It just kept on snowing in Jackson Hole with January-like conditions right up to the end of March. Mum, Dad, and Emma and Lyndon who came out with some friends timed it perfectly and even Mum was sometimes to be found knee deep in powder although not always on purpose. The conditions were good enough for me to have a crack at the infamous Corbet's Couloir known for the sizeable vertical entry off the cornice. It wasn't the only thing I nearly cracked as I tomahawked the first couple of hundred feet having stacked the landing, only to then collide with [View Full Entry]

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Our last two weeks in Utah were an almost perfect mixture of big dumps of powder snow and glorious sunny days. We skied all the major resorts in the state with Snowbird, Solitude and Snowbasin our favorites. Utah claims to have the greatest snow on earth and we certainly had some of our best days of skiing ever. The conditions meant that Alastair was able to ski more and more extreme terrain and even I was found off piste and on the occasional double black diamond. For his birthday Alastair took his search for the steepest and deepest powder to new [View Full Entry]

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From the tropical bliss of Bora Bora we flew via LA and an unusually friendly US immigration experience (the official joked that I looked like a terrorist - at least I think it was a joke) into Sante Fe, New Mexico and a particularly cold western American winter. This marked the start of the eagerly awaited (especially by me) skiing leg of the trip. As Vic remarked on the pretty adobe buildings, I was more interested in the record snow that has been dumped across western USA so far this winter. Apparently we have La Nina to thank, also responsible for [View Full Entry]

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Leaving the stunning Lakes Hawea and Wanaka behind we headed south west to Te Anau. Amazingly we managed to coordinate itineraries with friends from home and fellow travelers, Andy and Clare. Much swapping of stories and wine drinking ensued leaving us going our separate ways talking of detoxing. Needless to say we haven't started yet! From there we spent two days cruising two of the main sounds of Fiordland. Milford Sound, in particular was breathtakingly spectacular with sheer rock walls going straight up (and down) for over a mile in places. Doubtful Sound, although less spectacular is home to the largest [View Full Entry]

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Having arrived in Auckland from Sydney we headed north into a land of huge (kauri) trees and giant (Maori) people. At the top of New Zealand is Spirits Bay where according to Maori legend, the spirits of the deceased leave for their journey to the afterlife. It is certainly a place befiting such a legend. Beyond the quiet campsite set in the dunes, white sand stretches for miles while inquisitive sting rays frollick in the iridescent surf and a further out fat kahawai cruise past hopefully looking to snap at my fly! After five nights in a tent, a decent bed [View Full Entry]

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Since our last entry we have spent a week in and around Alice Springs, looking at and walking amongst rocks, and have driven round the coast from Adelaide to Sydney, again doing quite a lot of walking but relatively little fishing! In the 'Red Centre' we visited all the main rocks which were as beautiful and impressive as it is claimed and also had enough time to visit some lesser known and therefore, quieter sites. We walked every day but as temperatures were soaring while we were there, hitting 44 degrees one day, most of our walking was done in the [View Full Entry]

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At the end of our stay in Port Douglas we attended one of Queenslands less ecologically orientated attractions, the cane toad races. The contestants on this particular evening included among others, Gay Fredo, Fat Bastard and Jerry Springer, whom Vic ended up owning for the evening (so I suppose technically she leased him). The event involved the owners trying to get their toad to jump off a table into a bucket (held at table height!) by using a party hooter's extendable paper bit. I tell you, it was a proud moment as I watched my wife deftly push her toad around [View Full Entry]

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The journey back from Broome took us along the Great Northern Highway. It's a long road and for the most part there wasn't much to see, just lots of scrub, the occasional willie willie and the odd dead cow, puffed up like a hot air ballon. This made for a very long day of driving before we reached Halls Creek, the main access point for Purnululu National Park also known as the Bungle Bungles. We took a short flight over the park, which despite a little bit of queasiness, gave us great views of the beehive domes and deep gorges as [View Full Entry]

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2500km, 7 days and numerous mosquito bites later we have arrived in Broome. Our journey took us through the amazing scenery of Kakadu National Park and The Kimberley along the notorious unsealed Gibb River Road. Luckily, our trusty Britz camper van was up to the task and we emerged dusty and hot but otherwise unscathed several days later. A few weeks ago I would not have believed that Vic would be leaping out of bed at 5am to climb hills in the heat but the amazing fresh water swimming holes and waterfalls we have found have made her do just that. [View Full Entry]

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Although it has not been long since we last wrote we head off into the Outback tomorrow for three weeks so are not sure when we will next be in touch. We have been in Darwin for the last couple of days fighting off jet lag and trying adjust to the 30 C plus temperatures and 70-80% humidity. It is a really nice, relaxed place - big enough to be a proper working city and so not overwhelmed by the multiple backpacker hostels and tour operators but small enough that most stuff is walkable (although the heat did beat us into [View Full Entry]

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