Sunday, June 21, 2009

The magic of winter

We've had some stunning days lately as a high pressure system sits over us. Usually when this happens we get an inversion - a low layer of cloud that excludes the sun from shining on our Wanaka town. However for whatever reason we've had the stunning frosts that occur sans inversion, and glorious days of bright and welcome sunshine. That is until today.

However the escape is to drive up one of the ski area roads and since the Snow Farm nordic area opened officially yesterday I [officially] began my 2009 ski season yesterday. My forty third it seems.

What an inversion looks like from above...
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Vicky and Eric were there - old buddies from my Mt Cook days. Vicky and I often ski together, so it was great to get back into the swing of things...
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Vicky at the Bob Lee hut. It's not often we can sit in here and relax as it's exposed and at high enough altitude to catch whatever wind is about...
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From the Bob Lee hut, looking towards Lake Wanaka, you look right across the Criffel Range. I've done a lot of wandering down there amongst New Zealand's highest altitude gold workings. It's a fascinating area overlooked by all and sundry...
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Late today the inversion was still sitting over Lake Hawea...
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This morning driving up to the Snow Farm I was keen to do some landscape photography of a particular shot I had in mind. This one I eventually made is looking across at Mt Cardrona [inc. ski area] and was not quite what I had in mind, but landscape photography is often like that...
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This weeks recommended blog is by my good friend Geoff - on Sat. he was across the valley from the Snow Farm ski touring behind Cardrona Ski Area, and he made some nice photographs >>

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2 Comments:

Blogger Ruahines said...

Kia ora Donald,
Beautiful and it does my soul good to see you out amongst such beauty as I was stuck inside with sick kids all weekend. Back up in Taranaki and the mountain looks stunning, hope to get out for a walk amongst all the work one afternoon.
Cheers,
Robb

June 23, 2009 at 9:35 AM  
Blogger Donald said...

Hi Robb

I'm a bit behind with replies - weather slows me down plus the determination to out amongst it, so work hopefully gets done, but other fun stuff in front of the screen suffers.

Hope you get out soon and the boys get well.

Cheers

Donald

June 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM  

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