Between the Lines

The first time we set foot in this country we were tourists on holiday. The 4 weeks we spent travelling around these two islands naturally had the desired holiday effect: we forgot the which day it was, the days rolled into eachother and dates didn't matter. Hell, we were so swept up in things that we just couldn't understand why accomodation was so booked up on one particular weekend. (It was Easter - doh).

Now we live here, things are a little different. We only get 15 days holiday for start. But mostly our experience is of being a resident, we go to work, we pay tax, we own a home, we do a few things at the weekend (Yeah, I know, the same as everyone else's life really) But occasionally, I get to sample life from the vistor's perspective once more. I mix with backpackers and students, bright eyed people who are just starting to understand themselves through their travelling experiences. Everyone is on holiday and there's a carefree atmosphere, it feels like I step into a life between the lines of my own.

Last week I got to do just that. After only a week in full-time employment, I jetted off to Christchurch to hook up with my seasonnaire buddy Will and to have my first taste of South Island snowboarding.

It was always going to bloody hard. It always is with Will, the last time I was in his company we spent 90minutes hiking to the summit of a mountain. He barely broke a sweat, I on the other hand was slightly more out of breath. But with views like this (and the untracked descent) it was bloody well worth it.

Will and his posse have been doing nothing but riding all season. While most of them don't look super fit they've all had 3 months to develop their riding muscles and most importantly their endurance. I came straight from behind a desk to join these hardened backcountry riders.

Will picks me up from the airport and we cruise into the Canterbury night for about an hour, buffetted by the winds and marvelling at the lightning storms in the distance.

We arrive in Methven after 9pm. At Will's house, I'm introduced to his house mates: Kate, Scott, Adrian and Dan. We have some beers and check the snow report - its very good. 5cm of fresh expected with clear skies. Holy Shit! A blue bird powder day right off the bat. Who knew?

I'm told that it will be an early start. Both Scott and Kate work for Mt Hutt so they'll be up at 6.30am, the rest of the crew will follow about an hour later. Now these are my kind of people: no sleep-ins, no casual breakfasts just straight to the white stuff to get stuck in.

The next morning we're up, we've made our packed lunches and we're off up the mountain road. I bounce around on the back seat of Will's 4x4 for 17kms, "Where the fuck is the road?" I ask "This is it", says Will. Its nothing but an unsealed gravel track with some fairly hefty pot holes and rock obstacles. The road edge drops away heavily on both sides for hundreds of metres, there are no barriers. It suddenly occurs to me that I could very easily die on this matter-of-fact journey that we will make twice a day for the next 5 days.

I'm relieved when the Mt Hutt base area comes into view and I'm alive to see it. Quickly we gear up, I'm riding a brand new Sims Fader 164. (I usually ride a 157 but the conditions are so good, I'm giving the powder board its first NZ outing). Anyone who snowboards will know that riding a longer board takes some getting used to, like driving a bigger car, it takes some time to adjust to the way it behaves.

At the top we hook up with a few more of Will's buddies: Lyndon, Joel and Sebstian, along with some familiar faces from last season in Ruapehu: Brendan and Helen. As expected we hike. Its not too far to the summit but its a massive effort for me and 10 minutes in I'm drenched in sweat and panting like a thirsty puppy.

Its been closed for nearly 3 weeks but today, the South Face is open. After our hike, the 7 of us perch above the precipice. Balancing on the heel edge of my new board, I get my first glimpse of the South Face from a rider's perspective. They say it always looks steeper from the top, but this looks like some of the steepest terrain I've ever ridden. Somehow, I'm not overly concerned but a flicker of self-doubt presents itself: I'm about to drop in on a 50 degree slope, on a new board, after not riding terrain like this for nearly 2 years.

The wind starts to get up, throwing ice shards into our face. "Time to go", says Will and effortlessly drops in. Adrian follows, then Brendan then myself. The aggressive style of riding needed to control my descent makes my legs start to burn almost immediately and they've only just stopped burning from the hike.

After a few turns I start to loosen up and find the groove, its a rush of adrenaline and euphoria. All too soon we're at the cut-off point. Its the cut-off point because the lift that carries us out is closed, so go any further and its a massive hike back to the ridgeline. From this point its "a just a medium hike" - yeah, you should have fucking been there. I question Brendan's definition of medium.

Gasping, I haul myself over the ridgeline to drop into for the ride back to the base area. I stuff handfuls of snow into my mouth to hydrate, it disappears instantly in my burning mouth.

Back on the chair its decided we repeat this run all morning. Lyndon wants to get some shots with his camera. So time and again its gruelling hike, stellar run, grueling hike. After lunch I'm naturally exhausted and while Brendan and the posse want more of the South Face I'm happy to ride with Kate (who's fairly new to boarding) on the piste for a more leisurely afternoon.

That evening we relax in the house. I notice as we return that its called "the rat house". Its a bit of a pit, a studenty hovel, so I assume thats why. However, around 2am I'm woken by a russling in the kitchen. I guess that's not the reason.

The next day is just as good but without the wonderland of the South Face. I get to know Mt Hutt a little better. Geographically, its a bowl with all runs leading back to the base station. Easy to get your bearings as everything is visible at a glance.

The next 2 days are closed days. We are all disappointed but the weather in Methven is amazing, 27 degrees. There's nothing left to do but carry the sofa outside into the garden quotes. Drive the 4x4 up next to it, put on some tunes and start drinking. Hanging with the seasonnaires is a black and white experience. Its either going hard in the white stuff or chilling to the max in the bar or over 2 or 3 slabs (a 24 pack) of beer. So to put it simply: I'm either on the face or off my face. Today, I'm the latter.

Idle chatter ensues. Over a period of hours the conversations get funnier and funnier and though I'm drunk, I have to find a pen and paper to record the hilarity. The following quotes are the gems I managed to salavage, many more were lost in the haze.

Where's your favourite spot in Australia?
Elle Macpherson's arse.
I carefully consider the geography of our Aussie neighbours

Ah, yeah that was a real bachelor pad. If you were a girl and you stepped inside the door, you were pretty much gonna be shagged by one of us"
AxMan reflects on his time at Spraxton Street

Yuki is the type of girl who, once you get her naked, she'd go mad on your dick
Lyndon postulates about a japanese girl he barely knows

You can't really enforce compulsory pub going
Will makes a stand on closed day activities

Those who have less sense than money are the only ones who entertain buying such a board.
Will, musing on Lyndon's latest purchase