KIKNIT

I have boarded both sides of Ruapehue, Coronet and Remarkables, so i'd like to think im fairly qualified to answer this. Out of those four fields the best for ya will most likely be Turoa.

Coronet is very icy at times, and I personally don't like the lay out to much and the runs can be very plain, but shreddin' the gnar is never boring right?

Remarkables is awesome if you're advanced, it has wicked chutes but is lacking a solid base at the moment. Though if you're into park they just opened up NZ's first 'Stash' run, which is a big draw card for me.

Whakapapa, can be terrible at worst and mind blowingly wicked at the best. You just good weather and Out West to be open, they have lotsa fun blues with awesome natural features.

Turoa, you can kinda see where I'm going with this. I cannot say enough about this field. I just had two wicked bluebird days in a row, and it was unbelievable. Natural booters, powdery chutes and park to boot. I love this place.

But I will have to say, do not leave out the Wanaka fields, Cardrona is probably the best boardin' to be had in NZ and its close to Treble Cone and Snow Park. Factor in Wanaka for ya travels.

Peace and enjoy.

NzGnu

yea Turoa has some good wide open slopes and some nice valleys etc so will keep ya interested.
The north island fields are bigger however less reliable for weather, you can go there for a week and only get 2days in, where as down south ya more likely to get 5/7 days, however this is just from my experience.

I havnt been to the queenstown fields so cant give advice on them sorry.

Mt Hutt has a good base and is definatly a good field for intermediate riders, it has wide open slopes of varying steepness, some chutes and drops. a halfpipe, a park (3 kickers and various rails) and a mini park which is just different rails etc and they often have some smaller jumps down one of the green runs.
I would definatly recommend Mt Hutt for an intermediate rider, spent a season there in 06 and it was mint.
only downside is it is not as big as those up north, but if you planned on travelling a few of the fields down south then this wouldnt be a problem as theres more than enough to keep you from being bored.

but yeah you should definatly consider Cardrona, it has mostly blue runs and a very progressive park.

nzboardlife

went to ruapehu for a week, turoa was icy as hell and whakapapa was A-Ok, then the weather packed in and i came home

ollie

just had my first taste of new zealand boarding today - not bad! was in Cardrona for the day n apart from it being a complete white out(weather which is expected to persist until monday so therel be some serious powder after!) we basically had the mountain to ourselves after a while because most people couldnt handle the conditions!heh! seriously dodgy drive back down because visibility was at around 5feet! cant wait to get back out there

CanuckDownUnder

Yo! I'm heading out there in two weeks for a short trip (maybe 3-4days boarding).I'm originally from Canada and would like a heads up on what to hit when I'm up there. I won't have any expectations riding NZ after doing most of Canada and the US, but it would be sweet to know for the limited time I have out there. Heading to Queenstown then woring my way up to CC.

Snowolf

Sweet, you guys "down under" keep the stoke coming...it gets all of us through the summer reading your snow reports...

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NzGnu

haha yea i was up that day to, was pretty good how no one else was up there.
sunday morning was bluebird in the morning with 4cm fresh, then it started to snow around 3pm so im guessing today wouldve been pretty good, sucks that i had to come back 2 uni.

nzboardlife

"The terrain park crew at The Remarkables has been working towards the grand opening of The Stash® since February this year. This Saturday their work comes to fruition as international riders from the Burton Rider Team arrive in Queenstown to launch themselves from a variety of specially created big mountain features in the Burton signature terrain park.

A party is planned. Kicking off at 10am visitors can enjoy spectacular riding as the team riders explore the secrets of The Stash. At noon, The Stash will be opened to all. From 2pm Kiwi band Rhombus will perform in the base building and there’ll be an informal Burton team rider signing session.

Photo caption – crew member Tim Cunnlife checks out a feature and the view from The Stash


About The Stash
The Stash is a completely different kind of run that adds a new dimension to snowboarding.

The Stash at The Remarkables is only the third run of its kind worldwide and the first in the Southern Hemisphere.

Created by Jake Burton and the Burton team riders, The Stash concept is an evolution of freestyle terrain in the ultimate natural environment. At The Remarkables, The Stash is a kilometer long run providing riders and freestyle skiers with an organic, big mountain terrain park that follows the natural lines of the mountain.
Located in the bowls of Serpentine and the Galleries trails, The Stash is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders. The Stash can also be found in Avoriaz, France and Northstar-at-Tahoe, USA. For more information, visit www.thestash.com" -nzski.co.nz

Snowolf

Very nice!

I would so 50/50 that beast! What a nice ramp to get on it. Great for jibbing greenhorns like me who freak out over big gaps to get on a feature!

I read about the Stash...all natural (wood) features. I am not a jibber, but I heard that wood is lot more tricky to boardslide since it is much easier to catch an edge than on steel or plastic...is this true?

Wow your snow looks sweet...glad you are getting the stoke...makes me drool over the upcoming winter here...I have 2 Alaska trips planned this year.....

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Simply^Ride

I love the natural setup of the ramps, I don't think I have ever seen anything like that in the US.

How well do they slide???

Amazing picture, do you have any more?