veronica 2 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 There's a fair bit of traffic coming to Japan from Australia, how about the other way round? Anyone on here get a Japan summer fix down there? Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Done it once for a home visit. Managed to get 5 days in around Canterbury which was pretty sweet. Sooo much nicer down there in August for two weeks than it would've been here, broke my summer up nicely. Real easy to get to the hills from my parents house. Only 1 to 1.5 hours in one of their cars. If you have the chance, and want to do some great ungroomed riding, try staying for a week somewhere like Temple Basin or Mount Olympis. Never stayed on the mountain like that but it's something I'd love to do. I'm pretty sure you can only do it at club fields. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 It is probably unfair on NZ to group Australia in there with a slash “/” NZ terrain and most certainly snow is far beyond that of Australia’s. It is kind of like asking does anyone go to England/France for good food I met a bunch of people recently who have spent time in NZ for winter. The thing that they mentioned most positively was the attitude of the people. Two guys liked it so much that they had a sticker of NZ’s flag on their board. I couldn't help but notice that the flag had “NZ” in red letters on it to avoid confusion...... Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 That would never do would it. Sorry. Understood. I'll consider myself spanked. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Been done on here before - NZ/OZ ski resort comparison. VERY GENERALLY - NZ's got the BIG backcountry, heli-skiing, glaciers etc.....BUT hasn't got 21st century infrastucture that many skiers world wide take for granted - and no trees. OZ's got good terrain, very well developed resorts not lacking in much at all and tons of off piste etc.... and trees. At higher altitudes NZ looks the goods for snow but it is definitely not a sure thing in all resorts as witnessed last season. OZ on the other hand has to battle at times, but 4 of the last 5 years have been good to great, with tons of the stuff at the right time. If you're a bugs in the teeth cutting edge slider (the vast minority) NZ has appeal - but if you want a complete on the snow experience then OZ wins hands down - no contest. Had a great time in OZ with a group from Japan. Definitely we wouldn't have had the same fun in NZ (we = the vast majority) Hardly in the league of a Brit/Franco food comparison. Now that's EXTREME!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Dougy 0 Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 I'm Australian and have spent a lot of time in both Australian and New Zealand resorts. NZ is definately the cheaper of the two and offers a far more relaxed atmosphere especially in the Canterbury region with Mt Hutt and club field like Porter Heights and Cragieburn. Queenstown/Wanaka is a little more up-market, for NZ at least, and offers more high tech lifts and Euro-feel ski resorts. Both areas offer excellent terrain but are at the mercy of high winds that come roaring in from the west and due to the lack of trees tend to strip the resorts of loose snow leaving concrete like conditions. I remember the first season I spent at Mt Hutt we had something like 98 fractured/broken wrists/elbows due to the hard conditions. Australia can be a very pricy place to ski but if you take advantage of lodges and packages it's not too bad. I really love the terrain in Australia as it is so varied. The snow can be hit or miss and you are one luck punter indeed if you score fresh dry powder. Due to the mountains close proximity to the coast the snow is fairly wet and heavy. No much in the way of face shots but still a lot of fun when combined with the terrain. My favourite is Mt Hotham as it's got awesome terrain, easily accessable back country and the one-mountain feel is friendly and open. NZ is by far the most popular with JP summer snowboarders with the backpacker lodges filling up through most of the season. It's cheap and there are lots of Japanese so they feel comfortable and don't have to worry about a lack of English skills. Australia is becoming more popular especially with more Australian's coming here. Many Japanese don't even know we have snow in Australia and are surprised when I say I learn't to ski/snowboard there. Link to post Share on other sites
window-cleaner 0 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 I'll be jumping over to NZ for a bit of action when there's snow there. Then back up to Japan next winter -hopefully for 4 or 5 weeks. Link to post Share on other sites
Siem Reeves 0 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 i don't know how cheap nz is anymore... day passes are pretty ridiculous these days (it's cheaper to ski in japan), but i suppose everything else (food, accomodation, travel, etc.) makes it less pricey... we're heading home for a couple of months before we head out again and decided $1000NZD for a treble cone season pass wasn't worth it for such a short time... so we will settle with cadrona ;-) Link to post Share on other sites
TheOrange 0 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 So - do most Aussies go overseas to ski/board then? Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Davo, you from CHCH? Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 Went to the club fields in the Cantebury region last year. Was an interesting holiday, lovely landscape & all that, but those bl00dy rope-tows are 18th century torture devices, & sure the lift tickets are fairly cheap, but I usually do more actual riding in 2 days at Thredbo (Aus) than I did in a whole week in NZ... & believe me, Australia has its fair share of powder days... plus some awesome terrain, & the coolest tree runs. Some of the wide-open bowls at the Cantebury club-fields were breathtaking for sure, but you get far more runs for your cash in countries with hi-tech lifts, & the kiwi club fields are pretty much tracked out by 11am... I can get freshies all weekend in Aus, thanks to the trees... As you can see in these images, there is no such thing as powder in Australia.... Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 I dont doubt you but even for auzzies auz is an expensive place to ski and gets 50% less snow on average or less. I do know that you have some secret way of finding only powder days too. Link to post Share on other sites
klubhead 0 Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 went to nz a few years ago to do heli boarding and had a great time. you can still probable find the article that i did on it in the features archives. the resorts were to be honest pretty bad...icy, useless lifts left behind by cavemen and access roads ( not roads, more 30 degree dirt tracks ) that are shut after 5 cms of snow. i would love to go again, the arrowsmith mountains near methven were the best but my advice..stay away from the resorts! Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted April 18, 2005 Share Posted April 18, 2005 ArrowHEAD ranges i think you mean. i did a day of heli there to - it was absolutely awesome! i kinda liked the roads to the clubfields - the hairpin bends added an extra level of excitement actually one of our best days was doing runs next to a switchback, & taking turns to drive the 4wd "chairlift", because the club-field we were at was too crowded! fatty, i suspect you already know my secret powder-finding technique, cos i've seen you on the aussie ski forum quite often! & it doest actually have to be all that expensive to ski in Aus.. lift tickets are more than in japan, but there are discount cards & cheap accom if you know how to find it. only 54 days to go... Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 LPL - where are them there photos from? Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 grungy - both shots are at thredbo Link to post Share on other sites
ROM 0 Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 LPL - keep us informated about the season down there will you. I'm real interested in going sometime as well. Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 sure ROM, will do. are you thinking of coming here specifically for a snow holiday, or just a general holiday with some mountain sports as part of the whole experience? Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 I'm thinking of taking a trip down there, though I seem to have been thinking that for a few years now. I'm real interested to hear more as well. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 About how much do return flights down there cost in July/August? Hey has anyone else noticed when you talk about flights to Japanese people they often seem to think by default that it's one way rather than return. Seems a little strange to me that. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted May 19, 2005 Author Share Posted May 19, 2005 Thanks for the info. Link to post Share on other sites
ROM 0 Posted May 27, 2005 Share Posted May 27, 2005 Not really planning low pressure lover - just dreaming. I've always wanted to visit go there, a snow holiday would be amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
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