SNOW CLUB TRIP #2 TO MT RUAPEHU
Massey University Albany Snow Club (MUASC) (2019/R5)
On the 13th of September the MUASC set off for another trip
to Mt Ruapehu! We stayed in the MUAC Hut on the Turoa side of the mountain. Some
of us managed to get to the snow earlier that day before we made our way to the
hut. One of the members also set foot on a pair of skis for the very first
time!
Ready for the day on the snow we woke up early Saturday morning to head
to the snow. The weather was not great however, as it was once again foggy in
the morning with minimal visibility, but cleared up to be a beautiful partly
cloudy day. Despite the initial poor conditions everyone had a great time and
got to make the most of the spring snow. We then warmed ourselves up in front
of the fireplace at the hut after a long day on the snow.
On the Saturday night we were joined again at the hut by our Palmerston
North counterpart, the Massey Surf, Snow and Skate club. We had a great time
meeting them and had a bit of a party that night. The next morning we awoke hopeful
as the report said it would be a sunny day. To our disappointment Turoa was
closed due to poor conditions, and only the beginner area was open on the
Whakapapa side of the mountain. Due to the snow/rain, poor visibility, and gale
force winds, it was unlikely that the rest of Whakapapa would open for
skiing/boarding so we decided to head home early.
As we applied for a grant from the ASA and it was approved, the costs of travel and accommodation was greatly reduced. We are very grateful for the committee approving the grant, and for the ASAs help in getting us down there. Our next trip is in the beginning of October, where we hope to make the most of the snow before the snow season ends. The MUASC is carrying on strong and we are looking forward to take more of our Massey student to the snow on the next trip! We are also looking forward to our AGM which is coming up very soon.