BENN WOODS
HEATHER WALTON AND MARK BYCROFT
Ray White ’ s winter sports stars
BY CASSANDRA GLOVER
BENN WOODS
Ray White Commercial Bayside , QLD
When / where did you learn to snowboard ?
I taught myself ( badly ) when I lived in Tokyo for three years . I learnt properly when I worked as a “ liftie ” for my first winter at Coronet Peak just outside Queenstown , New Zealand .
What do you enjoy most about it ?
There ' s too many things - the freedom to ride all over the mountain , snowshoe hike into cool spots , firsttracks on untouched pow , playing in the terrain park . Maybe most was heading into the tree lines and frozen gullies / natural half pipes in Japan on secret runs ( that you ' re not supposed to hit ).
How did you come to be a snowboard instructor ?
Standing at the top of Coronet Peak as a “ liftie ” was pretty cold and boring . I saw ski patrol and instructors getting paid to slide all day . I didn ' t fancy cleaning up broken punters in the " blood bucket " ( first-aid sled ), so thought I ' d become an instructor , which turned into 11 seasons on hills around the world .
What is your favourite place to snowboard ?
Kiroro in Hokkaido , Japan , was great for a couple winters . There are some awesome secret tree lines that locals don ' t often touch , because it ' s outside the ropes .
When / where did you learn to ski ?
We both learnt to ski at Mt Ruapehu initially when we were young , but now we own a home in Arrowtown , it ' s always Queenstown .
What did you enjoy most about it ?
Mark and I love anything that is fun , fast and we get exercise from - it ’ s a win-win . We get to exercise while we have fun and the best part is a nice hot mulled wine afterwards . We love the outdoors and our son Harrison is a mad skier but we definitely don ' t try to keep up with him and his mates !
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What is your favourite place to ski / snowboard ? Our favourite NZ ski field is probably the Remarkables but Mark likes Treble Cone on a nice day . We have a trip to Aspen planned in January which is going to be very exciting .
Any tips for beginners ? Start young ! And if you ’ re not young then don ' t pretend you are .
HEATHER WALTON AND MARK BYCROFT
Ray White Epsom and Omaha , NZ