Ohau I Love to…..


From the town of Wanaka on New Zealand’s south island, the ski club field of Ohau (pronounced: “oh-how”) is about a two hour drive. The “ski club fields” in New Zealand are small ski areas that are many times only open for a few days per week, and operated by volunteers. Ohau is a small club field style ski area which has a fixed grip double chair and a platter pull lift. Additionally, Ohau is set in a remote area of the south island that receives massive snowfalls, and not too many winter visitors.

Elijah Teter, Kinger (Rob Kingwill), and I took our last pipe run at SnowparkNZ at around 2:30pm on August 22nd and headed down to the town of Wanaka to gather a few things before heading north to Ohau. After a recent 50cm (20 in.) snow fall Ohau had been closed for two days thanks to poor access road conditions. The area was primed with some powder, and we were ready to bag it. Our drive wandered northward through farmlands and onward into the mountains south of Mt. Cook (New Zealand’s highest peak). We arrived at the shores of Lake Ohau at twilight and just in time for dinner at the Lake Ohau lodge. We gathered around tables with other lodge guests for a family style dinner, and everyone shared their stoke for the next day of powder at Ohau. After dinner we threw on our trunks and headed for the hot tubs. Another dark and clear night offered great star-gazing and we all shared our amazement for New Zealand’s vast sky. There aren’t many houses or lights on south island of New Zealand to wash out the views of the night sky; starry nights here are surreal.

In the morning, we awoke at day break and wandered down to the shores of Lake Ohau to enjoy the morning twilight. After a bit of basking in New Zealand’s amazing and wild scenery it was time for a classic Kiwi breakfast: poached eggs on toast with bacon and half a roasted tomato with parmesan cheese. After the fuel up at the breakfast table, and Elijah’s first taste of Vegemite (a brown paste of yeast that Kiwi’s eat on toast), we made our way up the access road to the ski area. To give you an idea of what an access road is like to a small New Zealand ski area, allow me to enlighten you: dirt, single lane with river crossings, rock slides to one side and a steep drop off on the other.

To our amazement there were only a couple other cars in the car park when we arrived at the base of the area, and no one was in the lift line awaiting first chair for the cherry cherry pow-pow. “Awesome”, chirped Kinger from the passenger seat and Elj and I solidly agreed. Boots on, lift tickets attached, and off to the chair for our first day at Ohau. On the first chair ride up our eyes feasted on all the expansive fresh snow ready to be tracked, and only a few people in sight. Looking behind us into the valley offered an amazing view of Lake Ohau and the surrounding mountains.

After a few laps on the chair we took a short hike up to the top ridge to check out some other lines. The views from the top of the ridge were the epitome of New Zealand’s Southern Alps views. Looking northward to Mount Cook and westward at Beech forest and Alaska like terrain; the views were jaw dropping and boot stopping. The run from the ridge that followed kept us hiking back up for more. We rallied off cornices and through open powder fields side by side whooping with stoke all the way down. The best part about it all was the lack of people on the snow all day long. We worked over line after line, making our way from open powder fields to tight chutes and off cliffs until our legs could take no more.

Thanks Ohau for keeping it real, and really fun. We’ll be back and promise to only bring a few friends to share in the fun……

If you’re interested in dropping in on New Zealand powder, the best time to go is late August and early September. Check out some of the New Zealand freeride tours offered by All Star Adventures (www.allstartrips.com). All Star offers tours and camps on New Zealand’s south island that will put you on the snow with some of the world’s best riders.