NZ SKIER #97 - Preview

ISSUE #97 2015 ANNUAL $12.95 incl. gst

AFGHANISTAN - PATAGONIA - MT ASPIRING - 2015 GEAR GUIDE

Gallery.

CHARLIE LYONS IMAGE BY PETE OSWALD. Pete and I spent a late season day shooting together in Hochfugen, Austria. We had never really spent time working together so we felt things out early. Temperatures were rising and stability deteriorating but we managed to find some cold snow on north facing aspects. We snagged this beauty before cruising in for some lunch. After which we ditched the camera bag and enjoyed the last powder turns of the Northern winter.

Location: Hochfugen, Austria.

Travel Feature. Words and Images by Neil Silverwood.

AFGHANISTAN SKIING IN A WAR ZONE.

Stepping out of my guesthouse in Bamyan, Afghanistan is like stepping into the pages of a National Geographic magazine; just metres from the door is a World Heritage site where the remains of two giant Buddhas stand in ruins. The surrounding cliffs contain 800 manmade caves that were originally excavated by the monks who inhabited this area nearly 2000 years ago. Stretching out beyond is a desolate, sparse looking city where houses are built above and below ground. There are the ruins of old fortresses throughout, a testament to more prosperous times. The economy is poor and underpinned by sporadic funds from aid organisations. I’m here for a month with Heidi Godfrey to go ski touring. Heidi is working with a tour company called Untamed Borders, guiding international clients and training local racers for the upcoming 2015 Bamyan Ski Challenge, hosted by the Bamyan Ski Club.

It wasn’t an easy decision to come here. Heidi, an internationally qualified outdoorswoman, was invited to teach and she in turn invited me along. I spent weeks weighing up the risks. Each day the war in Afghanistan is brought to the world’s attention by the international media based in Kabul. The, generally negative press features violent attacks against women, suicide bombings and reports on the wobbly front lines in the south, where soldiers fight a drawn out war against Islamic insurgents.

It hardly sounded like an idyllic holiday, however in the end the chance to visit such a fascinating country outweighed the risks, much to my mother’s dismay.

At the airport our hosts met us in a run down Toyota Corolla – the car of choice in Kabul. As we tried to force our overly long skis inside, I noticed two westerners donning bullet-proof vests and climbing into a large white SUV. Our guides told us that they believe the best security comes from keeping a low profile and blending in rather than taking attention grabbing protective measures. I hoped they were right.

Kabul is a fascinating place, though at times overwhelming. We spent two days exploring the city with a guide. The brown landscape is nearly devoid of colour and every significant building seemed to be sandbagged and protected by machine guns and barbed wire security fences. It was surreal to drive past all the areas you see on the news, like the high profile Serena Hotel, made famous by two attacks. The sprawling city houses over three million people. Every flat and not so flat piece of land has been built on. Buildings stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction and many of the steep rocky hills are covered in houses too. Sometimes it seemed hard to believe that I was in Afghanistan, a country that is so taboo for most tourists.

Originally we had planned to fly from Kabul to Bamyan but the only airline, East Horizon, with its old Russian-era plane, was out of service. Going by car was the only option and the road linking Bamyan to Kabul is a notoriously dangerous route. As we set out, I was both thrilled and nervous. I had read a chilling article about the attacks and executions that have taken place on what is known by the media as ‘death road’. To help counter the risk, we wore traditional clothing, drove in a local vehicle and kept our cameras tucked away.

The scenery on the drive was world class. The road passes through traditional Pashtun villages at the bottom of a massive river valley before climbing over a mountain pass and descending into Bamyan, Afghanistan’s most peaceful province. Bamyan is an island in a sea of chaos. It offers a safe haven for the Hazara people who consider this area their spiritual home.

Main Image: The historical 'City of Screams' in Bamyan with the Hindu Kosh mountains behind.

Bottom Left: After seeing international visitors skiing above Bamyan, local villagers build their own wooden skis and practice their turns in the mountains above Bamyan.

Bottom Right: Ski tourers head out after days of heavy snowfall in late Feb.

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Photo Feature. Words & Images by Pally Learmond.

LEGS OF STEEL EURO INVASION.

Even though there are seemingly new highs and lows with each annual reincarnation, it is a reassuring constant each year that winter will be hard on the heels of his good friend autumn. Inspired by a devotion to skiing and being in the mountains, Legs of Steel's new movie 'Passenger' essentially follows the crew as they chase 'old man winter' around the globe. After a long season in the northern hemisphere the LOS boys upped anchor and set forth to New Zealand in order to achieve the feeling of coming full circle in their constant chase for snow. There was not too much stress or expectation for this final section of the film as it was clear that conditions can be even more fickle in this part of the world than others, but taking the attitude of 'what you get is what you get' definitely turned out to be the best approach.

The Kelman Hut, often referred as the 'freezer', is a 20 person hut that holds precariously onto a rocky ridge surrounded by the Tasman and Murchison glaciers. Ski planes land at the Tasman Saddle providing access for the day trippers who want to ski the famous route back down the glacier, from here it is also just a short skin up to the hut.

Sam Smoothy rips fast turns down the Murchison Headwall on the day that our crew begin the journey from Kelman Hut down the Murchison Glacier and up to our second hut stop. The headwall provided good snow but it was a mighty strain shifting all the film gear and food bags between the two huts.

Snow, ice, rock and ocean wrapped in spellbinding sunsets. Roads that set meandering courses through a dream-like land meant that for all involved this was the trip of a lifetime. With the unwavering help from Kiwi friends and contacts, the team at LOS hope something akin to the awesome experience had in this wonderland has been captured in the final section of the movie. In a world seemingly dominated by fleeting moments photographs offer a tangible glimpse into that memory bank. Looking back at images after the event brings back a multitude of memories and emotions. As well as the scenes of action, effort and brotherhood evoked by a normal ski filming trip, New Zealand also offered up a flood of other dramatic scenery and experiences. While you wait for the film to be released, here are some of the images taken along the way.

Opposite Page: Our crew arrived at Unwin Hut near Mount Cook Village to a small but welcomed storm. We sat it out for three days preparing gear and getting a feel for the area by going on hikes up to the Hooker Lake, but it’s only when we lift off from the airstrip on a bluebird day that we begin to fully appreciate our surroundings as the biggest peaks in the Southern Alps reveal themselves.

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GEAR GUIDE 2015.

As skiers we are an equipment dependent and driven species. Skiing is not as simple as grabbing a footy and going for a kick in the park; we need to be kitted head-to-toe in specific gear. How well that gear suits us and often the quality of that equipment directly effects our enjoyment of the sport we love. Hence your gear choices can define your whole season, so to help with these crucial decisions we have put together 40 pages of the latest and greatest equipment for your perusal.

This year we have returned to categorising all equipment by product type rather than brand, so you will be able to compare one company’s ski boot directly with a similar model from another brand and get a better comparison of their attributes.

SKIS While the basic design of modern skis has not changed much over the last few years, there is an ongoing evolution of materials and blends of rocker & sidecut that the ski manufacturers are experimenting with.

The ultimate goal of this is to produce skis that make skiing more enjoyable and easier for everyone.

One of the big trends this year is lightweight skis - with the influx of sidecountry skiing many manufactures have been trying out lightweight materials to reduce weight. This technology is now starting to drift into the mainstream ski lines as they are successfully creating skis that are lighter in weight but lose nothing in performance.

We have separated skis into four distinct categories to help you work through the options and find a category that suits you. The key thing to remember is that the best ski on the market is the one that works best for you; the one which matches your skiing ability, style and suits where you like to ski.

The categories we have chosen are: Freeride, All Mountain Plus, All Mountain and Speciality. There is a detailed description of each category at the beginning of their individual sections.

Then within the categories we have allowed the brands to add stickers to their skis to give you a little more insight into certain traits: WOMEN’S SPECIFIC – These are skis especially designed for female skiers. The trends here are lighter weight & softer flexing skis to match women’s anatomical differences; lower centre of gravity and not as heavy as guys. Don’t be put off though girls, there are a lot of hard charging skis for women.

LIGHTWEIGHT – As more and more materials become available to the ski industry, companies are trying to reduce the weights of skis without sacrificing performance. The results are skis which are more manoeuvrable and predictable on the snow and help skiers transition easily between turns.

© ROSSIGNOL/Blake Jorgensen

FREESTYLE ORIENTATED – A lot of skis in the wider categories are twin tips; this shouldn’t deter the average skier as the twin tip does not effect the overall performance. What it does is make the ski more versatile for the skier who wants to try tricks on the natural terrain at their local hill or nip into the park for a run or two. Some in this style are more freestyle orientated than others.

TOURING ORIENTATED – Backcountry skiing is exploding in popularity so brands are now adding features to their skis that make them more versatile to the skiers who are looking to venture into the sidecountry. This can be as simple as a flatter tail with notches for your skins to radical lightweight construction to make the uphill trek easier. These skis will all come flat so you can add the binding of your choice.

PARK SPECIFIC – These skis are designed for use in terrain parks and halfpipes; they tend to be symmetrical with softer tips & tails for tricks. They ski well all over the hill but are happiest in the park.

PISTE FIEND – Shorter, stiffer and more shapely these skis love to carve on the groomed trails. They are not limited to the trails by any means but that is where they feel most at home.

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