Snowlines: Into the Temple of delight

Herald photographer PETER MEECHAM soaks up the club field experience at Temple Basin in Arthurs Pass National Park.

Fear and adrenalin coursed through me as I followed Temple Basin patroller and top freeskier Todd Windle up the jagged ridge-line. The incline was so steep that we were searching to find hand-holds in the soft spring snow.

The mountain dropped away steeply on either side. On the left, the ski area was nestled in the natural bowl in the valley, and on the right Deception Valley wound its way through the backbone of the Southern Alps.

The valley was the one Coast to Coast runners battled through in the mountain run section.

As the ridge line flattened out towards the summit, we were able to take in Arthurs Pass National Park. After assessing the line I was going to take and wishing I was wearing a helmet, we left the ridge, plunging into the valley below, making full use of the fantastic natural chutes and ridges that are everywhere around the ski area. Nervousness evaporated into excitement as I followed Windle back to the top tow, breathless and exhilarated from my first real taste of Temple Basin.

Skiing steep and challenging terrain is like a drug, and Temple Basin is a perfect place to get a fix. The club ski area is uncrowded, friendly, and boasts some amazingly varied skiing and boarding, from fairly easy learners' areas to what most come for - awesome, steep off-piste conditions. Having no groomer ensures powder days at Temple Basin are fantastic, with fresh tracks for everyone.

Even getting to the ski area is an adventure. A 50-minute slog up the side of the mountain from the Arthurs Pass highway left me questioning whether anyone has ever drowned in sweat.

It didn't help that the goods-lift man who ferries ski gear up the lift to the base lodge failed to show on time and I rather foolishly decided to carry my own ski and camera gear. .

Having more weight than the average Mack truck on my back made me grateful to see the lodges which are perched high on the backbone of the Southern Alps in a unique mountain environment with some of the most superb views in New Zealand.

Up to 120 people can stay on the mountain, which is certainly the best option. The club has deals for ski weeks and you get the added thrill of skiing at night under moonlight.

The ski area has four nutcracker tows accessing some excellent runs which should prove no problem to competent boarders and skiers, but learners may find the experience similar to wrestling with an octopus.

Of course, if you're prepared to go beyond the tows, there is the chance of incredible expert boarding and skiing, including naturally formed halfpipes and chutes, super steep runs and plenty of rocky outcrops to leap off.

It's no wonder a guy like New Zealander Windle, who recently won the Canadian Freeskiing Championship, bases himself at Temple Basin where there is plenty of extreme terrain for him to keep pushing the boundaries of his sport.

Whether you are an intermediate boarder or skier looking for a unique experience, or an expert looking for wild new slopes, Temple Basin has plenty to offer. Take a trip down there and challenge yourself - just make sure you wait for the goods-lift man.

CASENOTES


LIFT PASSES: Adult, $32.

ACCOMMODATION: Dinner, bed and breakfast, $37.

PACKAGES: Food, accommodation, lift passes, daily instruction for six nights and seven days for an adult, $395.

SPECIAL WEEKENDS: Women's weekend, July 29-30; Fire and Ice Party, August 5-6.

MORE INFO: Ph (03) 377 7788.

New Zealand has 11 club fields:

Maunganui, Mt Taranaki, ph (06) 765 5493, PO Box 3271, New Plymouth; Tukino, Mt Ruapehu (eastern side), lodge phone (06) 387 6294; Mt Robert, Marlborough, PO Box 344, Nelson, ph (03) 548 8336; Amuri, North Canterbury, PO Box 129, Hanmer Springs, ph 025 341 806; Temple Basin, Arthurs Pass, PO Box 1228, Christchurch, ph (03) 377 7788; Craigieburn Valley, Mid-Canterbury, PO Box 2152, Christchurch, ph (03) 365 2514; Broken River, Mid-Canterbury, PO Box 2718, Christchurch; Mt Cheeseman, Craigieburn Range, PO Box 22-178, Christchurch, ph (03) 379 5315; Mt Olympus, Mid-Canterbury, PO Box 25-055, Christchurch, ph (03) 329 1727; Fox Peak, South Canterbury, PO Box 368, Timaru, ph (03) 685 8539; Awakino, North Otago, PO Box 191 Oamaru, ph (03) 436 0771.