Just got in a while ago sore and can barely walk from today but it was amazing. But it all started out as a pretty shit day, had to wake up early and ride with a buddy of mine to Whakapapa to do demo's and we get to the junction and the road is closed. After waiting for a few min we decided to find out what was going on with the road and drove to the end and the guy told us that it would be over an hour before it would be open. So Dazza and I decided it would be best to go and do some "product testing" and we turned around and came back to Turoa. What a decision that was. We get to the road and it is closed at the 3K mark so we start talking to people and the road opens we start heading up. The road is slick and shitty but Dazza has been driving the roads around here for some time so I had faith we would make it up. But the other people are the ones that you have to deal with. We made it up the road and were close to the car park when cars started going wild. We made it past the switch back and the shit hit the fan. We got stopped on a hill and started sliding back down and ran into a SUV behind us and then went past the Audi in the ditch and ended up behind it. No more than twenty min later and we were getting pulled up the hill by a small pickup and we were back on our way. It was close to 9 when we made it to the top and there were only a few cars in the car park which was surprising but considering the road it was expected.
After making it there we got the fat pow skis out of the car and got boots on. We did get a coffee or 2 well in my case I got hot coco. And waited for the chairs to open. Most of the upper mountain was closed due to bombing for the snow and avalanches. So we found some sweet first track freshies on the lower mountain, at this point it was one of the best days I have ever had. But it only got better.
Met up with the manager of a local ski shop and we started to hike and now my legs are burning from walking up but it is getting better. The snow is deeper, softer and untouched. As we head in to the glacier we are talked to by ski patrol saying the area is pretty unsafe and to use caution for the area but we went anyway. We entered the bowl and no one had been there all day it was stunning. I am very angry I forgot my camera and my helmet cam because it was an epic day on the mountain. We went across one at a time as not to put to much stress on the snow so we wouldn't get a slide of any kind and skied carefully. Fresh tracks in a massive bowl and not a sound or person other than my mates in sight. It was simply the best skiing I have ever done in my entire life. I was on some big fat 183 Atomic Bentchetlers. It is the largest underfoot ski I have ever been on and was the best ski in the world in my opinion, maybe it was the snow, maybe it was where I was skiing but it was simply the best thing I have ever done.
After skiing the lines it was like being on top of the world and the hike out was awful but every step you were closer to where you could grab the lift and go do it again. Now thinking back and feeling my sore legs and back and arms it was all worth the ride down.
