New Zealand ski instructor course drawing to a close

Here are a few words for the final week of our 10 week ski instructor course in New Zealand...

Well what  a season and what a cool crew. We have certainly been in on the world game of getting crazy weather.

We have had a mixed season with loads of small dumps off snow and some big ones, with over 1.5m in one storm! Then the rain... yes, a few days of heavy rain which smoothed things out nicely and some wind, for good measure, which if you knew where to head gave some fantastic wind buff Pow Pow to ride.

Week 10 was no different as far as weather was concerned. We got a lot of rain, 3 inches in fact, which saturated the snow to make for some good water skiing on the slopes. After this drained out, we had some awesome spring corn, which turned on the classics, like Dome Ridge, Big Mama and even the south facing Bluff Face, which is somewhat of a rarity to be blessed with.

Before all the farewell tears it was time to P.A.R.T.Y. So out come the trusty spit roaster ( a 44 gallon drum cut in half with a bicycle wheel attached to a pole which had a fan belt on attached to a car window wiper motor run off a battery) A few railway sleepers some petrol and a match and it was all go. Ah, that lovely smell of singed eye brows. We were lucky enough to get in the good books with a local man who is in his 60s but going on 16 (my father) who shot us a wild deer for the spit. with a quick basting of wild berry jam, honey, wine, ginger and garlic it was time to let the spit roll. 4 hours later the beer was flowing and the meet ready to eat. It was a great night shared with the staff and locals.

Farewell fallow students. Enjoy the paths that life takes you on and I hope you have all gained something for the future and enjoyed the course as much as I did. Please keep in touch.

Jase