KEY POINTS:
Last time I went skiing, the mountain blew its top. This winter, I was happy to bypass hot-headed Ruapehu for some stable South Island greywacke powder-coated, of course.
Within hours of arriving in the Canterbury high country, the winter power crisis was washed away. First came a
blizzard, with 120km/h winds at the top of Mt Hutt driving snow and sleet sideways and knocking skiers flat.
Then followed lightning, thunder and rain - a torrential downpour which lasted all night and gave a much-needed boost to hydro lakes and rivers. After that came snow down to 400m.
One of the bigger falls in a winter laden with them was preceded by warnings for people to delay travel and hunker down not much good if you're out in it already. But Cantabrians are not easily deterred. This is not always a good thing.
Our guide, who was not a Canterbury native and seemed to hold an attraction to misadventure, had arranged an action-packed few days showcasing the best the district has to offer: the Mt Hutt and Porters skifields, a high country station, jet-boating, hot-air ballooning and back-country heli-skiing.
To draw breath, accommodation was at the Terrace Downs resort gazing at the Mt Hutt range.
Cheap internet airfares and proximity to Christchurch have put the Canterbury skifields within easy reach for those seeking an alternative to Ruapehu.
Visitors can catch a flight and shuttle bus or rental car to the top of Mt Hutt quicker than they can drive to Ohakune from Auckland. The price of petrol makes it look even more affordable.
While many North Islanders, and overseas-based skiers and snowboarders, bypass Canterbury for the bright lights of Queenstown, it's the comparative lack of such trappings that make Mt Hutt, Porters, Craigieburn, Mt Olympus - and other less accessible fields - attractive to snowsport purists.
The hub of this skiing area is Methven - not so long ago a small agricultural service centre. There are nine ski areas within a two-hour drive of Methven, a thriving town with good cafes, pubs and a wide range of accommodation.
The closest field, Mt Hutt, is second only to Wanaka's Treble Cone among South Island fields with more than 350ha of skiable area. Mt Hutt easily handles the crowds - from as far away as Australia, Europe, the US and Asia.
For the Aussies, it can be quicker to fly here and drive to Mt Hutt than to reach their own fields in Victoria.
Mt Hutt has benefited from recent investment and there are now four chairlifts, a surface conveyer lift and a new mini-terrain park for novices. The new, six-seater high-speed chairlift takes skiers to 2086m, near the summit, in five minutes, from which there are plenty of choices for intermediate and advanced skiers. The black routes and a fast slalom course are a favoured training ground for top skiers from Europe and North America. Extreme skiers and riders head for the steeper challenges of the double black diamond runs of the south face.
I found the intermediate slopes great - wide trails, long runs and plenty of options allowing me to graduate to steeper angles as my ski-legs returned.
But as every skier, no matter how good, knows, nature rules the piste. What looks a perfect morning from the base of the mountain may not mean any action up top but the reverse can apply.
On our first day at Mt Hutt, the wind was up when we arrived but we had time for a few runs from the intermediate-level quad chair before things turned very nasty, very quickly.
With high winds forecast for the second day of our trip, plans for hot air ballooning and heli-skiing were scuttled. Luckily, Cantabrians are an adaptable lot. There is outdoor ice skating at nearby Staveley, an attractive golf course, horse treks and eco-tours showcasing the high country.
After a couple of calls we joined a mini-bus en route from Christchurch to Middle Earth with a party of overseas visitors. Yes, Lord of the Rings-themed tours are still doing the business, in this case for Hassle Free Tours.
On the way back, we had time for a late-afternoon adrenalin rush on the Rakaia river. Our white-knuckle ride with Discovery Jet Tours exposed us to yet more things to do near Methven excellent trout and salmon fishing and hunting.
But despite the deteriorating weather forecast, our itinerary called for us to return to the high country for a luxurious night at Grassmere Lodge. Next day we were stuck on Porters Pass watching drivers try, and fail, to negotiate an icy patch on a steep hillside. We got out of there before nightfall, but not all were as lucky.
Cantabrians reckon conditions are generally more stable mid-to-late season than in early July when we visited. The season runs till October 19.
It's warmly recommended.
* Geoff Cumming visited Methven and Mt Hutt courtesy of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism.
