This was supposed to be the Symphony on Skis.

It didn’t turn out that way.

A long time ago I did my first ski touring trip with Alpine Recreation, out of the lodge in Tekapo. Met Axel there, and some of his guides. Full of stories. Full of passion for the mountains.

On the wall was a poster for the Symphony on Skis.

That night they showed us the film Elke had made — her dad’s twenty-four-hour push across the Symphony. Watching that, I knew I wanted to do it one day.

Booking It
This year my mate Stephen was keen to go ski touring. He asked if there were routes I’d want to do with a guide.

Symphony on Skis was the first thing that came to mind.

Axel said early October was the best window. Stephen and I only had September. We booked seven days anyway, and Axel found us a guide — Cillian.

We packed. We watched the forecast. Nothing unusual yet.

The Call
A couple of days out, Axel emailed with the update. The main divide was getting pounded — 100 km/h winds. He already had a guide stuck in plateau hut, more than a week in, no way out.

The Symphony wasn’t happening.

“Symphony on skis was a dream. It was a dream at the edge of my abilities, and made me clench, because I realised it could also be a nightmare if things went wrong. So when the weather was bad, I was relieved that we made the call not to go — and delighted at discovering the new terrain and skills all across the ranges. Thank you, Cillian.” — Stephen

Two Thumb Instead
We headed to Tekapo anyway. Cillian’s call was to get as far east as we could — Dobson, north through to Round Hill, in the Two Thumb Range.

Up on the saddle the wind was already hammering. Any hope of a traverse was gone.

We dropped into the bowl instead. Found a sheltered pocket at the bottom. Got a handful of turns in the sun.

Skills on the Boulders
Day two, the forecast gave us almost nothing. So we pivoted — avalanche training, rope work, crevasse rescue on the boulders.

Then Cillian spotted a window. Fox Peak, next morning.

“The decision not to do the symphony felt sensible and safe, coloured with disappointment that evaporated as I got to discover new terrain across the Alps, less impacted by weather.” — Stephen

Fox Peak
Tussock skinning straight off the bottom of the lift. Good country out in the northern bowls — sheltered low down, brutal up high.

Found some southeast-facing slopes with decent snow. Until the wind-scoured sections started showing rock just under the surface.

I caught one. Went for a proper tumble. Put a few holes in the skis.

That night we stayed up in the green shed — an old shack that’s been slouching on the slope for fifty years. Gas heater. Good meal. Clear stars.

Treble Cone
We drove down to Wanaka, stayed the night, and got up to Treble Cone early. Blue skies. Ten centimetres of fresh out in the backcountry.

First lift, into the basins. Good untracked powder.

Then along the ridge, and our best run of the week — southeast slopes, a gap in the cloud opening up right when we needed it.

“The moment I would replay from the trip is the descent from the ridge south of the Treble Cone Saddle Chair, east into the valley below — blue sky, sunshine, and no wind.” — Stephen

Different Trip
We never got our Symphony. Spent the week chasing pockets instead — little windows of calm between the gales.

Different trip. Still a good one.

“How did the trip go? I loved it. It’s opened up a whole new range of possibilities for me, for enjoying New Zealand’s alpine environment.” — Stephen

Good times.

Trip Stats

Duration: 7 days booked, early-mid September
Guide: Cillian, via Alpine Recreation (Tekapo)
Route: Symphony on Skis attempt (weathered off) → Two Thumb Range (Dobson, Round Hill) → avalanche/rope/crevasse skills → Fox Peak, overnight at the green shed → Wanaka → Treble Cone
Highlights: sheltered bowl turns on the Two Thumb saddle, tussock skinning off the Fox Peak lift, a proper tumble on wind-scoured rock, stars from the green shed, first-lift untracked powder and the best run of the week at Treble Cone

VIDEO