UKC

Anyone heading to NZ this winter?

In reply to chrisfecher: Yup, Im away at the end of May until September. Not sure where I'll be based but most likely Christchurch or Wanaka

In reply to chrisfecher: Yep! Will be in Wanaka.

In reply to chrisfecher: Can anyone who has been out there give me some advice as to what the best options for jobs are? I have applied for the usual ski jobs but from what I can tell it is very competitive and I'm not in the best position due to arriving later. Thinking along the lines of labouring work for a couple months then ski August and September.

In reply to r.king:
Jobs are hard to come by for sure, do you have any teaching qualifications? What work have you done before? It's worth trying for bar/shop work? have you enquired about work as mountain staff?

In reply to r.king: Cardrona & Treble Cone are advertising their general mountain positions from the beginning of April. Snow Park & Snow Farm haven't recruited yet either.... Worth a look if you want a job on the hill with a ski pass thrown in.

In reply to r.king: If you are looking for labouring work and have a work visa then Christchurch has a fair bit of building going on just now. Might be worth parking up there, saving your cash then heading south for August / September?

In reply to chrisfecher:
Iv got my BASI level 2 so will be able to pick up some teaching hours, but I have missed the first deadline for the larger areas. You need to pay a fee to get on the later hiring clinics which I'm not so keen on.

For other mountain positions I do have experience in rentals and lifts so have got applications sorted for them. As I don't arrive till the end of May I miss out on areas that finish interviews earlier on.

Leaning towards the Christchurch labouring option. I have my work visa and some experience in maintenance and landscaping. Has anyone got any information on wage rates? Or first hand experience living/working in Christchurch?

Thanks for any more info guys!

In reply to r.king: Sorry - can't help much with first hand Chch info but there is heaps going on there so I reckon that'll work for you. From there you have good access to the club fields for your days off too and I reckon you'll do more skiing if you're not working on the hills.

Some info on ski touring things to do here:- http://skitouring.co.nz/ It's a little bit Wanaka-centric yet as most people who post on it live here but more stuff keeps getting added.

In reply to r.king:
>


there is a shed-load of reconstruction work going on there. Maybe check out the CERA website.

In reply to chrisfecher: As people have said there's heaps of work on in Chch at the moment. Going through an agency is the easiest way to pick up work: tradestaff/AWF etc. Basic labouring will get you about 14/15 bucks depending on which agency, but if you have skills you could haggle for more. Its worth looking on seek.co.nz for more specific jobs

In reply to chrisfecher: Thanks for the great info.
Sorry for the hijack of the thread.

Back to the topic of touring now, is there a similar forum like this or Winterhighland in NZ to find out the latest conditions? Also going solo so I'll be looking for partners.

In reply to r.king: I'm not aware of a forum like this for conditions. It's much better - you actually get the fun of figuring it out yourself! Drop me a line if you're around Wanaka - thete's quite a crowd of us there who get out regularly.

In reply to chrisfecher: Cool, Will be in Wanaka at some point for sure.

In reply to AdrianC: I'm up for getting out and about this season, I have a few missions in mind!

In reply to chrisfecher: Hi, there was a work agency in Wanaka (2005) that will find you labouring jobs, you can work as little or as much as you like once they get to know you are reliable etc. worked well for me, I could work 2 or 3 days then off climbing for a week then rtn for a few more days work. The pay was low ( and don't even try to convert it to pounds!) but it was very flexible. Good luck

In reply to chrisfecher: Sounds good. Anything you wanna share or is it secret squirrel?!

In reply to AdrianC: Ha ha I'd never heard of the term 'secret squirrel' until my wife used it (She's Kiwi). I'm down with the Kiwi lingo now though!

I wanna do a Pioneer trip, a Barron saddle trip, Brewster, Black peak and so on! Just keen to get to know the spots really!

Skied off Sentinel peak and Taranaki last time I was down!

In reply to chrisfecher: I'll be in Wanaka all winter instructing and coaching the freeride program at Treble cone. The hiring clinic is competetive but if you are a skilled instructor then you have a good chance, I got hired on the hiring clinic 4 years ago. Treble Cone has great freeride and access to backcountry but it's hard to beat the selection of club fields in Canterbury and the touring possibilities between them.

In reply to Jamie89: Treble Cone looks pretty cool terrain wise. How do the instructors who are hired at the clinics get on with working hours? Just concerned that I could end up needing another job anyway if the instructing hours didn't appear.

This season I have been coaching with the Glenshee Performance Squad and teaching the odd lesson. Really looking to develop my coaching and was hoping to get onto a course out in NZ as the Scottish/BASI system hasn't been much help.

In reply to r.king: TC is a great little ski resort, fun terrain for sure! From a work point of view it's not the best however. Cardrona and Coronet peak offer way more hrs.

In reply to chrisfecher:
I'm up for ski touring this winter. Mostly restricted to weekends.
I'm Christchurch based.

Damian

In reply to r.king: Treble cone's terrain is excellent especially when the Motatapu chutes are open. Work wise don't expect to be getting huge amounts your first season but they do try and spread the work out. We have a meet and greet when lessons start every morning and if you are friendly and approach clients it is likely you will be assigned a lesson. It really is a great place to work.

In reply to Jamie89: Secured a job at Treble Cone cleaning and helping in the carparks. If anyone knows of a room in Wanaka available for the season send me a message.

In reply to chrisfecher: Put an add in the 'Messenger' it's super easy you can do it online!

Snow falling in Wanaka over the next few days, lets hope it sticks around.

In reply to chrisfecher: 'Snow in May will not stay' - the ground needs to freeze first, otherwise it can set up problems later in the season. Cooler last night for sure!

In reply to r.king:


www.snow.co.nz is what your after for conditions + ski forum.

Wanaka is a great spot, like Scotland with more reliable snow and better weather.

In reply to Dee: I've heard that one!

Anything can happen this year though I reckon, it's still snowing to the valley in Chamonix this week?? It's pretty early for NZ for sure, but it get's people in the mood and it's topping up the glaciers and higher peaks which is all good!!

In reply to chrisfecher: Thats me in Wanaka now. I'm keen for getting out climbing before it gets too cold. Harness and shoes but no rack, Pm me if anyone wants to meet up!