Wanaka A FREESKIER’S PARADISE BY REGGAE ELLISS
After two years of lockdowns many Australians skiers headed back to New Zealand last year, not surprising given the quality of the resorts and sheer beauty of the Southern Alps. I was one of them, heading across the Tasman in early September with my 18-year-old daughter Arkie for a junior freeride event in Treble Cone and basing ourselves in Wanaka for the week. On our last visit to New Zealand in 2019 we stayed in Queenstown, so I was looking forward to checking out Wanaka, the quieter of the two prime South Island destinations which is nestled on the shores of Lake Wanaka, at the foot of Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is one of the most scenic, beautiful places in the world, a small but growing town surrounded by green pastures on one side, expansive views of the lake on the other. Wanaka is also the gateway to some of the best skiing in New Zealand, just a short drive to Cadrona and Treble Cone resorts, incredible backcountry and for those with a bit of extra coin, the largest heli-skiing terrain in the southern hemisphere. In short, there is a lot to like. Wanaka is home to some of New Zealand’s best skiers and snowboarders, not surprising as the combination of Treble Cone’s terrain and Cardrona’s incredible park make it a freeriding Mecca. But skiing, snowboarding and the mountains are part of Wanaka and the people who live there. Many of the pro skiers who come from Wanaka are second or third generation skiers and skiers like the Wells brothers, Finn and Hank Bilous, Sam and Anna Smoothy were introduced to the skiing and the mountains by their parents. In an interview we ran with Jossi Wells in our 2021 issue, he said Wanaka’s location had a lot to do with it. “The whole southern alps are right at the end of the lake, just right there. So, it's a place that attracts like-minded people that are into the outdoors. When my parents moved to Wanaka there were 800 people living in Wanaka. It was farmers and people that were here for the mountains. So, it is a really special place.” Finn Bilous, fresh lines at Treble Cone on a cold mid-winter’s day. The views from Treble Cone are up there with the best of any ski resort in the world. Photo: Mark Clinton 79
