An Alpine Glow - Ski Touring in the Two Thumb Range

If you can walk a mile in a man’s shoes, then what happens if you ski over 20km in a man’s ski tracks? It was a question that came to mind after our small group of four had hiked three hours uphill through paddock and alpine scrub before hitting the snowline. We then strapped on our Nordic skis and set off to explore Mackenzie County’s Two Thumb Range. Our fearless leader Dave (an experienced mountaineer and guide for Alpine Recreation) made tracks and we followed for three days of off piste back country ski touring.


 
The day before, I had travelled from Christchurch to Tekapo with Intercity. When I told the coach driver, Ross, that I was staying at YHA Lake Tekapo that night before setting off to ski early next morning, he’d said, “I was a member of YHA. In the 50s. As a teenager. I travelled New Zealand!” I smiled. More than half a century after Ross’s exploration, I was on my own New Zealand journey. And it was a journey into the same paradisiacal landscapes that draw people to New Zealand from around the world.

Our home base for the ski tour sat 1300m above the glacial waters of Lake Tekapo and within the Two Thumb’s rolling basins and snow-filled valleys. The Rex Simpson Hut was comfortable, simple, with a potbelly stove, food in plenty, solar lighting and beds enough for 14 people.


 
On our second, and fullest, day of skiing we conquered Erica Peak. Leaving the hut behind and below us in the morning, we skied north east, up onto Snake Ridge and into the sunshine. We followed the incline, eventually cresting Erica Peak 700m later. To our left, Mount Cook stood in the distance. To our right, the meandering Camp Stream Valley fell away (our route for the next day). From Erica Peak we veered west and descended into Mt Gerald Plateau, switchbacking across mountainsides and, for the first time, picking up a bit of speed.

That’s when I got the hang of the kick and gliding motion that makes Nordic skiing unique. ‘It’s not like running. Kick forward and glide with the weight even on both feet,’ Dave had said. So I did. And I felt like I was flying.


 
We worked our way back toward the hut that second day, skiing against a backdrop of snowswept landscapes as the setting sun cut sharp lines of light and shadow across mountain faces and valley floors. At one point we paused to look west over the uninterrupted views of the mountains across Lake Tekapo. The setting sun painted the tops of the snowy peaks vivid pink.

‘We’re so lucky we get to experience this!’ I said.

Dave looked at me with a face that belies his love of the mountains – a ruddy face that settles easily into smiling – and he said, “Well, yeah.” Obviously.

We are very lucky.

Brindi Joy

I booked my travel from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo with Intercity, my accommodation with YHA New Zealand, and my ski tour with Alpine Recreation. After my ski tour I soaked in the amazing hot springs at Alpine Springs in Lake Tekapo. A perfect trip.

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