A Ski Week at the Clubbies

Words by Mari Henderson

A ski week at the Clubbies, the perfect action-packed holiday retreat. My memories of ski weeks go back years now, jam-packed with heaps of fun, progression, friendships and the very best moments of the winter.

I was very fortunate to grow up skiing at Broken River (BR) so as a Clubbie the BR ski weeks were an absolute no-brainer. I mean in parents' eyes it was a week of no cooking and a chance to get some peaceful turns alone while we kids were off causing trouble to the ski instructor instead of them.

However, I think the one thing they enjoyed the most was being one step away from everything, just surrounded by the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle.

So what is a ski week?

Well, it’s basically in the name, but to dive a bit more in-depth a ski week is a week or at least a few days staying up on the ski field which we referred to as “on mountain”.  The club fields are home to some of the most unique one-of-a-kind mountain accommodation, most of the lodges either sit nestled in the trees at the top of the bush line or stand proud and mighty up in the alpine.

The big ski weeks usually run the two weeks of the Winter and Spring holidays, that's praying we have snow! Other ski weeks run during mid-season, but basically, you can have a ski week any week of the season; the freedom is yours!

Staying ‘on mountain’ is awesome. There is no long commute every day, it's as simple as just walking straight out the door with your ski boots on. You have the opportunity to ski right from when the lifts open to when they shut. Enjoy a week of less cooking and more time relaxing in the BR sauna or the Mt Olympus hot tub. Being right up there means there is no rush to get anywhere, you can spend your evenings cruising in the lodges soaking up the ski club atmosphere.

Socially it’s great, throughout the week you meet and connect with enthusiastic outdoorsy people from all over NZ and beyond. Life is very simple. It's the chance to solely just ski and enjoy the time outdoors. It's the perfect action-packed holiday retreat.

As a kid, the thrill of the ski weeks meant the chance to hang out and have too much fun with your mates. On the ski weeks, there's always bound to be a good group of groms causing havoc somewhere.

Growing up I loved skiing with the other kids cause we all pushed and motivated each other, there was such a great sense of comradery and we all just loved to ski. Sometimes if there was a closed day due to fresh snow, you would find us kids out frolicking in the snow, making snow luges through the forest or building mini jumps. No matter if we were skiing or not there was a huge amount of fun going on, not to mention those weeks formed some of the best friendships.

As part of the package for ski weeks at BR, you get three days of ski lessons. I believe these were a big pillar in my ski progression. Three days of lessons allow huge improvement in your skiing ability compared to a lesson each or every few weekends. It's the perfect little mini boot camp. I always felt that the consistency of lessons over the week meant that I could consume a decent amount of knowledge and skills and also have plenty of time to practice and perfect.

Now as a ski instructor myself, I see a huge amount of progress through a couple of days of regular lessons vs one or two occasionally in the season. Not only are the ski week lessons a great way to push and progress anyone's skiing, but having the opportunity to ski consecutively for 5 to 7 days is just as beneficial.

Ski weeks are something so unique, the moments cherished are one of a kind. Whether it’s improving your skiing, creating some new friendships or just having a relaxing break from reality it's something you will look back on with a full heart.

My advice, have a great attitude, always keep an open mind, don't let the weather forecast get you down, watch out for the snow snakes and always keep doing those snow dances.