I spent the weekend in the best way possible – skiing with a group of friends. There were twelve of us there, all jammed into two chalets in Ohakune.

Saturday was an almost perfect day. We had all arrived in batches the previous evening, so we were all up bright and early for a full days skiing. Turoa Skifield is just up the road (well, about 10 km) so our location could hardly be better. Also great was the weather – bright and sunny almost the whole day, with very little wind.

The only thing that was less-than-perfect was the snow itself. There was not quite enough of to cover the rocks on the lower part of the field, but it was still possible to get down OK if you could handle a snow base that varied from popsicle-slick ice to gritty slush with the colour and consistency of a M&M McSlurry. Luckily I had the perfect set of skis to deal with the conditions: rentals.

Things on the upper slopes were much better, and the new 6 seater chair lift is way cool. It feels like you are flying up the mountain on a well-stuffed couch and is very easy to get on and off. The mountain was busy but not totally crowded, and after I found my feet I got a lot of good runs in with only minimal spills.

Saturday night we all hit the Ohakune night spots, where something curious occurred: we got served! One of our number, Bevan, turned out to be a pretty good dancer and while he was cutting a rug (as the kids say these days) a random dude appeared and served him. Pretty much the whole place stopped to check out these two dancing back and forward for minutes before the matter ended in a draw. I thought that sort of thing only happened in the movies.

The chances of having two good days of skiing are slim, Sunday was predictably a washout. We went for a walk through the forest to stretch our aching legs then climbed into our cars for the long trip home.

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