Update on happenings

I have been extremely slack with posts of late, last entry July so here's an update on whats been going down....

We had a great week in NZ late July where we skied a different ski field almost every day. We flew into Christchurch with the intention of going to Mt Hutt to ski first. A group of 7 of us, Greg and Kel Boller, Pete and Nina Walker, Rob, Mike and I booked cars so we could change plans should we need to. The weather looked not so good so we took off to Queenstown and Wanaka a stunning bout 4 hour drive.

We stayed at the Mecure on the Lakes in Wanaka, stunning accommodation and had an amazing meal at the Belgium Butchers restaturant. The following day we skied Cardrona in hazey weather.

Back to our digs the next day us lesser skiers took off to Coronet peak while Greg, Rob and Mike skied Treble Cone which they loved. We also had a good day on the slopes at Coronet.

This night we stayed in Queenstown and dined at a stunning Italian restaurant Luciano's

which is located at 88 Beach Street, web address http://www.lucianos.org.nz/home.html

Top food and service.

The next day half the group enjoyed Coronet Peak again while the other went site seeing. We then drove to Mt Hutt for a meal at the blue pub and delightful accommodation at Terrace Downs Resort which was situated on a stunning golf course. We stayed in a 5 bedroom house / chalet which was amazing!

We all enjoyed an amazing day skiing Mt Hutt on the last day, a tour seeming to end too soon!

We ended the tour back in Christchurch where Mike and I flew to Sydney. I stayed on and worked for Fountaine Pajot at the Sydney Boat Show at Darling Harbour where we sold a number of swisho luxury catamarans.

Skiing Alleghe - Italy

Alleghe is a stunning village located in the province of Belluno, Veneto, NE Italy.

For those who don't need the glitz, glamour or expense of Cortina, Alleghe is a quaint town offering a good variety of restaurants, accommodation, ski hire and a fabulous family owned and run Oenoteca (Wine Bar) in the main square.

Alleghe Lake which was formed in 1771 by a landslide from the adjacent Mount Piz boldly marks the centre of town, and when there is not too much snow provides fabulous walks around its shores.

We skied for one week in the first week of February 2009 and note it as one of the best places we have skied.  Alleghe has direct access to 21km of downhill skiing, with 20 individual pistes, served by 8 ski lifts.  With skiing above 2000 metres, snow cover is generally reliable.

Ski Lift Capacity :- The 8 Ski Lifts of Alleghe are able to uplift 7,000 skiers / snowboarders per hour.

There are three airports within two hours drive, so ski weekends, snowboard breaks and short ski holidays to Alleghe are perfectly feasible.

From Alleghe you can take a bus to nearby slopes including Cortina, with just one ski pass you have access to over 1200 km's of slopes!

For us Australian's the culture, food and wine topped off with a great season of snow made this an all round rip snorter of a trip!