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More Snow at Mount Hutt

Saturday, 29 September 2007 : Filed under: Canterbury E-Mail This Article

Mount Hutt
20cm of fresh September snow and zero visibility – Mount Hutt, New Zealand

8 Comments »

Comment by josh — September 29, 2007 @ 10:43 am

Our season pass included Mount Hutt, which is a large ski field about 80km west of Christchurch. We heard Mount Hutt was supposed to be nice and has the longest ski season of any New Zealand field. We had been planning on getting in at least a few days at Mount Hutt on our way back north, and just our luck there was snow in the forcast.

We headed north from Oamaru and took a road inland to the small town of Methven, which is the closest town to Mount Hutt. We drove through the Canterbury Plains region, which is much different than anywhere else we have been in New Zealand. It is dead flat. At the end of the plains the mountains start. That night it snowed about 20cm.

The access road up to Mount Hutt was by far the worst we have driven on. It was gravel, really steep, and looked as if it hadn’t been grated in… well ever. After what seemed like several hours we were at the base and unstrapping our boards from the roof rack (which has turned out to be a nice feature of the ‘new’ van).

Along with the snow came loads of fog, as you can see in the photos. Beth was ripping up the fresh powder and the mountain in general:

Beth Ripping

Then she took a large kicker (huge jump), and our stay at Mount Hutt was cut short.

Beth Arm

She got some massive air, and then landed on her wrist. At first we feared it was broken, but after some X-rays in town, we found out it was only a sprain – very good news. She has had her wrist in a brace since then, but the pain is mostly gone now as she has mostly recovered. One good thing about New Zealand is that they have a user friendly health care system. The doctor visit with X-Rays, pain killers, and the brace only cost $43.

The next day we got a text message from one of our friends still in Queenstown. They had gone over to Snow Park for the day and our mate Tim fell off a rail and broke his wrist. It sounds a lot worse than Beth’s accident. Wouldn’t you know, after 3 months of snowboarding with only minor pains and injuries, the last days of the season are the ones that get you.

Comment by Sheryl — September 29, 2007 @ 3:05 pm

Bethany I hope the pain is not too bad. I have heard that a sprain can be very painful. Take care so you don’t have any future problems with the arm. Nice picture of you in the powder.

Comment by jeremi clark — September 29, 2007 @ 3:13 pm

Bethany looks very sad in that picture. I am sorry Bethany. :(

Comment by brohan — September 29, 2007 @ 3:37 pm

Too bad about the sprain; sounds like Beth is feeling better for the most part now. At least it wasn’t worse, and didn’t happen earlier in the season.

Comment by dadman — September 30, 2007 @ 12:57 am

Ouch!!! Sorry Beth! Glad it wasn’t worse. Does Josh have to spoon feed you now til you’re better? Too bad there’s no video of your huge kicker. Looks like a great day on the slopes before that. At least it will be memorable. Take care!

Comment by Clara — September 30, 2007 @ 6:27 am

What a wonderful way to end the snowboarding season and your time in NZ! I’m referring to the snow and the snowboarding–not to Beth’s arm. I’m so glad it’s just a sprain and not broken. Although your arm hurts, it will heal a lot faster–and be less of an inconvenience–than a broken arm. I’m glad you got such good medical care.

Comment by josh — September 30, 2007 @ 2:44 pm

Beth is feeling mostly better now. Sheryl, we got your phone messages, but the area we are in has spotty at best mobile reception.

Comment by Peg Moore — September 30, 2007 @ 3:45 pm

Oh, Beth, I’m sorry! How disappointing and painful. I’m so glad you’re feeling mostly better now. And I’m glad you got good (and not expensive :-) ) medical care there. Take care, both of you! XOXOX

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