More photosTemple Basin is located on the main divide of the Southern Alps at the heart of Arthur's Pass National Park in the south island of New Zealand. The most westerly of the 'Club' fields, Temple is set over three separate basins, meaning there's always at least one aspect that's in good shape.
I first heard of Temple a year before my visit from a select few who had been there. It was described to me as the holy land. A place where the terrain was as gnarly as you want it to be, and probably beyond. A place where crowds were non-existent and only your own endurance limited your chase for Big lines. I'd have to say that the descriptions were pretty damn accurate.
I showed up on Thursday, and after dropping my gear off at the goods lift, headed up the 45 minute hike to the base of the hill. Temples location and budget make it impossible to build a road right to the base so hiking in is mandatory. A proposition that some find daunting but I embraced as a part of accessing this alpine kingdom. I put in my earphones and charged up, with visions of the alpine dancing through my mind.
The first order of the day was helping dig out the boot pack to Downhill Tow, which hadn't been running for a week due to poor weather. At Temple a little effort goes a long way, and our effort was rewarded by the opening of Downhill tow, and the fresh turns that followed as all 9 of us lapped downhill basin for the rest of the afternoon. Although the snow was fairly wet it was perfect for high speed cruisin'.
I stayed out lapping with Alex, a Temple staffer, until about 5ish when we decided to save some for the next day. Heading in to the lodge I helped with peeling some taters and carrots and again my work was rewarded with a delicious dinner. After dinner we got together some people for a poker game. Luckily we were using Monopoly money as I would have been broke if we weren't. With my quick loss fresh in my mind I headed for bed, looking forward to what the next day had to offer.
BLUEBIRD!!! Heck yes...... I'm a lucky son of a bitch! A solid freeze over night had made conditions more than a little firm, but the bright sunshine and mild temperatures soon turned everything into a spring-corn-paradise. I headed out with a couple of Temple's patrollers for a more thorough look at the hill. After a short fist fight it was decided that new guy Mark would have to stay back and keep an eye on downhill tow.
(Just kidding)
I followed Damian and Grant, 10 minutes, up the elevator shaft into upper Bills basin. From there I got a good look at some of the mind-blowing terrain mere meters from the top of the lifts at Temple.
The massive Upper Bills basin:
Downhill basin and tow:
The "Minger" (backside of Downhill basin):
We then headed about ten minutes through upper bills to the top of the ridge to look down into Punchbowl Drainage,
before heading around to ski nice long lines on Cassidy face, and ending below lower Bills Basin.
After lunch I hooked up with "Flexi" and we headed out to put some corn laps into Bills Basin. There are 2 short (2-5 minute) boot packs involved in making laps into Bills' that make the trip more worth while and weed out any 'traffic' that may be wanting to do the same. Its definitely recommended that you follow someone who knows where they're going for your first couple times through Bills as its very easy to get cliffed out in the lower portion.
More photosAfter 4 Laps through Bills, I was starting to feel the burn. I realized I still had to walk out to the car so I decided to call it a day and went in to the lodge for a quick beer and to say goodbye to all the people I'd met. My experience at Temple will not soon be forgotten. Even though the snow conditions had begun to deteriorate, I could see the unlimited potential of the terrain and the laid back atmosphere. If I had to pick a place in New Zealand to spend a season it would be here.
The straight facts:
Temple tops out at 1753 meters and offers a vertical drop of 427 meters spread over 320 hectares. You can likely times this by 3 if you include all the back and slack-country possibilities, which is what this place is all about. The season generally runs from early July to Mid October. Lift tickets are a mere $45 (NZD), with discounts for multi-day, which I would highly recommend. Temple is also on of the hills covered by the
Chill-pass. There is lodging on hill, as well as a hostel in Arthur's pass, aside from that, amenities and lodging are scarce. Visit
www.templebasin.co.nz or
www.Chillout.co.nz for more info
