The Downhill Ski Club lodge was once the glittering jewel of Whakapapa ski field – a diamond perched in the snow. In the 1960s it had something no other club could boast: a swimming pool, the highest in the country. Members would ski hard all day, peel off their gear and sit poolside with tea and scones as if they were in some sort of alpine Riviera. It had glamour, wealthy-club shine and demand to match. A bed space was a prize, membership even more so.

But now the building sits abandoned and, some say, haunted by the good times.

Writer Hazel Phillips shares the tragic, but fascinating history of the lodge.

Missed yesterday’s feature? We looked at Five trail tips for parents to get your kids loving the outdoors.

The mutual support method for crossing rivers involves two or more people supporting each other as they cross. This involves:

Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…

With cell phone networks reaching deeper into the backcountry and networks like Starlink able to connect us anywhere, some people are suggesting a mobile phone will soon be the only safety device you need to take on a trip.

However, rescue professionals still consider a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to be the gold-standard device for an emergency requiring urgent evacuation.

Heathy Grady from Outdoor Training New Zealand explains why PLBs are still offer the most reliable safety in the bush.

See our list of upcoming tramping events and activities across the motu. If you have an event you want to feature, email the details!

1 & 30 Aug: Recloaking the Half Mile

Location: Half Mile Reserve Alexandra

This is the project's third year, and they have 1,000 plants to get into the ground this season.

The group is planting our eco-sourced, volunteer-grown native plants following the removal of pine trees. Go and join, meet some Central Otago locals (both plants and people), restore our environment, enjoy some fresh air and some afternoon tea afterwards. More info.

4 Aug: SCUBA: Subterranean Critters - Understanding Biodiversity Aotearoa

Location: Ōtari Visitors Centre, Wellington, 7:30pm

Join Julia Kasper, Lead Curator Invertebrates at Te Papa, as she talks about Subterranean ecosystems - some of the least explored habitats on Earth. Globally, scientific knowledge of cave and groundwater invertebrates remains fragmentary, with most regions having only sporadic surveys or taxonomic treatments. More info.

4 Aug: Himalayan Trust Speakers Evening: Kiwi Mountaineering in the Himalayas

Location: Aldersgate Centre, Christchurch, 7pm

From the very beginning, the Himalayan Trust climbed and built on the same trips. A group would walk into the Khumbu, spend a month raising a schoolhouse or a hospital ward, then spend the next month on the high peaks putting up first ascents. Build a school, climb a mountain, and call it one expedition. Adventure and giving were never two things.

Seventy years on, that thread is unbroken, and it is still carried by real people. Join us in Christchurch for a relaxed evening of short talks, a panel and an audience Q&A with five New Zealand mountaineers whose stories run from Sir Ed’s era to the next generation heading for Everest.

A night of big mountains and the bond between New Zealand and Nepal, and a chance to support the Trust's education, health and clean-water work in the Everest region. More info.

6 Aug: John Roper-Lindsay speaker event

Location: The Cashmere Club, Christchurch, 7pm

More info.

13 Aug: Paddling Film Night

Location: Christchurch, 6pm

Whitewater NZ is partnering with UCCC to host our third annual film night series to fundraise for our Access Fund and bring the community together. 

Join for an evening of adventurous paddling films which will hopefully inspire some new missions. The Access Fund is dedicated to improving recreational access to Aotearoa's rivers through support of initiatives such as road/track maintenance and challenging legal issues. More info.

26 Aug: State of the Snowpack #2 with Penny Goddard & Anna Scheirlinck

Location: Further Faster, Christchurch, 6:15pm

State of the Snowpack Aotearoa is several evenings over winter, of honest, practical avalanche intelligence from people who spend their winters digging pits, reading terrain and keeping others safe.

Local professionals will break down what's happening in the Craigieburns, Arthur's Pass and the surrounding Canterbury ranges — not in textbook terms, but in the kind of plain language that helps you make better decisions when you're standing at the top of a slope.

This isn't a course. It's a community conversation because better information shared across a community means more people making it home. More info.

29 Aug: Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour NZ 

Location: Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 2pm

Celebrate 10 years of New Zealand's premier adventure film tour spotlighting women who absolutely send it! Since day one, Gutsy Girls has been championing fearless female adventurers who push boundaries, shatter expectations, and prove that gutsy is a way of life—not just a moment. More info.

3 Sept: Outdoor Training New Zealand Auckland Branch meeting

Location: Point Chevalier Tennis Club, Auckland

The Auckland branch of OTNZ has an active committee, a manageable course schedule, and holds two monthly evening meetings to introduce new topics of interest and engage with the wider membership. More info.

10-12 Sep: OTNZ Basic Navigation and Compass Skills

Location: Wenderholm Regional Park

This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to be able to navigate using a Topo-50 map and ground features on well-marked tracks in areas typically open to the general public. More info.

15 Sep: Closing date for Federated Mountain Club Scholarships

FMC’s expedition scholarships support bold and imaginative adventures beyond the beaten track — from tracing rivers from mountain tops to the sea, to chasing Fiordland’s tallest waterfalls, exploring the tallest underground climbs, or making first descents into wild canyons.

They offer two types of scholarships: Youth Expedition Scholarship for adventurers under 30 years of age and Simon Bell Memorial Scholarship for explorers of all ages. More info.

17 Sept: The Great Outdoors Pub Quiz

Location: MD Outdoors

Back by popular demand for its second year with our amazing quiz master Emma. Grab your mates and test your wilderness wisdom at The Great Outdoors Pub Quiz! Theme attire encouraged - flannel, fleece or full tramping kit! More info.

19 Sep: OTNZ Canterbury Navigation Course

Location: Awaroa/Godley Head

This course will endeavour to develop your personal practical skills and prepare you for tramping safely in the outdoors, led by qualified instructors. More info.

18 to 26 Sep: Climate Action Festival 2026

Location: All over Nelson

Be part of a week of inspiration, education, fun and collaboration as we explore a regenerative and low-emissions future together. The theme for this year’s Festival is Our Place, Our Power. The 2026 Climate Action Festival is about returning to our place. Our Tūrangawaewae is where we stand empowered and connected. More info.

Answer C - Putting your arm between the next person's back and the pack to hold the pack on the far side.

This is the only method described that is securely mutually supportive. Using this method, if you let go, the person beside you can still hold on securely by keeping you close together. This reduces the forces acting to break up the group.

With this method, the people in the middle are easily held by the others even if one is swept off their feet entirely.

Quiz provided by Heather Grady from Outdoor Training New Zealand.

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