Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui woman goes skiing in Iraq

By Emma Russell
Whanganui Chronicle·
19 May, 2017 05:31 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Judith Hamblyn back in Whanganui after skiing in Iraq. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Judith Hamblyn back in Whanganui after skiing in Iraq. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Whanganui resident Jude Hamblyn skis like no other.

From Russia to Kazakhstan to Japan to Macedonia to the United States, she has skied it all.

Her latest venture - Iraq.

Transitioning from her home slopes, on Mt Ruapehu, to the hard core terrain in Iraq was "a little different" she said.

She completed the ski tour with a United Kingdom company Untamed Boarders who "scoped out the track before hand."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They had to check for mines and things like," she said.

For ten days Ms Hamblyn skied the ups and downs on the border of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran with five others.

Ski touring differs from mainstream commercial skiing in that it turns any hill with snow on it into a ski field without relying on lifts or helicopters to get uphill.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Skins" are attached to regular skis with special bindings that release at the heel. The skins grip the snow and allow the skier to go uphill.

Jude ski touring on the border of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran. Photo/ Untamed Boarders
Jude ski touring on the border of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran. Photo/ Untamed Boarders

Ms Hamblyn said she loves ski tours because of the sense of peace and beautiful surroundings that come with it.

"You are able to get away from the hustle and bustle of commercial slopes and really enjoy the environment you are in.

"I've been doing ski tours for the last five years now, I just really like skiing in unusual places," she said.

Although she was a apart of a guided tour, skiing was not common in area.

Ms Hamblyn said the security was tight but not overbearing.

"Military checkpoints increased the closer we got to those towns and the border areas. At one stage, we could see Iranian watch towers on the opposite ridge."

Though Kurdistan has been seen less risky than the rest of Iraq, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs still rates it as "extreme risk" and advises against all travel to the region.

Skiing in Iraq. Photo / Untamed Borders
Skiing in Iraq. Photo / Untamed Borders

Ms Hamblyn said she had to get three separate insurance covers from different parts of the world.

"One was for rescue, one for medical and one for normal travel insurance."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She encouraged people to get out there and do the ski tours but to do the research before hand.

The skiier said she wasn't too worried about the security but she would not have done it without the guided company Untamed Boarders.

They specialise in trips to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus, but also arrange bespoke trips to other off-the-beaten track destinations.

Her next trip - Kamchatka in Peninsula.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM

'We want to take a very detailed specific look at what Whanganui needs' – Chris Bishop.

Work begins on key phase of port project

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM
Premium
Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

04 Jul 04:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP