Conquering the Fab Four
Sun Herald
Sunday March 27, 2011
Helen Hayes and her family check the stunning resorts around Queenstown. WE'RE not avid skiers and certainly don't talk the language. We don't know about "vertical drops", don't want to venture "off piste" and think corduroy is something you wear. One thing we do know is that when we ski, we love it, so we decided to cross "the ditch" to see what Queenstown and Wanaka had to offer.Queenstown is gobsmackingly gorgeous; its township spread around the glassy Lake Wakatipu, with the craggy Remarkable Range the perfect backdrop. Our apartment at The Rees had direct mountain views, the ever-changing light and colour mesmerising.Not owning gear, we headed to Queenstown Snow Centre, where you can buy lift passes for Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, hire skis, snowboards, helmets and poles. The shuttle buses for the resorts leave from here.Once kitted out, we drove the 20 minutes to Coronet Peak and booked a private guide so we could concentrate on skiing without worrying about where to go. We did a few runs down The Big Easy, the designated area for beginners, then headed up the Coronet Express Chair for a few tentative runs down the M1, Coronet's longest run at 2.4 kilometres. It was scary. We could hardly see a few metres ahead.We graduated to the Greengates Express and explored down Million Dollar and the very pretty Sarah Sue, on the outer rim of the resort.Coronet Peak has night skiing every Friday and Saturday from July to mid-September. It's a must. Three trails are lit up, the lights of Queenstown glitter below and on-mountain restaurants and bars are open until 9pm.Once you've mastered Coronet Peak's beginner slopes, head to The Remarkables. We warmed up on the easier runs of Turquoise and Alta Blue, then took on intermediate runs at Sugar Bowl; terrain my son said "really rocks". We loved shooting down Serpentine, Gotham City and the Casterway/Cross Fall runs and watched with admiration as thrillseekers navigated the jumps, rails and tables of the park.After lunch, with our boys booked into lessons, we tackled the Shadow Basin's strong intermediate and advanced ski runs, slowly making our way down the Sunrise Face before slinking down the narrow, winding Catwalk.We stuck to the Sugar Bowl after that, our boys describing the runs as "awesome" and "easy", and us "lame" and "chicken". Sigh.Feathers between our legs, we moved to tranquil Wanaka, where again our accommodation was lakeside - the Edgewater Resort is built front and centre for spectacular views. Wanaka is the base for skiing Cardrona and Treble Cone. Cardrona has one of the best set-ups for child minding and lessons, and has big, open, groomed runs with so much space you feel greedy.We booked a private lesson and were soon heading for McDougalls Quad to strut our stuff down Footrot Flats. Next up was the Whitestar Express, for some gold digging down Goldrush and Skyline. To end our day at Cardrona, we ventured to the Arcadia Basin and up the Captain's Express chair to play like children on Exhibition, Paradise and Eagle Rock, finishing by traversing across the ridge to the beautiful, steep, smooth Gin and Raspberry run.And then there was one. TC. Many say a blue run at Treble Cone is like a black run at other places. Quivering with suspense, we drove to Treble Cone, only to find our fears unfounded - everyone at TC is so enthusiastic, it's contagious.The boys went with their instructor while we headed off with ours. Russ, from the US, was patient and calm. He led us up the Volkswagen chair and we slid down Easy Rider. Gaining confidence, we tackled other runs and felt like giddy teenagers when we skied over to the Saddle Basin and sashayed down the superbly named Cloud Nine.We skied the Camel, Wide Glide, the Saddleback and Big Skite and at the end of the day did not want to stop. So, mission accomplished.The skiing is fantastic, the views are to die for, the roads are not that scary and Queenstown and Wanaka are stunningly pretty. So pretty, you may want to go back again.The writer was a guest of Tourism New Zealand.Trip notes Getting thereAir New Zealand flies direct from Sydney and Melbourne to Queenstown several times a day in ski season. 13 24 76, airnewzealand.com.au. Hire a car from Smartcars (smartcars.co.nz). Shuttle buses leave from the Queenstown Snow Centre, Duke Street. All cars, including four-wheel-drives, need chains.Staying thereQueenstown: Apartments at The Rees have jaw-dropping views over Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables. Rooms from $175-$195 a night; one-bedroom apartments from $325-$345 a night if booked now for stays in winter. +64 (0)3 450 1100, therees.co.nz.Wanaka: Edgewater Resort on Lake Wanaka is well suited to families. Two bedroom apartments are from $470-$505 a night if booked now for winter stays. +64 (0)3 443 0011,edgewater.co.nz.More informationnzski.com; cardrona.co.nz; treblecone.co.nz; newzealand.com.
© 2011 Sun Herald
