Tom Greenall reports on his first impressions of skiing at Mt Cheeseman:

The smallest, friendliest of the club fields, touted as a family area. The road winds up from the valley floor, heading from the open plains through beach forest to steep hillside hairpins. Whilst not the scariest of roads it is still quite an undertaking even with 4wd.

Today we were greeted with perfect conditions, sun powder and NO WIND! There were lots of other folk on the hill today, not!!! Only 34 cars in the car park! Uncut powder could be had inbound until at least lunchtime.

Whilst only having two short draglifts there is quite a lot of easily accessible off piste, Ranging from gentle bowls to scary rock steeps. There is an on mountain lodge, offering not only food and drink but rustic accommodation to avoid having to drive back down the hill.

This might not be the most exciting of places on a normal day but it has a lot of fun potential and not many good riders to cut up the slopes.

Here you will meet one hardy local, Kea. A mountain parrot which has a cheeky and destructive reputation. If they can’t find food they will eat your wipers, windscreen rubbers and maybe even your skis.

Words and Pictures from Tom Greenall - Natives Resort Reporter

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