With the weeks ticking down to the NZSIA/SBINZ level 2 exams the Peak Leaders New Zealand trainee ski and snowboard instructors decided this was the week to turn up the heat on their training and to experience everything that New Zealand has to offer outside of training.

Skier and snowboarder performance was the main part of training this week with Pringle ‘carving it up’ like Ainsley Harriott on Christmas day!

Performance turns are an important part of the NZSIA level 2 exam

You can do almost every kind of sightseeing and thrill-seeking activity in Queenstown, and this week: Poppy went skydiving, Annie and Francesca went paragliding, and Emma and Carmen went to Milford Sound, which is regarded as one of the 20 most beautiful places in the world.

Poppy falling through the sky strapped to a Ninja

The hotel keeps amazing us with the different food they produce for dinner every night with sushi taking the “meal of the week” prize this week.

Sushi, an ancient traditional food from…….Japan!

The nightlife in Queenstown never stops and the crew have being enjoying the post-skiing happy hours and getting “locals” deals. With so many bars to choose from it takes a little while to sort the wheat from the chaff and work out where all of the seasonaires and locals drink.

Annie and Pringle on a night out…. Pringle representing Queenstown….but we’re not sure about the t-shirt.

In other news; our freestyle skier Ali D has started to hit the big kicker line at the Remarks Park, these jumps have table top’s of 12m and 14m, so there is plenty of air time. Fortunately the Redbull Hummer was there to give him wings!

It must have taken a couple of tanks of fuel to get the hummer up here!

Nevertheless, despite all of the activities that the guys and girls got up to this week the highlight was undoubtedly the heli-skiing/boarding trip.

If you’ve never heli-skied I can assure you that the experience is truly breath-taking and unforgettable. At the start of the day we were picked-up at the bottom of the Shotover Valley and then dropped-off on a ridge at the top of a mountain with no lifts or any other people for absolute miles. We then followed our heli guide down some untouched powder fields. You’ll be pleased to hear we repeated the same thing until our legs couldn’t take any more!

When one of these drops you on top of a peak you are definitely living the dream!

Fresh tracks for everyone!

Having got back from heli-skiing the crew then hit town to watch British skier James Woods ‘laying it down’ and winning the Park Life Invitational Rail competition. Nice one Woodsy, you made us proud!

Woodsy showing the Kiwi’s how it’s done!