the how’s, what, and where’s. You need to
know how to use the gear, where to find
the good conditions, and what to do to
keep yourself and your friends safe.
To get in the zone fast, one of the
best ways to up-skill is by going on
a back-country ski/snowboard or ski
mountaineering course. If you just want to
jump right in, maybe hire a guide for some
steep and deep thrills and to find those
“secret spots” that always produce.
The big one for people wanting to get
into the back country or even the “slack
country” (off the back of the local fields), is
to invest the time to learn about avalanche
awareness from someone who knows what
to look at and for.
Alpine Guides’ Backcountry Avalanche
Courses over 4 days is the key starting
block. They provide both in the field and
theoretical learning from top avalanche
qualified/guiding professionals.
This learning process is not about having
instant expertise, and it’s a well used truism
that the avalanche doesn’t recognize an
expert. It is about developing ongoing
habits and good decision-making skills.
Closely associated with your awareness
skills in avalanche terrain is good route
finding and selection. This applies equally
for the uphill as for the downhill rewards.
A lot of the time you will be covering
ground that you may not be able to see
the entirety of from the start of the day.
74 Ultimate Adventure Pass
Now is the time when knowing a bit
of map reading and basic navigation
planning comes into its own. It also
keeps you from falling prey to many of
those pitfalls you learnt about on your
avalanche awareness course!
NZ has some of the best glacier skiing in
the world, at elevations that wouldn’t even
be snowline across much of the globe.
We’ve got several great basic but fantastic
huts dotted around the place, and options
for all levels of competence - from the
worlds best green run (the Tasman Glacier
of course!) to “edging skills or hospital bills”
big mountain descents.
Alpine Guides guided touring trips range
from a glacier based Ski Mountaineering
Course (SMC) through the non-glaciated
“Helicamps” - where we fly into our heli-ski
region, and set up multi day camps while
touring each day.
For some of these missions you start to
encroach the world of the mountaineer,
but with the advent of really effective
touring set ups for snow board or skis
(including ski crampons, and light weight
ropes, axes and safety gear getting better
and better) these frozen wonderlands are
more and more becoming accessible to the
normal adventurous spirit.
There’s learning to be done but the
rewards are ongoing throughout the
process and as time goes on the objectives
and goals seem to expand with every
ridge crest gained and new line spotted or
researched.
OUTER EDGE 75