Today I rode my first chute!

And it was amazing. Jo and I visited Mount Ruapehu for some snow love. Saturday was a wash out in more ways than one (poor visibility and weather, Jo not feeling well). However, Sunday dawned bright but unfortunately we didn't! We finally made it to the top of the mountain and worked our way across to some of the out of the way black runs (NZ Black = European Red) on the edge of the resort.

Having made our way across, we were none the wiser about which run to take or even where the runs went! Fortunately a kindly kiwi realised we might be a bit stuck about where to go and offered to lead us down the Organ Chutes! It was without doubt the best piece of boarding riding I've experience and the reason why I took up boarding in the first place; remote runs, fantastic snow and no people, just a mountainside to yourself as you wind your way downwards, creating your own lines, before dropping down into a steep sided gorge, and snaking along. We tried again later in the day but the temperatures had risen turning the snow to slush plus too many people had discovered what we already knew!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, spent with another Jo and her boyfriend Lance, in the village of Ohakune, riding snow and watching sport (Canterbury beat Hawkes Bay in a thrilling rugby game whilst the silver ferns netball team were showing England how the game should be played). The accommodation was also very cool; a converted railway carriage.