Queenstown to the Snow Farm

Wednesday, 22^nd August 2012

We packed up, left our accommodation at 10:00a.m., stopped at the Chemist in Queenstown, then followed Tom-tom’s instructions towards Cardrona across the Crown Range. We were still disappointed that there wasn’t as much snow as last year and the peaks that did have a significant amount of snow on them were covered in cloud. There were some tantalizing glimpses when the sun shone on the peaks…maybe the Snow Farm will have something to offer. The road over the Crown Range was certainly easier to drive this year and we were still amused by the bridge numbering system…Cardrona was quiet, we could have had a cup of coffee, but decided to keep driving up to the Snow Farm…We arrived late morning, were faced by a very muddy car park and set off carefully to book into our accommodation. We moved into our new home for the next 4 nights as quickly as possible, ate lunch and set off to ski…

X-C Skiing – There is so much to consider: The weather, how many layers to wear, what to carry, what to eat for afternoon tea, have we enough to drink…It was quite warm at the Snow Farm, not nearly as much snow as last  year, however the trails were superbly groomed. Some showed a little wear, however the groomer had done a wonderful job. We soon discovered the Russian Nordic Team had come to train, as they did last year. Some of the Sit-chair (disabled skiers sit in a chair and use poles to propel themselves) and disabled skiers with physical and sight impairments). We were delighted to see Mary Lee again. Hannah, Mary’s 4 year-old granddaughter is now able to XC ski on skates – WOW!!!

David and Anthea skiing on first day

We spent the afternoon skiing the “Highlander Trail”. I went a reasonable distance considering, but I was very wobbly and had trouble getting a grip going up the hills. 

We took the Netbook and iPad to the dining room to download the photos and check on our emails. Dinner was delicious and we were so relaxed we forgot to ask the starting time for breakfast.