Twinkle toes

Liz French skied the slopes of Canada’s Sun Peaks and Big White resorts, and it made her feel like dancing.

photos Liz French + Lindy Ellison + supplied

“Skiing is like dancing; the snow is your music,” said Olympic gold medallist Nancy Greene, who calls Sun Peaks home and is a wonderful ambassador. I was privileged to ski in a group with the woman named Canada’s female athlete of the 20th century in 1999 for her prowess and contribution to the sport.

Nancy’s 80 now, but she still skis like a teenager. She generously shared her story and tips for improving our skiing (“Stay on the balls of your feet”), taking us where we might not have otherwise gone – notably the ski cross course, on which you bounce over humps and race around well-cambered corners.

After a couple of cloudy but satisfyingly snowy days, Sun Peaks lived up to its name with bright blue skies and gloriously groomed pistes. My partner and I arrived there from Big White, which also lived up to its reputation as ‘Big Whiteout’. We had six murky days, but the payoff was snow you float through. It’s not like in New Zealand, where heavy cloud cover means skiing by braille. The trees provide definition and the wide, obstacle-free pistes instil confidence.

The slightly eerie feeling of skiing in the mist was enhanced by the sight of ‘snow ghosts’. Big White’s known for these trees on the upper slopes that get so snowbound they take on a sculptural form. To add to the sense of surreal, we went night skiing one evening. One long run is illuminated by lamps that throw pools of light on the snow, the patches of dark between them slightly disconcerting till you get the hang of it.

Members of Liz’s tour group - fast and furious meets sedate.

Skiing in Canada is delightfully different to skiing in New Zealand. Think long, wide, tree-framed pistes groomed to perfection, often with several centimetres of powder laid seductively on top. Sun Peaks has a signature trail, five miles (that’s 8km) from Top of the World to the base. The colder, north-facing side of the resort, Morrisey, has lots of glade skiing; on the south-facing side, Sundance and Sunburst have longer, sweeping trails. If Big White is whiting out, skiing the Black Forest side affords ample visibility. When the sky clears, it’s great to head to the Gem Lake area and the powder runs, most of which we skied without much visibility but with good guides.

The only queues we saw were on the main chairlifts when they opened in the morning, especially on a powder day. Most lifts allow skiers to take green (easy), blue (intermediate and so much fun) or black (advanced) trails down, meaning even amateur skiers can reach the top to enjoy the view.

We book our snow holidays through Auckland’s Ski Travel Specialists, and this year joined one of their group trips that come with the benefit of tour leaders. Ōhope couple Linda and Stephen Clews have been hosting ski trips for years and, as well as facilitating fun, share their knowledge of the fields. I mostly chose to ski with them, as they split the group into fast and furious (usually me!) and slightly more sedate skiers. We also took advantage of the snow hosts.

These usually retired, keen skiers volunteer their time to take visitors on tours of the fields they know and love. The ones we met said they enjoy Kiwis, who they find are usually game for anything.

Skiers need fuel, and both resorts offer a good range of eating, drinking (and shopping) options, though Sun Peaks’ village is more extensive than Big White’s. We even found good coffee, becoming regulars at the Tea Bar at Big White, and Bolacco and Vertical cafés at Sun Peaks. Costs escalate with tax and tips, but hey, you’re on holiday.

There’s plenty to do if you want a change from skiing or snowboarding. We could have gone ice skating, snow shoeing, tubing, sleigh riding, fat biking and axe throwing. I bowed to my partner’s desire to go snowmobiling and spent two hours squawking from the back seat as we shot along the trails, stopping to admire views and to thaw out at a warming hut also used by cross-country skiers. I much preferred dog sledding – sitting in a low-slung sleigh with a musher behind us to ‘steer’ the seven enthusiastic, well cared for canines swooping us along tree-lined trails and out to a frozen lake.

Skiing in Canada gives me a heady mix of ego-boosting snow and spectacular scenery, the adrenaline rush of gravity-enforced speed curbed and increased by skill, and the company of like-minded people. I can’t wait till I get to dance on snow again.

Let it snow

Flying south for the winter, UNO editor Hayley Barnett attempts to turn her family into thrill-seeking adventure enthusiasts, with mixed results.

Words Hayley Barnett

As far as winter getaways go, you don’t get much better than Queenstown. It’s a hub for skiers, thrill seekers, partiers and foodies, and, although partying was off the agenda this time, it’s the perfect destination for a family’s first ski holiday.

Getting my kids on skis has long been a dream of mine, but with COVID-19 restrictions and the recent debacle that kept our local ski fields closed, my grand plans have never come to fruition. Until now.

This year was the year, I decided. It’d be the year the kids would finally fall in love with snow sports and we’d become one of those families who hit the slopes every winter, toasting marshmallows in front of the fire at the end of a long, enjoyable day skilfully flying down the mountain at top speed. Après ski, here we come.

If you have kids, you can probably guess it didn’t all go completely to plan. Five-year-olds don’t always comply in an environment where everyone is wearing ski masks and wielding large planks around. But I can officially say I have skiers now, and I can also recommend some amazing activities to do in the area on those days you don’t quite make it to the slopes.

OAKS QUEENSTOWN SHORES RESORT

Jumping on the Booking.com app, I came across Oaks Queenstown Shores Resort, serviced apartments on the outskirts of Queenstown with incredible views of Lake Wakatipu. A two-bedroom apartment was
the perfect size for the four of us. With an electric fireplace, fully self-contained kitchen and two bathrooms, it has everything you need when sharing with kids and a snorer. The apartment was huge and meant we didn’t have to venture out to get breakfast. We even stayed at home for dinner one night because it was too cosy to leave. There’s a gym for those who don’t get all their energy out on the mountain, and an inviting reception area with a fireplace, dining room and a bar, overlooking the lake.

CARDRONA SKI RESORT

With friends staying in Wanaka, we decided Cardrona would be a good place to meet up for a couple of days skiing. It was recommended I book lessons for the kids well in advance – and tickets, too, as they were limiting the number of people on the ski fields this year. The winding hour-long drive did make me question our decision not to just book at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, the much closer options, but it ended up being the best decision of the trip. The smoother, flatter slopes proved to be much less intimidating to my three learner family members (who were expecting the steeper runs of neighbouring mountains), and Cardrona had the most centimetres of snow that week. Score!

Having booked our vacation a week before the school holidays, it meant there were hardly any chairlift lines to wait in. I managed to get a heap of runs in that first day, despite the visibility being somewhat dismal.

Luckily, for our second day at Cardrona, the weather had improved. The sun was peaking out and we’d had a large dump of snow overnight, replacing slush with powder. Having learned from the previous day, I dropped the kids off at their lessons, pockets stuffed with lollies (top tip to convince small – and big – kids to do anything) and took off up the mountain again.

By the end of day two, Poppy was flying down from the top, as I’d hoped, and Oscar had learned to avoid crashing into anyone who ventured into his eyeline. Jumping on the bus back down to our rental car, we were soon on our way to the Cardrona Hotel for some well-deserved pub grub and drinks.

TRANSPORT

If you want to get the most out of your Queenstown family holiday, a reliable vehicle is a non-negotiable. Enabling travellers to seamlessly plan their travel, Booking.com offers much more than just accommodation and is a one-stop solution offering a wide range of travel services such as car hire without ever having to leave the platform or app. We easily secured a mid-sized Toyota Corolla via the app. I added booster seats for the kids and chains for the wheels. Pick up was easy. We caught a ride with the Snap Rentals van from the airport and 15 minutes later we were in our car and heading off to our accommodation.

CARDRONA HOTEL RESTAURANT & BAR

A five-minute drive from the turn-off up to Cardrona Ski Resort is one of New Zealand’s oldest hotels and one of only two remaining buildings from the Cardrona Valley gold rush era. These days, it’s most well known for its après ski pub food and drinks and its warm and cosy atmosphere. It’s the perfect place to take the kids, with plenty of room to run around outside, featuring a playground and a giant outdoor fireplace. There are bags of marshmallows, which we purchased a few of, after discovering Oscar had devoured the first bag before we even made it over to the fireplace. We can highly recommend the loaded wedges and the seafood chowder, both washed down with some local gin from the Cardrona Distillery across the road.

PUZZLING WORLD, WANAKA

One of the highlights for all of us was Puzzling World. Yes, we had to travel for an hour from Queenstown, but boy, was it worth it. I had booked tickets through Booking.com when securing our accommodation
months ago, which forced us out of our cosy, warm beds on a non-ski day. By the time we got there we knew we’d made the right decision. 

The family-run attraction started with a wooden maze in 1973 and evolved into a science museum that has become famous across the country – and internationally. Home to the world’s first multi-level “mega maze”, Puzzling World offers a challenging course that takes around an hour to complete (well, it did for us, anyway). Participants must reach all four towers located in four corners of the maze. The kids were the perfect age for it and no one noticed they’d been running around for an hour. 

The Illusion Rooms inside the museum provided hours of entertainment. The slightly nauseating Tilting Room was a favourite for the kids, as was the Ames Room, where they suddenly outgrew us adults, becoming giants to our dwarfed bodies. Afterwards we headed out to the idyllic Lake Wanaka, just a five-minute drive from Puzzling World, to recover from all the excitement.

ARROWTOWN

On our way back home we decided to stop at the little historic village of Arrowtown for dinner. Proving to be just as pretty at nighttime as it is during the day, we took our time wandering up and down the town centre’s main drag, overwhelmed by the many dining choices on offer. We settled on Bendix Stables – a “watering hole and food emporium” built in 1873 as a stable to keep local politician Bendix Hallenstein’s horses. We had the top floor to ourselves where we devoured giant burgers and toasted marshmallows for s’mores.

KAWARAU RIVER JET BOAT TOUR

On our last day, we headed into Queenstown for one more adventure – the Kawarau River Jet Boat Tour. It popped up as a recommendation on Booking.com and was super easy to add as a last-minute addition
to our itinerary. There are two tours to choose from – a 20-minute joy ride around the lake or an hour-long tour up the river. We went for the hour, which was filled with thrills and not-too-many spills, thankfully. The kids loved the build-up of suspense when our driver raised his hand in warning each time he slammed on the brakes for a heart-stopping 360-degree spin. The scenery became more and more impressive the further down the river we spun. An exciting attraction for families with just
the right amount of thrill for the littlies.

To book your holiday to Queenstown, simply download the booking.com app and get planning!

It’s all downhill

There are more than 25 ski fields in this lovely little country of ours, and whether you’re into gently gliding across groomed pistes or consider yourselves the heli skiing types, we’re here to help you meet your match.

Best for children

Whakapapa: The rising sun strikes early at New Zealand’s largest ski field on the northern side of Mt Ruapehu, softening the slopes, and snow machines ensure a long season here. Whakapapa has thrills and spills for old hands, while Happy Valley is tailor-made for beginners and has its own ski school. You’ll also find all the sustenance and hot chocolate you need at one of the many cafés; Knoll Ridge is the highest in the country.
Skill level: Learner to experienced.
Location: Three hours from Tauranga.
Open: June to October.
Cost: Adults from $73/day.
What’s cool: Happy Valley’s see-through covered lift tunnels. 

Best for powder

TūROA: The top of Tūroa is a serious powder playground – even your boss will understand why you need to take a day off to make the first tracks. On the south-western side of Mt Ruapehu, Tūroa has a totally different feel to Whakapapa, with exposed volcanic terrain, wide trails and huge basins. It boasts the longest vertical drop in New Zealand and has the most extensive terrain parks in the North Island.
Skill level: Learner to experienced.
Location: Just under four hours from Tauranga.
Open: June to September.
Cost: Adults from $73/day.
What’s cool: The High Noon Express chairlift that takes you to 2322ft.

Best for going off-piste

CRAIGIEBURN: A club that attracts hardcore skiers and powderhounds, Craigieburn is located in the Southern Alps. Described as ‘cheap, steep and deep’, you won’t find groomed runs here – it’s just one massive off-piste area. If that doesn’t worry you, you’re probably the perfect fit.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced.
Location: Just under two hours from Christchurch.
Open: July to August.
Cost: Adults $75/day.
What’s cool: A vertical descent that’s been compared to heliskiing – without the helicopter.
CRAIGIEBURN.CO.NZ



Best for all-day sun

MOUNT DOBSON: Usually crowd-free and with great ski schools, Mt Dobson is high up, so the snow is pretty dry, but you’ll also enjoy some lovely sun warming your back. Situated on the main road between Queenstown and Christchurch, it’s close to accommodation and other activities at nearby Tekapo. The chairlift is the centrepiece of the lift system, and there’s a natural halfpipe underneath.
Skill level: Learner to advanced.
Location: Two-and-a-half hours from Christchurch.
Open: July to August.
Cost: Adults from $84/day.
What’s cool: The epic view of Mount Cook.

Best for experts

CORONET PEAK: Coronet Peak is a world-class ski and snowboard spot, featuring state-of-the-art facilities, 280ha of skiable terrain and breath-taking views. It also has the country’s largest fully automated snow-making system, with 217 snow guns, which combined with Mother Nature results in a long season of consistently good skiing and snowboarding.
Skill level: Learner to experienced.
Location: Twenty minutes from Queenstown.
Open: June to September.
Cost: Adults from $119/day.
What’s cool: Night skiing on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Best all-rounder

CARDRONA: Like the sound of New Zealand’s biggest halfpipe? Beginner and intermediate skiers love this easy-going ski field for its wide open spaces – plus it’s often less crowded than some other local spots. With five eateries on the mountain and some of the driest snow around, this ski field really does offer something for everyone – and the drive home over the Crown Range is spectacular too.
Skill level: Learner to intermediate.
Location: Thirty minutes from Wanaka.
Open: June to October.
Cost: Adults from $65/day.
What’s cool: Stopping for a well-earned Speight’s at the Cardrona Hotel.