the blue bird day

Beer

2010-10-04T22:50:00.001+13:00

You never know when you may be in need of one.

Thank you Sam and Olly.

Pow Landing

2010-10-04T17:17:00.002+13:00

There was a kicker!

Spoon?

2010-09-08T08:24:00.002+12:00

That German!

Really likes to spoon...

The vampires will get me

2010-09-08T08:08:00.000+12:00

This man was drunk!

Night time.

2010-09-07T22:06:00.002+12:00

A most excellent night.

I stumbled down the mountain after drinks at another lodge, the moon was bright overhead and it was bitterly cold.

Good days

2010-09-07T21:45:00.002+12:00

I enjoy days like these -spent boarding with blue skies, fresh pow and no worries.

Today was not one of them.

Another night

2010-09-07T15:56:00.003+12:00

We had strong drinks.

Foreign drinks.

They flamed and bubbled.

We got excitied.

We partied hard.

We danced.

We sang.

We climbed up the walls.

I love these nights.

Custodians Birthday.

2010-08-31T17:03:00.003+12:00

Yesterday was Paul's 24th Birthday and for the third consecutive year he spent itdown at the mountain. Being the baker-chick down on the weekend I decided to make Paul a Chocolate Mudcake - I have, however, decided not to go into greater detail about the cake itself but I can assure you that the icing was delicious.

On Paul's break we had coffee and cake. It was nice.

I also drew a Birthday portrait of Paul too. It is pretty accurate I think...

Mmmmmmppphhhhh.

Magic Hour.

2010-08-24T11:11:00.002+12:00

I miss the sunrises and sunsets.

At the mountain they are extra magical.

Well that is how I feel at least.

Photography by Paul Abbott.

Perfectly matched

2010-08-17T22:50:00.000+12:00

Bear beer + Bear tape = Epic Wizard Stick

Photo and observation by the manly men who played wizard stick that time.

Storm

2010-08-16T22:12:00.000+12:00

Last week after beginner's weekend, there was a fair amount of snow and a few extreme gusts of wind, it wasn't great weather to be out in. The soft powder was exciting, but the thought of driving down the mountain was not a cheery one.

My canvas shoes sank into the snow as I ferried bags to the car.

Sophia hopped in, snapping pictures as I freed the car from the powder that had swallowed up the tyres.

I Scraped the ice and snow off the windscreen with my orange headed shovel.

As well as off my windows with my trusty AA membership card...

We then left. A few hundred metres down the road Sophia announced that she had forgotten her phone at the lodge, I did a doughnut onto the ice covering daypark 3 in an effort to turn around. I realised then that I probably should have put chains on my tyres to begin with. After a vain attempt to climb back up the road, in which I did a fair amount of slipping, sliding and stressing, I put chains on. My hand were frozen after that.

When I took off the chains, I learned that they had chipped a most of the remaining paint off my wheel arches.

It's not like my car had a pristine paintjob to begin with, but I was still not a happy camper.

There was a lot of snow, finally Whakapapa looked a bit wintery.

I took a roof full of snow most of the way to Taumaranui.

It was quite and arduous little adventure and I was definately a little grumpy for most of the trip.

Since then it has rained and all that snow and more has been washed away.

Photos by Sophia Jenny.

Tom > Rachel

2010-08-14T14:02:00.000+12:00

It's a love/hate thing.

Tom has lady wrangling skills.

Photos by Sophia Jenny

Last Weekend.

2010-08-13T13:24:00.000+12:00

On the last day of a pretty shitty weekend (weather wise) the sky finally gave us some snow!

The next day I drove back to Auckland with Paul and his car was buried in snow. Sometimes I wish that the good weather and bad weather would time itself better.

Needless to say, Paul was annoyed that he had to drive on such a primo afternoon.

Quarrelling Couple

2010-08-11T10:34:00.000+12:00

Olly and Sam climbed up the fire escape, until they were outside my window and screamed loudly, poking their heads around the curtain. Sophia and I were in the middle of a film and got a fright.

When Olly and Sam are both down here they get up to lots of mischief, they hoon down the mountain together, drink together, play pranks together, they argue all the time and have fights every day.

This weekend Sam threw Olly's shoe somewhere. Olly chased Sam around the lodge weilding a ping pong paddle and hitting Sam repeatedly in the head with it, Sam responded with a pot's lid as a shield and a rolled up a magazine for a primary weapon, each tried to kick the other's sore knee. They ended up wrestling on the couch weapons still flailing. Sam had big red lumps on his head afterwards and was complaining of a headache.

Passed Out #3

2010-07-28T00:05:00.000+12:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

Mr Timothy Blackbourn (and his wizard stick)

Fresh Blanket

2010-07-27T23:33:00.000+12:00

The landscape changed.

I stayed inside and observed.

Best days

2010-07-23T09:40:00.000+12:00

Considering spending the day in bed. Opening the curtain to reveal this.

Not staying in bed anymore.

Mornings.

2010-07-18T14:15:00.000+12:00

Beautiful and seductive.

This is what you are missing out on by not being at the mountain.

Photo by Sophia Jenny.

Catering.

2010-07-18T14:01:00.000+12:00

I am not going to lie but the food down here is pretty good. Lots of hearty roasts, bolegnaise, cottage pie, lasagne (but the tasty and satisfying kind). Paul is good with his spices - I think that is the key. Most of the people that come down here seem to be meat eaters and are the hungry kind (in a good way, of course). Which is sweet for them because the meat arrives at the lodge in HUGE chunks.

I, being a vegetarian, can't say that meat rouses me in the same way but I have been having some delicious vege meals. And (not being biased or anything) think that the vegetarian meals smash the meat ones. I would also like to point out that Paul's creamed spinich is worth a mention - Mmmmmmmm - so good.

The kitchen is always a happy place too - as seen in the photo of Chris (above).

Photos by Sophia Jenny.

Custodian.

2010-07-18T13:52:00.000+12:00

This is a photo I took on the drive down with Paul to the lodge when he was first moving in. I think it is pretty cute. He was very chipper that day.

His expression says it all.

Photo by Sophia Jenny.

Snow cont.

2010-07-18T13:39:00.001+12:00

So, it is sort of a shame that the seasons snow is making a slow start...

But I feel we should be greatful that it (atleast) doesn't still look like this.

Photo by Sophia Jenny.

Snow?

2010-07-14T16:11:00.000+12:00

What we need is more snow, a massive storm perhaps.

I want the mountain to look like this. This was two years ago and we spent three hours digging my car out.

Passed out...

2010-07-07T17:23:00.000+12:00

I know you may not approve.

He thought it was funny in the morning. Only after he managed to wash it off his face.

I thought I would add to this post.

Joseph Brenan

Snowfall

2010-07-07T17:17:00.000+12:00

The snow fell...

A pity it got rained on, melted and blown away.

Fun

2010-07-06T23:55:00.000+12:00

Tandem skiing

Nick and I went for a jam in happy valley.

Flakes

2010-07-06T23:47:00.001+12:00

They float down to the ground.

My Home

2010-07-06T22:48:00.000+12:00

Incredible, many of my best nights have been here. My lodge, I love this old girl.

Bluebird

2010-07-06T22:25:00.000+12:00

Maybe the title of my blog is a little optimistic, considering I am in the only country in which we ski in the rain, on the windiest, rainiest, most unpredictable hill on the planet, Whakapapa.

When everything works out however, on those perfect days, I know there aren't many other places I'd rather be.