"Holy crap, talk about powder! We’ve had such amazing weather and snow here, it really has been a life experience for me. Thanks heaps for the great hospitality and showing us what the NZ slopes really have to offer.”
Darren, Melbourne, Victoria.

"Thanks again for yet another great two weeks of snowboarding heaven for two years running with many more to come.”
Nigel, Rockingham, Western Australia.

"I figured a trip to this part of the world would be memorable, but I wasn’t expecting this! We made some great friends and had a blast in the homely atmosphere. You guys totally rock and thanks for making this happen.”
Matt, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

"I've had a great time with SSR checking out what the South Island snowfields have to offer, enjoying my stay in a great lodge and spending time with an excellent group of people. I hope I’ll see you again for another white winter. ”
Abraham, New York, USA.

 

SOUTH ISLAND SAFARI TOUR

The SSR South Island Safari is an extended 11 day tour which is suitable for riders of an intermediate level and above. The tour departs Queenstown and Christchurch on a Sunday and returns on the Wednesday two weeks later. Pick up and drop off transport is scheduled from Queenstown airport or any Queenstown accommodation. Pick up and drop off transport from Christchurch airport or any Christchurch accommodation is available on request.

To ensure personal attention and maximise the unique experience, we limit the spaces available to only 6 clients per trip. The tour begins in Queenstown and we journey over the Crown Range to our private lodge in Wanaka for the first week. From this base we can easily explore the ski areas located around Queenstown, Wanaka & Ohau. We then head north along the spine of the Southern Alps into Helipark for 3 nights dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation and 2 days of heli-accessed riding and hiking in the backcountry. The final leg returns back to Queenstown with a group of exhausted riders.

The decision on which mountain to ride is made daily and based on many variables including; the groups wants, needs and ability level, current snow conditions, weather forecast, snow reports, snow pack data and local knowledge.

Clients travel comfortably in our Toyota Super Custom Hiace 4WD vehicles which seat 6 passengers and a driver. The SSR Guide is a commercially licensed driver and experienced in handling the expected road conditions. The SSR Guide is an experienced snow enthusiast with years of specific snow employment and a high level of knowledge of the local region and snow conditions.:

The SSR South Island Safari earlybird price is $2390 AUD per person
for bookings made before 30 April 2008 or $2490 AUD full price and includes:

Personal tour guide, van and driver
7 nights SSR Wanaka private lodge accommodation
5 day Southern Lakes multi-mountain liftpass
7 cooked breakfasts served daily
3 nights dinner, bed & breakfast at Helipark
2 day Helipark access pass including 2 heli runs
Daily mountain transport
Return Queenstown or Christchurch transfers

Return clients receive a $25 discount per previous season.
Group bookings of 6 or more people receive a $30 per person discount.
Earlybird bookings enter the major prize draw to win a FULL REFUND
of the Wanaka portion of the trip price!

SOUTH ISLAND SAFARI ACCOMMODATION

The accommodation on the SSR South Island Safari is conveniently located to give easy access to the local ski areas. Our private lodge in Wanaka is very spacious, comfortable and for the exclusive use of SSR guests only. All linen is supplied and the kitchen is fully stocked with cooking equipment and utensils for guests to prepare their own meals. A complimentary cooked breakfast is served every morning. For those who would like to eat out or have a drink, the local restaurants and bars are only a short drive away.

The accommodation for Helipark is at the Mount Potts high country lodge which features a great atmosphere for the group. All linen is supplied in the comfortable bedrooms and our stay here includes 3 dinners and breakfasts. The lodge is conveniently located 10 metres away from their exclusive helipad accessing the Southern Alps backcountry!

SOUTH ISLAND SAFARI SKI AREAS

Riders on our South Island Safari get to discover two very distinct areas of the Southern Alps, the commercial skifields of Wanaka and Queenstown and the heli-accessed backcountry riding and hiking available at the world's first Helipark ski area. The itinery has been calculated to minimise travelling time on the tour while allowing for maximum enjoyment of the best ski areas in the Southern Alps.

The Southern Lakes ski areas all feature large investments in grooming, snowmaking, high speed chairlifts and freestyle facilities. Beginners will find perfect terrain to learn first turns on. Early intermediates will find long, groomed runs to perfect their technique on. Stronger intermediates will find terrain and park features to challenge them. Advanced riders will find exciting terrain, great hiking potential and the best freestyle facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.

After a week at the ski areas we head north to Mount Potts, deep in the Canterbury mountains and home to Helipark. Brand new for 2008 and a world first, Helipark offers 380 hectares of incredible backcountry terrain featuring steeps, chutes, drop-offs, gullies and wide open powder bowls. The area is controlled for avalanche hazard with a safety team present on the mountain. Riders wear transceivers and are free to purchase a heli run whenever they feel like it, head off for a hike, build a booter or kick back and relax.

We have designed our unique South Island Safari to highlight the best areas in the Southern Alps. If you're looking for a 2 week roadtrip in the snow without having to do any work involving travel arrangements then this is the perfect option for you. The views from every run are scenically beautiful and the ski towns along the way are uniquely Kiwi.

Expect to go looking for freshies, exploring top-to-bottom runs at different resorts and trying out park features at your own level of comfort. No matter what your level of riding is, you will definitely enjoy what all of the ski areas on our South Island Safari have to offer. Join us for a truly unique experience and watch your riding progress dramatically!

Click here to view trail maps of the Southern Lakes & Craigieburn ski areas