Queenstown

Who wouldn't want to escape summer in Europe to find their beloved snow in the southern hemisphere? But somehow summer activities like biking are fun too. So why choose just one option? Word has spread to Europe in recent years that New Zealand is also a great place for biking. We used our ski trip to the other side of the world to explore New Zealand's excellent trails by bike. Here are our experiences, the advantages of a combined bike & ski trip to NZ and what you should definitely bear in mind...

Queenstown is located on the South Island of New Zealand, in the middle of the Southern Lakes District. The backdrop of clear lakes in front of snow-covered mountains is breathtaking and the sporting opportunities are diverse. This is no longer an insider tip and Queenstown and the region are therefore very touristy. This has advantages and disadvantages. In any case, the mountains around Queenstown offer freeriders many options and with the Remarkables, one of New Zealand's best commercial ski resorts is practically on the doorstep.

Even though the journey to New Zealand can take well over 40 hours, the country is quite rightly a popular destination for vacationers and freeriders who want to escape the summer in the northern hemisphere. In contrast to "normal" tourists, the travel-experienced freerider carries a lot more equipment with them and would like to get to less touristy places. In our second part of our "Freeride NZ" series, we give you tips and tricks on traveling in the land of the Kiwis so that you can get from A to B without any problems when hunting for the best runs.

For many freeriders who can hardly wait for the next winter, New Zealand is one of the first places to escape the European summer for snow. But New Zealand is also a popular destination for non-winter sports enthusiasts: the two islands offer breathtaking landscapes, infrastructure on a European level and locals who are helpful and open to visitors. Combine these advantages with your favorite sport and you have the potential for one (or more - beware of addiction!) unforgettable trip. In the following weeks you will find extensive information on resorts, transportation and much more in our "Freeriding in New Zealand" series ...

Difficult snow conditions and an interesting starting field characterized the bigmountain competition of The Northface New Zealand Freeski Open. With Janina Kuzma and Jossy Wells, two Olympians were at the start in both the freestyle and big mountain competitions. Jania managed to win both competitions with two top runs and Jossy impressively showed his skiing skills outside the park and pipe with a fifth place in the big mountain competition. From Europe, Birgit Ertl from Austria showed her qualities with a 2nd place.