Powder to the people
Home » Magazine » Good, issue 2 » The goods » Powder to the peopleConsidering a ski holiday? Think low-impact, says Kris Herbert. Canterbury’s club fields are the most sustainable way to ski—and they’re more fun, too
Though skiing itself is quite an eco-activity, the industry that has sprung up around it is hardly low-impact. The huge expansion of ski resorts worldwide since the 70s has had detrimental effects on fragile mountain ecosystems. Not only do ski resorts intrude on alpine habitats, the thousands of visitors they attract are also a threat.
As snowfalls become less and less reliable, resorts protect their investments with artificial snowmaking equipment that uses yet more energy and water, while producing more environmental pollutants.
But before you send your ski gear to Cash Converters, take heart, because New Zealand is home to some of the most low-impact ski areas in the world.
The Canterbury club fields are winter icons of Kiwi ingenuity. The five clubs in the Craigieburn mountain range were started as early as 1929 with the purest of intentions: ski fanatics joining forces to get up there and enjoy the snow. They installed rudimentary lifts and built basic accommodation on promising mountainsides, then ran the areas as non-profit clubs (www.skisouth.org.nz).
Incredibly, the spirit and infrastructure of these ski areas have survived. The clubs are open to anyone, though they still rely on the generosity of volunteers to keep them going.
The sustainable nature of the club fields is not so much by design as by necessity. The simple rope tows are easy to maintain, since they don’t rely on expensive imported parts, and cheap to run because they require little power. The clubs recycle to save money on rubbish removal, and have walking access because roads are difficult and expensive to maintain.
The contrast between club fields and commercial fields is stark. While Queenstown skiers wonder whether to go for a lychee martini or 1996 pinot gris, club field guests get up to their elbows in mashed potato and Canterbury Draft.
Canterbury’s clubs are friendly and open to anyone, and helping out comes with the territory if you stay overnight.
You’ll be asked to help prepare dinner and pitch in with the chores before retiring to your sleeping bag in a bunk room—but it’s worth it. Dinner, bed and breakfast will only set you back about $70 or $80.
Club fields also offer ‘ski week’ packages, which are a bargain at $700 or $800 for seven days of skiing, accommodation and food. Multi-field passes are also available (www.chillout.co.nz).
Head up for a weekend, at minimum: staying overnight not only saves petrol, but adds to the experience of skiing at a club field. Besides, most of the club fields are separated from the beaten track by a long, terrifying single-lane road—and/or an arduous hike—so once you get there it’s worth staying a while.
Carpooling is the best way to get up the mountain. Thanks to Christchurch snowboarder Patrick Davey, hitching a ride is now done with a mouse click rather than an outstretched thumb.
Patrick started online ride-sharing site Snowpool (www.snowpool.org.nz) in 2006, to help fill empty seats in cars going up the mountain. The site services all New Zealand ski fields and is a great way to save money, meet people and reduce your ski boot print.
As for the skiing itself, at club fields that usually means wearing a harness or belt and using a metal nutcracker to cling to the rope lifts. Riding the fast-moving rope tows can be tricky to master at first, but staff and clubbies are known to be patient and helpful. If it seems daunting, the Black Diamond Safaris tour company specialises in the wiles of Canterbury’s club fields (www.blackdiamondsafaris.co.nz).
Visiting a club field might require a little extra effort, but the exhaustion and a clear environmental conscience will guarantee a good night’s sleep.
Which club?
Each of the Canterbury club fields has its own personality.
Mt Cheeseman is probably the most family friendly of the club fields, thanks to its t-bar lift system and easy-to-access lodge.
Craigieburn and Broken River ski areas share the same lift pass, and you can ski between the two in a couple of hours. Craigieburn was originally a men-only club and while the ban on women has long been revoked, there is still an air of machismo about the place—not least because of the field’s famously challenging terrain. The Broken River social scene often centres around the barbecue on the deck of Palmer Lodge, which sizzles with fresh fish and game foraged from back paddocks around the country.
At Temple Basin you earn your turns, starting with the 40-minute walk to the lodges. It’s well worth it, though, because Temple Basin—ensconced on the edge of the main range—is another world.
Mt Olympus has a reputation as a drinking club with a skiing problem. That probably explains why this field has the best places to sit and knock one back: the sunny balcony (often referred to as the beer garden), the cosy interior (with large windows to the field) or the infamous rum rock (follow the crowd at 4pm).
