Snowkiting New Zealand with Guillame Chastagnol
It was like being in the same room with Yoda and Luke Skywalker. Although I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, I was sure each phrase could unlock the secrets of the force. Remi Meum had just arrived in New Zealand for the first time after bailing out early from Australia due to poor snow and wind conditions. Chasta and I picked him up at the airport in Queenstown and headed straight up the Remarkables hoping the Northeast wind would kick in. We stopped the van near the top and jumped out to check the wind- “nothing”, I declared disappointedly. Yoda, I mean Chasta, cocking his head to one side as if listening to someone whispering – “is enough”. Well okay, if you say so. You are the World Champion.
There wasn’t much wind but Chasta did prove his point; And not for the first time. During the course of the camps he would often set up his kite when we all thought there wasn’t enough wind and proceed to take off. We would all then hurry to set up our kites only for them to lay there limp and lifeless. Chasta seems to create his own conditions. Or maybe, he and the wind have become such good playmates that the wind seeks him out.
Chasta and Remi were here in New Zealand for the first in a series of Snowkiting camps run by 35th Parallel in the Southern Alps. The other campers arrived in dribs and drabs from all over the globe: there were 2 deep sea divers from Perth named Steve and Chris; Kieron, a snowkite fanatic who came all the way from England for the camp and Roms, a Frenchman working in Queenstown. We were based at a private lodge in Wanaka and hosted there by Scott and Greg who were also very excited about having a crack at snowkiting. It was a motley crew of beginner to advanced kitersufers who had pretty much done no snowkiting. What was lacking in experience was more than made up for in enthusiasm.
From day one Mother Nature was messing with us and it soon became obvious she intended to teach us a few lessons. The lows that normally pass to the south were coming straight over us and this one brought with it an easterly wind which is contrary to the norm. The plan had been to kite at Snowfarm but the easterly wasn’t getting in there so it was time for some exploration. Evenings were spent studying the terrain on Google Earth, phoning farmers and tour operators and anyone else who might have some information on areas we thought might be good.
We found a farm road that looked like it would access some good terrain in the Old Man Range and next day set off. The road was so muddy we had to put chains on all 4 wheels but once we got to the snowline it was smooth sailing until the road disappeared into a snowdrift. We were in the clouds with no idea where we were going-but up. Chasta rigged up quickly and disappeared into the fog. Moments later he returned and pointed the rest of us in the direction of a higher plateau which served as a good base and learning spot for the beginners.
Chasta again disappeared into the clouds. Curiosity got the best of Roms and I, so we followed Chasta’s tracks into the void. With no more than a couple meters visibility my senses were on edge. Trying to follow Chasta is not always the best idea in good conditions and I half expected his track to disappear over a cliff. Sensory deprivation plays tricks with your mind: I soon had no idea which direction our base was or how long I’d been following Chastas tracks. Roms kept drifting in and out of sight and at least gave me the comfort that I was not alone. Then suddenly the sky opened up before me and all I could see was a near endless horizon of snow and mountains. Chasta was a couple miles in the distance and obviously enjoying his new found playground. We finally caught up with him-or more like he waited for us. “Who needs Norway when you have this!” he exclaimed with a grin. And so began a season of epic missions and lessons from the master himself.
35th Parallel offers week long snowkiting camps in New Zealand with Chasta during the months of July, August and September. The camps are held at secret spots throughout the Southern Alps - they’re so secret they don’t even know where they’ll be going until a couple days beforehand! That’s because they choose the best spot for the forecasted conditions for the week. For more information see our New Zealand snowkite camps.
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