off a great week. We head off to Lake Coleridge and Terrace Downs High Country Resort for the next part of our escape.

A 50 minute drive from the city or 15 minute drive from Methven is Terrace Downs, this High Country Resort is at the foot of the majestic Southern Alps and looks directly up at Mt Hutt. Within one hours drive are 2 commercial fields and 4 club fields, making this spot an ideal base for both an avid skier and golfer. What strikes me immediately about this resort is the location of each villa and residence over-looking the fairways; each carefully designed to blend into its surroundings. The combinations of earthy tones and rock wall chimneys blend into the flax and grasses that litter the landscape. This 18 hole championship golf course is among NZ's finest and runs alongside the Rakaia river for a breathtaking 16th hole, it's enough to stir the Tiger (Woods) in each of us.  The club house and restuarant serve an array of excellent cuisine for both lunches and dinners and the additional facilities and activities are plentiful.

But I digress - this story is about skiing and I finally get a chance to do just that. After sampling several of the Canterbury fields, I decide to try one I haven't sampled yet. Mt.Olympus is just 45 minutes from Terrace Downs and despite hearing stories of their notorious access road, the Toyota Highlander rental car courtesy of Thrifty easily tackles the terrain and I feel like a tank driver taking on a goat track. The signage and memorial plaque to a poor soul who built the road 50 years ago says it all and it's important to keep your wits while driving this road. But I'm not trying to put you off, so lets move on...

Having 3 old skool nut cracker rope tows immediately disqualifies those that are still trying to master the pomma's and t-bars. I'd recommend you earn your spills there first before trialing these tows as it can be both challenging and frustrating for some.  The last time I used a rope tow was in high school at Temple Basin almost 15 years ago - so it took me several attempts to remember the basics as well. Some advice being, stay strapped in your board (if you can), keep the momentum on the rope before locking over the cracker and for God's sake keep fingers, hair and backpack straps well away from the pulley wheels.  Oh yeah, don't use your new gloves either.

These three tows open up an amazing array of terrain that's hard to beat. With over 60 hectares (150 acres) of skiable terrain and a vertical drop of 450 metres, this hidden jewel is remarkably big.  While Porters was exposed to a Northerly dust storm and Mt Hutt was closed due to winds; it was an apparently bluebird day here thanks to the high peak and southern facing field which creates its own micro climate.

After a few runs to familiarize myself, I was joined by John, the ski area safety officer manager who laid down a hiking challenge that was hard to refuse.

"Stairway to Heaven opens up an amazing view of the alps and from there we can ski The Drainpipe off Ardis peak" was his subtle invitation. I gazed at the ‘stairway' and accepted with slight trepidation. Having been several years since I hiked back country on a field, this was another one for the memory banks. The climb seemed endless but only lasted about half an hour. He was right; the view was stunning and the hike added huge access to another wonderful part of this playground.

Divine references aside, this field contains an array of glorious chutes, righteous rollovers and tempting terrain to suit all skiing abilities. To top it off, the lodge (which bunks 36) has a speaker system that pumps out phat beats while carving. Hallelujah, what more could you want.  Rumour has it they are shutting down the 4th of October, but thanks to being run by locals, it doesn't take much to get the rope tows started just in case nature has one final Spring dump up her sleeve...

For more info on the places listed above, check out...

www.mtolympus.co.nz

www.terracedowns.co.nz

www.millenniumhotels.co.nz