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Snow, Ice and Blue Skies

After some serious hours planning for an upcoming three day ride, I assembled an EPIC High Country route. The route included a number of tracks that I have ridden many times over the years, but hadn't yet linked up in this particular fashion.

There was no doubt this was going to be a cold trip. It was the middle of winter and were heading to altitudes with predicted daytime temperatures of around 8° Celsius and overnight temperatures around -6° Celsius. The good part with the New Zealand High Country in winter is that much of the water is locked up in ice and snow meaning the river levels are low making them relatively straightforward to cross.

With three riders at the start line, we set off on what was to be a seriously awesome three day High Country adventure…

The long straight sections of tarmac departing Christchurch and heading towards the High Country were mind-numbing as normal. All any rider wants to do get to the High Country where the fun begins. To top things off, temperatures were only just above zero so it was a pretty chilly start to the day. However, as our wheels finally made contact with the start of the High Country gravel roads, the day started to warm up and we had bright blue clear skies

After dropping off some beers on a station owner’s porch for granting us access, we entered one of the first valleys

The valley was still recovering from a below zero night and many of the tracks had thick crusts of ice

As the morning went on and the sun did its best to raise the mercury. It made for perfect riding temperatures for the rest of the day, just cool enough to stop us overheating while wrestling the bikes up the valley

While the rivers were relatively low and easy to ford, we were careful not to get it wrong and end up in the drink. The snow and glacier fed rivers means the water is very little above 0° at this time of year

Reaching an altitude of around 900 metres on the valley floor, the rocks were partially blanketed in a layer of snow

After much rock wrestling later, we finally reached the planned destination... Hells Gates. An impressive array of mountain ranges housing an unnamed glacier

After some photos and a well-earned break, we started the rock wrestling mission towards the hut we planned to stay in that night

Consuming the last of our energy to collect firewood, we finally settled in for the night around a nice warm hut fire, a hot meal and a good night’s sleep. What a day it was, absolutely awesome!

The next day bought more magic blue skies. Again, the photos make the morning look deceivingly warm, however I can assure you that wasn't the case. Overnight temperatures dropped well below 0° and with the low arching winter sun, it took a while for the big yellow ball to appear and begin thawing out the frozen ground

As we departed one valley, we headed up the next

Shaded areas that were layered in frost and ice certainly put our balancing skills to the test

We reached one of the most challenging river crossings of the trip. This river has a reputation for always being rushy and bouldery to cross

Not long after the river crossing we reached a brilliant little hut standing at the foot of an impressive mountain range

After a quick break and a bite to eat we carried on our way. There were more river crossings to tackle but the three of us have river crossings fairly well dialed in, so all was well

Black Bluff

Finding the best path through the boulder fields saw us zigzag our way up the valleys. Oftentimes we’d pass by vertical faces impressively dressed with ice daggers, some up to 2 metres in length

Cuppa time!

This river crossing was a combination of two rivers. Normally it is relatively straightforward as the base is solid and the rocks offer good traction. With low running water levels, algae had built up which made the crossing a little bit more challenging

Once the river crossing was complete, we were heading up yet another beautiful valley

It wasn't long again before we reached an altitude where snow had partially blanketed the valley floor (Forbes Valley). Looking up each of the side valleys offered impressive snowy views

After another brilliant day of riding, it was time to set up camp. This night, we were tenting it

Our campsite was located right by a waterfall which only offered us both pristine drinking water and an exceptional icy sight

With luck on our side, the third day presented more perfect riding weather

Time for a group photo with snow topped mountain ranges as a backdrop. Left to right… Ian, Josh (me) and Mark

This day of riding was not a big one. We were exiting the High Country and making our way home. This was one of the last major river crossings before reaching the 4X4 tracks, the gravel roads and then finally the tarmac

The trip couldn't have gone any smoother and been any more brilliant. No mechanicals, no issues, everything ran like clockwork. Roll on the next trip…

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