THE SEASON FOR ADVENTURE
New Zealand’s backcountry can be daunting and dangerous in winter. But it’s also at its most alluring – trees and mountains wearing a thick coat of snow, the low-angled sun creating rich textures and shadows across the landscape, smoke rising from the chimneys of cosy, riverside huts. The most benign foothills can look positively Himalayan after a southerly storm. And when the cold front passes it often heralds a big, fat anticyclone, promising a string of sunny days enticing you to the hills. Is there anything more beautiful?
We ask five experts about their favourite winter trips, how to get the most out of your own tramping, climbing or backcountry skiing, and get some tips for beginners looking to create a lifetime of memories.
The Adventurer
“THE BEST THING IS TO DO AN INTRODUCTION TO MOUNTAIN SKILLS COURSE”
Grace Fleming is a bush and alpine instructor based in Wānaka.
What’s been your most memorable winter adventure?
Probably a nine-day traverse of the Southern Alps in June 2020, from the Paringa River to Lake Ohau, through the Hooker Landsborough Wilderness Area. I went with Tara Mulvany (Te Anau-based adventurer and the first woman to circumnavigate New Zealand in a kayak). A big snow dump occurred while we were there and we spent eight hours wading to an alpine pass over the Main Divide. It was real ‘fall and you’re dead’ type terrain. We slept in rock bivvies at Marks Flat, then climbed onto
