Temple Basin trip-July29th and 30th

Thursday morning we met up in front of the dorms, gathered in the gator waka, and headed out once again towards Arthur’s Pass National Park. Our destination this time was to Temple Basin, a ski lodge in the Southern Alps. On the way, had tea time at the ever popular café in Arthur’s pass, where curious Keas are easily spotted. Soon after we made it to the area where we began our strenuous hike straight up the mountain side and to the lodge. The hike was tough, and making it to the top was a great accomplishment. It was worth the effort though, the view of the mountains around us were breathtaking. 

Temple Basin

Once there, we settled in and signed up for our ski gear. A few of us had never skied before, some had experience and the rest were able to snowboard. It was a bit of a challenge for those who couldn’t ski but all in all everyone had an exciting day. Afterwards, we went in for dinner and hung out in the main hall playing ping pong and cards. 

Friday morning we were up and ready to hit the slopes once more. While the others went to the other side of the mountain to ski, Kristin, Dania, and I decided we would take skiing lessons. Our instructor was a really cool Kiwi named Alex. He was very patient and encouraging. He made skiing much more enjoyable for us three Floridians. We all became very confident in how to side step in the skis, how to slide down slopes, and how to direct ourselves. 

After a morning of fun skiing, we all went inside for lunch before it was time for us to leave the lodge.  We gathered up our things and headed down the mountain, trying very hard not to slip on the icy ground. In the end, we all had a great time staying a night in the Southern Alps, and once again had an amazing adventure in the land of the long white cloud. 

-Julianna