Few scenes from True West adventure race before the emergency phone got cold and wet and went flat. Surprisingly we also got wet and cold in the roaring southerly headwind and had to have a wee 3am nap. Some tough moments for sure, but overall a blast on an incredible course with awesome paddling, and a pleasure to hang out with three of the most cheerful blokes I know @jimmy.mackay@blakeyhornblow@q_hornblow 🙏
📸 @jimmy.mackay
Mid Nov 2025: a few images from a spur of the moment trip up to French Ridge and the Bonar Glacier. Not pictured are prime spring corn skiing and overly friendly kea, but also pollen clouds sparkling over the valley leading to some horrific hayfever and a lunchtime nap on the glacier.
New Years tramp on the Frew-Toaroha with @adielawrence . Awesome huts, good people, and all four seasons. Not pictured - the wind/rain/hail storm on 30th as we crossed Frew Saddle, some of the worst weather I’ve had in the mountains. More than made up for by arriving to the fire on at Bluff Hut and all the little stunning moments. The Hokitika mountains are pretty cool!
Some winter/spring 25 wrap-up. Mostly pictures from a bunch of wee adventures with great people to explore nooks and crannies around The Remarkables and Doolans. Plus a lone photo from a September day at Olympus to kick off. The late snow delivered with awesome, albeit hard to time, skiing throughout September, October, and into November. See ya back up there next year!
@wearegritt x @brokenriver - Sept 2025.
Two more best days of the year. Huge thanks to the BR hospitality and clubbies attitudes for making lemonade out of lemons and turning a monster rain event into party laps of some of the best corn skiing I’ve ever had! Plus good friends, backflips and avy skills taught, and some time doing our fair share shovelling to keep the tow lines alive. See ya next year!
@wearegritt x @mtolympusnz day 2. Morning sun, 15cm of fresh snow in 3 hours, and an afternoon weather clearance. With some avy learning in the middle for the groms while the storm was raging. Couldn’t dream it better. Yet again, my best skiing of the year (along with the @brokenriver camp) because of the other awesome coaches, frothed attitudes of the young skiers, and the special place that is Mt O.
📸 @nicolehawkie
@wearegritt x @mtolympusnz day 1. Unreal way to kick off the Gritt camps, spoilt with an incredible group of young skiers, coaches, and a combo of sun and snow that had the froth levels high. Had to put my all into keeping up with the groms and @joecooksonn leading the charge!
📷 @nicolehawkie
Winter 2025 up to mid August. Lots of time around The Remarkables, and trips to Ohau, the Bonpland Area, and the Routeburn. Low tide but great people and lots of hay made while the sun was shining!
Feedback is that my comms have been poor about @nzmountainfilm 😅 Can’t argue with multiple people, so this is the NZ Mountain Film Festival schedule:
- Our film ‘Waiatoto’ is showing in Wanaka this coming Saturday June 21st, in the 3 - 6pm film session.
- I have a 1 hour talk/slideshow presentation in Wanaka Sunday June 22nd, in the 7 - 10.30pm session. The ‘Waiatoto’ film is not playing in this session.
- The ‘Waiatoto’ film is showing in Queenstown on Friday June 27th, in the 3 - 6pm session.
- There is online viewing of festival films for NZ and Aus residents between July 1 and 31
- The film will eventually be on YouTube, but hopefully it’ll do a few more film festivals beforehand.
Once again huge cheers to @murraycharles@jasper.gibson and @j7osh for bringing this expedition to life! And to Mark, Whitney, Alex, and the rest of the NZ Mountain Film Festival crew for putting on an incredible event to bring us all together. 🙏
17 seconds from the Waiatoto film. Premiering at @nzmountainfilm next weekend as the winner of the Hiddleston-Macqueen Award for Best NZ Made Film.
Thanks to the belief of @murraycharles and @jasper.gibson an idea that was stuck in my head for three years became a trip. We almost turned round many times in the first few days simply because it was too hard. But after the Volta Glacier we were committed to going downstream. Suffice to say it was a wicked adventure.
The creativity of @j7osh and @jasper.gibson turned a random mix of our GoPro and photos into a film. They’re damn talented so people seem to like it, thanks for the grind boys.
I’m also talking about the trip in the Sunday session of @nzmountainfilm . So if you want to hear me spray more or see me highly nervous to talk about myself come along.
A final thanks to all those who who’ve believed and supported, both in this project and more generally as I do life. It means the world. 🙏
