An anxious wait for snow is never easy… When and how much white stuff will we have the pleasure of shredding? That day finally came on Friday when Treble Cone opened her gates and the crowd went wild!

Smiles for miles as we lapped up line after line of fresh pockets both in the Home and Saddle basin. Chris Rogers and Janina Kuzma scored first chair, probably because their kit was freshly tuned by The Wax Room.  As it should be…

The coverage in the saddle was much more than expected, with only a few patches of tussock to keep challenged as you reached the  quad lift. Avalanche debris looked soft from afar, but far from soft… It claimed a few unsuspecting shredders including myself. An involuntary front-flip/rag doll will always provide some entertainment for the onlookers. Wind picked up in the afternoon, however it was ideal because the tracks were filed in for the next day skiers and riders to enjoy. See www.360queenstown-wanaka.com for daily information on where to ride.

Even though it was a delayed opening, there was still plenty of terrain and snow to get the legs burning again. Time to get make stretching routine a habit again and dust off the foam roller!

Big thanks to Lachlan at Clean Line Producitons for the shots from Saturday. Lachlan’s film is showing at the out the Mountain Film Festival tonight. It follows a story of Colin Boyd on his path to compete in the World Freeride Tour.

The weeks ahead will be training the new and return Rookies on Treble Cone. A great season ahead!