1Hi everyone, welcome to the Snow Centre.
2My name's Annie.
3I hope you enjoyed the bus trip from the airport -
4we've certainly got plenty of snow today!
5Well, you've come to New Zealand's premier snow and ski centre,
6and we've a whole load of activities for you during your week here.
7Most visitors come here for the cross-country skiing,
8where you're on fairly flat ground for most of the time,
9rather than going down steep mountainsides.
10There are marked trails,
11but you can also leave these and go off on your own
12and that's an experience not to be missed.
13You can go at your own speed -
14it's great aerobic exercise if you really push yourself,
15or if you prefer you can just glide gently along and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
16This afternoon, you'll be going on a dog-sled trip.
17You may have seen our dogs on TV recently racing in the winter sled festival.
18If you want, you can have your own team for the afternoon
19and learn how to drive them, following behind our leader on the trail.
20Or if you'd prefer, you can just sit back in the sled and enjoy the ride as a passenger.
21At the weekend, we have the team relay event,
22and you're all welcome to join in.
23We have a local school coming along,
24and a lot of the teachers are taking part too.
25Participation rather than winning is the main focus,
26and there's a medal for everyone who takes part.
27Participants are in teams of two to four,
28and each team must complete four laps of the course.
29For your final expedition, you'll head off to Mount Frenner wearing a pair of special snow shoes which allow you to walk on top of the snow.
30This is an area where miners once searched for gold,
31though there are very few traces of their work left now.
32When the snow melts in summer, the mountain slopes are carpeted in flowers and plants.
33It's a long ascent, though not too steep,
34and walkers generally take a couple of days to get to the summit and return.
35You'll spend the night in our hut half-way up the mountain.
36That's included in your package for the stay.
37It's got cooking facilities, firewood and water for drinking.
38For washing, we recommend you use melted snow, though, to conserve supplies.
39We can take your luggage up on our snowmobile for you for just $10 a person.
40The hut has cooking facilities so you can make a hot meal in the evening and morning,
41but you need to take your own food.
42The weather on Mount Frenner can be very stormy.
43In that case, stay in the hut - generally the storms don't last long.
44Don't stress about getting back here to the centre in time to catch the airport bus -
45they'll probably not be running anyway.
46We do have an emergency locator beacon in the hut
47but only use that if it's a real emergency, like if someone's ill or injured.
48Now, let me tell you something about the different ski trails you can follow during your stay here.
49Highland Trail's directly accessible from where we are now.
50This trail's been designed to give first-timers an experience they'll enjoy regardless of their age or skill,
51but it's also ideal for experts to practise their technique.
52Then there's Pine Trail...
53if you're nervous about skiing, leave this one to the experts!
54You follow a steep valley looking right down on the river below - scary!
55But if you've fully mastered the techniques needed for hills, it's great fun.
56Stony Trail's a good choice once you've got a general idea of the basics.
57There are one or two tricky sections, but nothing too challenging.
58There's a shelter half-way where you can sit and take a break and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.
59And finally, Loser's Trail.
60This starts off following a gentle river valley
61but the last part is quite exposed so the snow conditions can be challenging -
62if it's snowing or windy, check with us before you set out to make sure the trail's open that day.
63Right, so now if you'd like to follow me, we'll get started...