Skiing at Mt Hutt

Date: 28 August 2008
Location: Mount Hutt, Canterbury, South Island, around 1.5 hours drive from Christchurch

While in the South Island near the end of the winter season, I and some of my Indonesian friends: Christian, Don and Yudha, took the opportunity to head to one of the snow-capped mountains and learn how to ski.

We purchased a package of ski lessons for beginner, from a travel agent called Discovery Travel, located in downtown Christchurch.

We chose Mt Hutt for our ski destination, around 1.5 hours bus ride from Christchurch. The package price is NZ$204 per person, which includes almost everything: return transfer from Christchurch to Mt Hutt and vice versa, ski equipments rental including the jackets and boots, and two 1.5 hours sessions (total 3 hours) of ski lesson by a certified trainer, first session in the morning and another session in the afternoon, after lunch.

We had Wanda, a certified ski trainer, to teach us how to ski, from the very basic. She patiently taught each of us on how to ski properly. There were eight of us in a group under her care, four of us plus another family of four from Saudi Arabia.

It was indeed a rewarding experience for us. At least, for me: from someone who never touches snow before, I was able to ski downwards along the beginner slope several times without falling, albeit very slow. That was after many times of falling while learning. :)

Other pictures can also be found here:

Day 6 - Ski at Mt. Hutt
Munt Hutt (Yud, wrong spelling atuh...)