11 – 13 July, 2010 – Mountaineering on Mt Ruapehu

July 19th, 2010


Frozen crater lake at Mt Ruapehu

Snow Journal | Krystle Wright

Aussie sports and adventure photographer Krystle Wright trekked to the top of Mt Ruapehu last week and captured the spectacular winter panoramas. The Mt Raupehu ski fields Whakapapa and Turoa have kicked off for winter 2010 with Turoa already boasting a 1m snow base.

Turoa snow reports and forecasts

Whakapapa snow reports and forecasts

“Last week a small group of us from Australia were in Mt Ruapehu working on our mountaineering skills to better prepare us for more extreme terrain.

“We spent Three days on the mountain, the 11th, 12th, 13th, and summited on the second day. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions with clear blue skies and little wind. From the top of Mt Ruapehu, you could see a bloody long way.

“It is still early in the season as the main skiing runs in the area are quite icy with rocks sticking through in some parts, but those who hiked to the summit were rewarded with packed powder for skiing.”

Check out the pics of the summit hike, which involved trekking up through the resort in the pre-dawn darkness.

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Turoa forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.

Whakapapa forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.