 |
NEW ZEALAND The Unique Snow Experience of NZ |
By Jeremy O'Sullivan
Having skied in New Zealand many times, it was great to be a participant at New Zealand’s indoor presentation. Harry McFadden, Josh Duncan-Smith and Sarah Walls took the opportunity to introduce and excite the audience about the geography of the land of the long white cloud, their different mountain regions and the unique aspects of their ski resorts.
With 23 ski destinations comprising of commercial and club style resorts, there are only 13 snowsport schools, due to the unique resort structure between major resorts like Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt, and club resorts like Roundhill.
New Zealand is uniquely broken into 3 skiing regions, the Southern Lakes, Canterbury, and the North Island.
REGIONS
Southern Lakes (where all the major resorts are located)
The “power house of New Zealand Skiing” as Harry stated, This area is where the majority of snowsport schools are located and where the majority of the instructors who work in New Zealand are employed. Located next to two lakeside towns, Wanaka and Queenstown, with the main ski destinations being Coronet Peak, Remarkable’s, Treble Cone and Cardrona. These resorts are serviced by an international airport which sees 11 direct flights from Australia daily in winter, servicing many skiers wanting to come to New Zealand to explore the resorts and book lessons with their instructors. They also host an annual competition called the New Zealand Winter Games, which includes freestyle and alpine skiing disciplines for both Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including two freestyle world cup events, which demonstrates the quality and interest for skiing in New Zealand.
Canterbury (where there is a mixture of larger resorts and club resorts, “The true grass roots Kiwi skiing experience” located in the North of the South Island.)
Here resorts are mixed between commercial operations like Mt Hutt and ski clubs, more fondly known by the locals as “clubbies” like Roundhill and Mt Dobson. Many school students have been participating in the NZSIA level 1 in the Canterbury region due to the location of Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, which has helped build the NZSIA’s products on offer, highlighting an opportunity to further educate and encourage new instructors to our industry.
North Island (the “World Heritage, Tongariro National Park” is where the main ski fields are located on the North Island.)
A series of volcanos make up the Tongariro National Park where Mt Ruapehu, the largest mountain in New Zealand has two ski resorts, Whakapapa and Tūroa, located on either side of the mountain. A unique environment as the mountain is surrounded by flat farmland where whether can come from any directions.
This area is challenging for guests and instructors due to the adverse weather, which can cause multiple closures per season. The North Island also has an indoor ski centre north of Auckland, Snow planet, which offers skiing to their guests all year round, perfect for early season skiing and school groups.
THE CHALLENGES
Weather – Due to New Zealand’s geographic composition, closed days are common and can disrupt the guest’s experience. This is a result of where the mountains are located, a long thin country with large mountains in the middle.
Transportation – There is no accommodation on the resorts, so guests and staff have to travel up from villages and towns in the valleys each day. New Zealand are very mindful of the impact snowsports can have on their natural environment, so the government are trying to preserve their nature and environment by limiting what resources can be build on the mountains, for example, day centre, lift huts and towers, medical centre and snowsports office.
Snow chains and access – Like Australia, snow chains can be required when driving onto their mountains. The roads to New Zealand’s resorts at times are windy, narrow, and not fully paved making for challenging access for guests to each resort.
Snow Conditions – Snow conditions can vary and at times creates for challenging conditions to teach guests on. Harry and Josh spoke about the challenges during the early months of the season and how the season especially in the North Island, is starting later and later. New Zealand have needed to heavily invest in snow making facilities and snow sat, which is a GPS system placed on groomers to check the consistency of their snow depth and make sure that there is even depth across the resort.
Something unique about New Zealand is their snow line, above the valley floor which creates the most spectacular contrast as you look across the mountain regions from the valley floor.
The combination of terrain, weather, the guest, varying environmental factors is why NZSIA have focused on providing their instructors with solution-based tools to make their instructors adaptable and ready for whatever mother nature might throw at them on any given day. This unique snow experience is certainly one not to be missed and the NZSIA concluded their session by encouraging members of the Interski congress to come and work with them in New Zealand, potentially an opportunity the APSI can look at with supporting employment for the ASAA resorts through our participation at Interski.
OTHER NOTES
Altitude of skiing 1100 meters – 2,300
Questions were asked around the impact of climate change on New Zealand and how the resorts are coping. New Zealand, like Australia have needed to heavily invest in snow making facilities and snow sat, which are placed on groomers to check the consistency of their snow and make sure that there is even depth across the resort.
The North Island seems to be more affected by climate change where the season is starting later and later.
How NZSIA train Instructors to be adaptable in New Zealand
Student centred teaching model which was introduced at Interski 2019, where New Zealand asked the congress for feedback on a system they were developing which would be presented at Interski 2023.
In the past more linear, step by step and less of a cycle, NZSIA sees this cycle as a natural human communication model, things you do daily, understanding body language, how do you respond to another person’s attitude, beliefs, topic.
Feedback Loop
Activity - Understanding and doing – why its anew task, reflection on information from a previous experience.
Create clarity of outcome, create better understanding of what the student wants to get out of the lesson and have control over their learning outcomes. What, why, and how which is common amongst other systems, but focusing on what the skis are doing, The why reflective of the overall goal of the lesson and providing justification for the lesson plan, and the how, using a skiing approach where they use tactical approach to get the skier moving and trying the tasks.
Analyse - reflection on performance and giving feedback
NZSIA use various analysis models in their system which span across all their instructor levels. The concept here is the learner should be given understanding of what it is they are trying to achieve, by giving them the space to talk and reflect on their progress. NZSIA brought up the Fitts and Posner learning phases, cognitive, associate and autonomy phases and how this model supports greater understanding of how the guest analyses their own skiing and centres the lesson around them.
Adapt – decision making, collaboration with guests, two way communication, providing autonomy for the guest to have choice and control.
Active recipients of information where they are given choice and control of their learning.