Four snowboarders, two skiers and Pippa the dog celebrated the Queen's Birthday weekend break by going on a back-country snowboarding mission that turned out to be an epic day.
Led by Kiwis Dean Clark and Philip Hide, our group of adventurers tackled the rugged terrain of the Hector Mountains, high above Kingston, and found snow conditions at Lorn Peak to die for.
Be warned - this is not a journey for the the faint-hearted, and you need to get permission from the farm owners before heading to the mountain tops through this private property.
Even in a 4WD fitted with chains, things can get a little sticky up there.
We came across a very stuck Toyota.
If we hadn't turned up and spent an hour digging and then towing them out, who knows how long the occupants of the car would have been there.
As we made our way around the undulating hills, making a couple of wrong turns, we eventually reached a high ridge leading to several peaks.
Drained of energy, we attacked the hill with fading tenacity.
Then, suddenly, our prayers were answered when a Snowcat, driven by Mike Foote, emerged from the mist.
Mike stopped and gave us a lift to the highest peak.
As we gained altitude, the snow became softer and thicker and, by the time we reached the summit, the cloud that had been hugging the slopes earlier lifted, giving us Champagne views of glistening powder snow at least a metre deep.
Staring at an array of natural bowls and untracked wind lips, which we tackled with great enthusiasm, we could barely believe our luck.
After about two and a-half hours we headed down, following the Snowcat's tracks back to the undulating hills that had challenged our fitness levels earlier and began the two-hour trek back to our vehicle.
But such a slog was a worthy price to pay for a memorable day of snowboarding in one of the region's best kept secret slopes.
