If you were young and insanely rich, this place is exactly what you would build as your back yard. Snow Park in NZ is not your average resort, its an incredible play ground for people like us. It’s exceptional, not just for the region but worldwide. One chairlift servicing a massive terrain park including a 22 foot pipe, two big jump lines, one smaller jump line built into a park with two to three lines running from the top of the chair back to The Woolshed bar. You can sit on the balcony of the bar and pretty much see all the action happening on the mountain which was amazing in the week I was there… Burton were shooting their 2012 catalog, Quiksilver were doing the same, Billabong had been there the week before and guys like Devun Walsh and Ikka Backstrom were just strolling around the place. Just, you know, hanging out. Incredible.

The park builder is John Melville – same guy that cut the pipe for the Vancouver Olympics – and he keeps the place in pristine condition. This year they have added cat trips out to areas on The Meg hill but unfortunately they couldn’t run this season, the weather had come in the wrong way. I did a scenic trip out to see some of the areas you can hit and it looks like it would be an awesome day out when it does go. On that trip you also get to pass the Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground. A private car test facility that lives right next door to Snow Park – they test some of the world best luxury cars here during the winter. Amazing.

In addition to that, they run night riding under lights which was great because it is quiet – on two nights Lifewithoutandy’s Tomo and myself had the park pretty much to ourselves. It was like our own private facility – with a fully staffed bar at the ready when we’d had enough!

For more on Snow Park NZ, hit their site here and definitely add it to the list of places you have to ride.