#starstoryDaniel: Freedom in the Southern Alps

There’s something truly special about having the freedom to chase the perfect conditions, waking up each day with the mountains as your backyard and the weather as your guide. For two unforgettable months, we explored the peaks and valleys of New Zealand’s South Island, following the best snow and immersing ourselves in the ever-changing alpine landscape. What started as a dream to ski and ride in untouched conditions became a journey of discovery of the land, the elements, and ourselves.

While we've all sporadically explored parts of New Zealand’s South Island mountains, we had never dedicated time to chasing the best snow. We were able to pick and choose our adventures based on what the weather presented us. Having this flexibility with our schedules and our vehicle allowed us to squeeze every bit out of the winter.

Our trip took us up and down the Southern Alps, as far up as Arthurs Pass and down to the Fiordland area. While we'd touched the surface of some of the areas we visited during summers, this trip allowed us to develop a more intimate knowledge of each of these ranges, which was something special but also essential to our safety and enjoyment.

Having complete freedom and flexibility meant we never had to compromise on conditions, meaning we could enjoy each and every moment. Some of the snow we experienced was of a quality I thought only reserved for higher elevations in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of the facial expressions of the crew when we all reconvened at the base of an incredible run I will never forget.

Being able to camp at the base of the mountains and watching how each weather pattern affected different parts of the range gave me a feeling of being at one with nature that I'd never experienced before. Feeling the temperature, wind and precipitation at ground level and then interpreting how that was affecting the mountains around us was something I had never needed to do before.

It was an incredible adventure with wonderful people in a beautiful country.