Ohau: Powder joy

Mackenzie's slopes are blissfully uncrowded. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Ohau Snow Fields in the Mackenzie High Country are a mission to get to.

A plane takes me from Auckland to Christchurch. There, my Jucy rented Nissan Pulsar takes me safely through spectacular Canterbury scenery, and four hours later I arrive at my destination in time for dinner.

"Ohau is old-school - in a good way," enthuses a dinner guest at Lake Ohau Lodge, on the fringes of the ski fields.

Seated with six strangers, by the ever-smiling hostess Louise, it's hard to argue. The children have been fed and are now happily watching TV in the lounge, leaving the adults in peace to enjoy a three-course meal of heart-warming country fare.

The dining room is filled with the sound of laughter and good times, as guests and family members swap stories of fun in the snow and share experiences. Skiers gather around the open log fire, warming their hands, after a big day on the slopes.

I can't wait to get up there.

After a hearty breakfast - fuel to burn on the piste - it's back in the car, eagerly winding my way up the gravel track to the fields.

Before strapping on any skis though, it's essential to enjoy the view - it is simply breathtaking. Lake Ohau, cradled between the Ohau Range to the west in the Main Divide and the Ben Ohau range to the east, glistens in the morning sun. The burned ochres of the Mackenzie High Country form a stunning painting-like backdrop.

In the day lodge changing room, skiers and boarders sip lattes while booting up. Mothers fuss over their children's ski gear. Ski gear dries by the log burner.

Itching with impatience, at last I'm on my way to the chairlift for the first run of the day.

"How's it going mate?" asks the cheery 'lifty'.

"She's pretty busy today, eh?"

I look around, bemused. No queue at the lift. Carpark half full.

And the lift operator thinks it's busy? Being a smaller field, Ohau prides itself on its friendliness and community feel.

After a couple of days' boarding I let my enthusiasm run away with me.

A sense of adventure is vital if you want to maximise your enjoyment on these blissfully uncrowded slopes.

There's fresh powder to be had off the main trails in the Powder Bank. I take off down a bank, whooping with delight on the fresh dry powder, every snowboarder's nirvana.

But, heaven turns to hell as low cloud drifts rapidly across the mountain.

Visibility goes from unlimited to a few metres in the blink of an eye.

I don't see the big bank of snow that has collected on the edge of a groomed trail. I hit it at top speed. The pros call it big air, a term full of excitement for what really is an uncoordinated and painful wipeout.

Hands out to break my fall, my fingers bend back over my wrist guard at a right angle.

My whoops of delight turn to a scream of horror as I look down at my broken hand.

My holiday in the snow has come to an abrupt and painful end.

Ohau Snow Fields is a commercial field with a club feel, warm and friendly and totally unpretentious.

Would I go there again? Hell yes!

But if, like me, you come to grief on the piste, the Canterbury region offers a smorgasbord of mostly kinder-on-the-bones activities:

* Take a scenic flight with Air Safaris to view the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.

* Visit Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, World Heritage area.

* Stay at The Hermitage Hotel and wake up to spectacular views of Aoraki/Mt Cook from your bedroom window.

* Take a helicopter from Mt Cook National Park with Heliworks, and land on the Tasman Glacier.

* Ski Mt Dobson, Mt Hutt, Roundhill, Porters fields - there are 18 options to chose from.

* Star gaze at the Mount John Observatory in Tekapo.

* Enjoy a relaxing soak in the hot pools at Tekapo Springs with views across the spectacularly beautiful lake.

Further information: See christchurchnz.com.

Doug Sherring travelled courtesy of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism, with assistance from Ohau Lodge.