Talking with a bunch of people at the Kite Camp last weekend, (whilst waiting for the wind), there was some interest shown in an organised snowkiting trip down to Wanaka/Cardona later this year. Before I go ahead and sort out some arrangements, I would like to see who would be interested and what you would be looking at...

My first thoughts are looking at putting together a package for between 10-20 people, on a 3 day trip, leaving Friday morning, returning Sunday evening. The package would include accomodation, food, travel, board & boot hire, and associated fees. Dependent of the level of interest and final numbers, the cost could be around the $325pp mark.

Is this something you would be interested in...? Is this too expensive..? Would you prefer to make your own travel & Accommodation arrangements...?

Thoughts and idea's, (and offers of help), are welcome....

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I am a starter.

I might be keen

Have to find my own way to Wanaka though I guess being in Dunedin

Do you mean Cardrona as in the skifield or the Pisa Range car testing area? The car testing area is much much better for the snowkiting. But you need to talk to the car testing company for permission. Who owns what up there is always fun, who to talk to etc. But we were guests of the Car Testing crew last year which worked better than in other years when we were subject to the Snow Farm...

:roll:

Craig

Looks like im going to have to start saving some money....Im definitly interested....I sorta have to be being part and parcel of coming up with the idea.

Thanks for the info Craig, it would be great to have you along with us...

I am interested in Snow Farm becuase they have on-snow accomodation with food for as little as $60 per night, which would mean being able to kite in and out from the hut and no need to drive around.

Having said that, nothing is set in stone and I will be trying to hunt down the 'Car Testing Company' to look at alternatives.

And Zenon.... It wouldn't be a kiting event without you.... :wink:

how the hell did you ever come up with a figure like $325 each :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

O looks like Kiters coming....I think hes worried about the price because he has to buy an extra warm goose down merkin so as not to get cold.

Paul

You work it out....? Travel, food, accomodation, board & boot hire, and Snow Farm Access....

I would be interested to see what you come up with....

I'm keen for the "car site" too.

I think it's a little on the expensive side as well, then again I only have a part time job...

I think there are other ways to cut costs, such as borrowing boards etc. from friends... plus I may have a contact for transport...

What dates will we be looking at, mid June or something?

EDIT: I really would prefer if we travelled as a collective group, got drunk as a collective group and had a bonfire on the snow as a collective group :roll:

i second that



$325 sounds realistic all be it a little expensive

ignoring the $$$ and thinking of the experience is what we should be doing, the one risk i see is inappropriate wind/weather conditions, because as much as kiting seems secondary at waikuku we are only talking about $35pp for the entire weekend

is there any chance we beg/steal/borrow a board and drive 30min outta chch and find a snowy field to do a test run in? before we start making final arrangements?

syMptom

ps. ignore any errors relating to this being typed in my 40th stright hour without sleep

As I say, all costs are finger in the air right now, I Just trying to get a feel for what would work..... I welcome any other idea's people have...

The $325 figure was based on 2 nights accomodation ($60pp), 3 days of equipment hire and passes ($75 + $60pp), 3 days worth of prepared food ($80pp), rental of upto 2 mini-buses plus fuel ($50pp). In fact once you pay up the only thing people would have to spend money on was bringing their own booze...!

I could not agree more....

If people hired or brought their own equipment there would be a cost saving, (but then we would have to transport bulky gear). If we took our own food and prepared it, that would save too...(BBQ is possible) Of course if we get a deal on the travel costs and get 2 fully maxed out mini-buses, the totals drop again.

I was thinking sometime in either late July or early August, better chance of snow cover and more time to save up.

HEY by the way i said my peace about snow kiting and the price how come my comments are always getting erased .

there was no comments etc only emoticons.

the bloody forum has not come to this has it you cant even have your say anymore with out the bloody moderator reading it and if its not with in his vocab its tken off


WHAT GIVES MAN

Get back on topic Paul.... I am waiting to see what costs you can come up with as a comparison...??

another point:
If we do end up with a windless weekend, it's only a short drive to Mt. Hutt or any other assorted skifield where we can have some real fun.

All these fields (Cadrona/ car site etc) sound interesting, but I'm thinking about some big mountainous range for chasta styled action!!

Will there be sufficient gradients available?

I sure hope so...Those Chasta vids have me the mood for some huge as jumps on that Frenzy which might just stay with me till we have completed our snowkite adventure.

I mean its got to get its use now doesnt it.

Zee

[Edit]

Just been looking at the price list for the snow farm and it doesnt look to bad.
http://www.snowfarmnz.com/index.cfm/2007_Prices___Forms

yo, i'll certainly be up for snowkiting this year, definately some long weekend trips to snowfarm but hopefully some local stuff if we can find a good local spot, have had my fill of paying megabucks to sit on a chairlift all day, hardly what you'd call 'freeride'

i did a bit of scouring of maps and aerial photos last winter to check out suitable local sites, although lack of decent transport and a keenness for downhill meant i never got to check any of them out.

you need some high (to guarantee snow) gentle terrain (to allow some decent cruising and safe gliding) and preferably slopes facing west as this is the predominant airflow at altitude in winter in NZ and will provide safe kitable wind rather than gusty mountain death wind. you also need good road access (which rules out most of the south island!) unless you are ultra keen! This is what makes snowfarm just so darn perfect.

the canterbury club fields and mt hutt are mostly too steep and face the patrolled areas face the wrong way - i couldn't really see anywhere suitable up there where i'd like to kite and everytime i was up there if there was any wind is was screaming straight down the hill.

looking at the terrain on topomaps I had high hopes for mt lyford skifield as this appeared to have a nice large gentle sloping area facing west, although i've not been up there. Mt. Dobson also looked good when i was up there, and all round mckenzie country have awesome touring potential if we get huge snowfalls like last year. I'd like to check out the areas around lake clearwater and coleridge as there it's a little higher than and more open than around the castlehill basin, although if there is snow then access could be tricky!

just need to do lots of exploring, never a bad thing!

Shane.

I gotta feeling about Castle Hill basin after a dump, (of snow....!) Easy to get too from CHC, some open flat terrain in places, and webcams and weather station nearby...

Have you snowkited at Snow Farm Shaner...? Would be interested in your impressions....?

yes I have, has great potential for cruising, touring and some long glides! get a light NW and it would be perfect.

castle hill area would be good, there was snow down to the valley floor for a time last season, just don't ride your brand new board! has a definate advantage in that it is close and offers good alternatives for kiteless snowboarding at the club fields if it's not on too. not sure how ridable the wind will be in the valley though, never seemed like it would ever be on through there, always had it in mind last season and was up there most weekends.

surely castle hills might make a good atb/buggy spot worth a prewinter reccy perhaps?

getting the alignment of good wind and a fresh dump of snow would be a rare thing but these things do happen!

Thanks for the info Shaner, I have contacted Snow Farm to see what they can offer....



I put the shout out on the "Winter Chat Thread" where we are discussing alternative ATB/Buggy spots.... Would be worth a visit just to see whats what out there, and who know what we'll find on the way...?

BTW... If Lake Lyndon freezes, that could make a good spot for something or other, and there are a couple of lakes the Arthurs Pass area too....

I'd be keen to come if it was set for the first week of august. Am from oz so timing other than that would rule it out for me.

Not really keen to spend the time driving around looking for spots though...

I have never kited in nz but i'd imagine that the NW slopes would be real icy and most areas in NZ would be too steep to kite, hence my vote for somewhere across the road from cardrona.

I think it would make organising a lot easier on you if people were responsible for sorting out their own ski/snowboard gear.

Would be good t have you come along....As you see at the moment it is all up in the air nothing has been grounded as of yet. Keep the ideas coming this could end up being the best kite trip yet.

Another alternative I have looked into is hiring one of those 'Maui' or 'Britz' Campers for a long weekend away....

A 4 berth camper for 5 days, (including full insurance), works out to around $170 per person + fuel

A 6 berth camper for 5 days, (including full insurance), works out to around $130 per person + fuel

[Fuel costs around $4 or $5 per 100kms, per person - dependent on numbers in camper]

Even allow for driving to Cadrona and back, it works out around about the $200 per person mark.

Downside is that campers only have double berths...!! Sleeping bags I think... :shock:

Remember to add snowboard & boot hire, (if you don't have your own - roughly $30 per days), food and drink, plus access fees, ($..?? unknown).

For a closer trip to Lyford as a example would bring the price down to around $180pp

Ok found a good site that has links to all of the major snowfields in newzealand.

http://www.snow.co.nz/areas/area_index.asp

Might come in handee for finding somewhere to go. ANd to be honest there are alot of fields not to far away.

hi there, gagging to have a go on the snow, saw a guy doing it in bulgaria and was so jelous, so count me and kate in for whenever you go. the snow equiped maui's sound a wicked idea, means you can live cheap near the best snow. very skint at mo, as buying lots of snowboards and accessories on trade me, but give us a probable date and we'll get the money to whoevers in charge.

hey there guys, bloody cold this morning, good signs i hope. 8)
went out to castle hill on saturday, seems ok in terms of wind and direction, but not sure about size and wether it would be messing with crops. couldn't see anywhere totally obvious for sessioning. but on the way back to chch, we passed thru darfield, has got sopme humungous padocks just outside of town (west), not sure what the snow level would be like there but you guys said oxford area gets covered, so theres potential. :idea: