I went to Snowplanet this evening with the social club from work. Basically it is a large indoor ski slope just out of Auckland. They have a reasonably decent slop, several tows, and plenty of snow kept at a cool -5 degrees.

It was a lot of fun. I haven't been skiing for about 4 years, but really enjoyed it again (especially as the social club picked up the bill). I got in about 7:30pm, and it was fairly busy for the first half hour, but then quietened down a lot, meaning that you had a lot more room to move about.

They have a number of jumps built into the slow for those so inclined (no, I'm not one of them), and a small learner's area for those who haven't skiied before.

What surprised me was the number of first-time skiers who didn't consider the problem of wearing jeans when skiing. Snow melts, and wearing wet jeans is not a lot of fun (particularly at -5 degrees). Ah well, they learn for next time.

The most entertaining moment was when one of the guys had learnt how to go fast, but not how to slow himself down sufficiently, and almost took out the queue for the tow at one point. I tried to teach him how to turn, but no luck...

All in all, Snowplanet is a great idea. It's not something that I would do too regularly, as the single slope does get a little boring, but it's definitely a good thing to do occasionally. Skiiing without being at the mercy of the weather is a definite plus as well.

Posted by Dave Bryant at 10:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)