Training in Queenstown as basis for top performances

Swiss skiing stars stay in Pinewood Lodge for a week

The Swiss Alpine ski team is among the best in the world: in the 2009/10 season, seven Swiss women racing skiers garnered ten World Cup winners’ podium places and, by the end of the season, were third in the nation rankings. For each of these successes, the Swiss team lays the foundations in summer during snow training, which takes place mainly on Switzerland’s glaciers and in New Zealand. Pinewood Lodge, in Queenstown, will play host to the Swiss team. This will be the third time for the Swiss-Ski women’s team staying in this ideally situated resort.

For the third time, in mid-August, all three World Cup groups, consisting of 30 athletes and support team members, will fly from Switzerland to New Zealand, 22 hours away by air, in order to train there in the three skiing regions of Round Hill, Cornet Peak and Mt. Hutt. The three-week stay in New Zealand is a central pillar of the team’s preparatory stage. The prevailing winter snow conditions guarantee an optimum training environment, which, in all disciplines but particularly downhill, allows for intensive snow training. The aims of the trip are to test the new equipment and improve the fine-tuning and to work on the technique of each individual athlete. As, compared to our local skiing regions, many more training runs can be completed on the lower-lying training slopes in New Zealand, these aims are more achievable overseas. “Conditions on New Zealand’s South Island are brilliant, including off the training pistes,” enthuses three-times World Cup winner Dominique Gisin. “It’s very important for us to be able to train on World Cup-standard pistes already, when preparing for the season.”

In Queenstown the Swiss ladies train from 25th to 31st August in the Cornet Peak skiing region, which is 20 minutes away. During this time, Pinewood Lodge will be home to the team for the third time now. The twelve athletes and their support team each occupy two houses. They deal with all the cooking, heating and cleaning themselves! “We feel very much at home at Pinewood Lodge,” says Nadia Styger, who came third in the Super G World Cup last year. “Queenstown is a beautiful place and the Lodge provides everything we need, besides the pistes, for an optimum preparation period.”

Queenstown Canyoning

Is one of the reasons Queenstown is called the adventure capital of the world! From ziplining through the canyon to abseiling down a cliff to sliding down a waterfall, adventure seekers will not be left wanting. The day started with a beautiful drive to the Twelve Mile Delta. Once all of our gear was on, the excitement began! A short tramp up into the canyon took us to our first zipline, on the other side of the zipline was our first abseil down a cliff…honestly felt like one of the best days of our lives! Through out our journey we jumped into the water, slid down waterfalls, scrambled through the narrow canyon, and never stopped smiling…The guides knowledge and patience allowed us a sense of security that gave us the courage to do things we had never done before! Queenstown Canyoning is definitely a must do in Queenstown!

Alex & Jill, Orlando, Florida - Reception staff

Want to get the best photos of Queenstown?  Look no further than a trip up the Skyline Gondola and Luge, It's a must do in Queenstown.  You will not only wow your family and friends when it comes to slideshow photo time at home, the Skyline Gondola has a lot more to offer! How about throwing yourself off the AJ Hackett ledge bungy and into the trees below. If throwing yourself off ledges is your thing - maybe do it again, this time with a parachute attached!  Or how about racing your mates round the Skyline luge track?  For those wanting a touch of culture then get a front row seat at the Kiwi Haka Show followed by the biggest and best buffet dinner (or lunch) Queenstown has to offer!  Yum!  And where better to enjoy a lovely evening dinner overlook beautiful Queenstown - you won’t get a better view if you try!

The perfect blend between adventure and relaxation.  On the half day tour we were able to trek on horse back through the Rees Valley and through multiple rivers all the while being surrounded by the amazing views of the mountains.  The helpful guides made sure we were all comfortable before setting off on our journey.  The horses were well cared for which is always comforting when doing any animal related activity.  There were only 5 of us, which allowed ample opportunities to speak to the guide and experience the most of our trek.  This tour allows for a unique way to experience some of New Zealand's beauty and i would recommend it to all visiting.  It was beautiful to look around and see nothing but mother nature and then moments later experience exhilaration as you ride through the multiple rivers on the trek.  For those of you that aren't that interested in tramping along the walking trails, this outing is a must so you don't miss out on the natural beauty Glenorchy has to offer.

Proved to be one of my favourite activities in Queenstown!! I have only shot a gun once before and did not think that I was going to be able to shoot even one clay target, but with the guidance and instruction of the staff, I was able to shoot 19 out of 24 targets! To start, they allow you a number of practice shots to help you learn how to use the firearm and to get you accustomed to the different directions the clay targets are coming from. With some hands on coaching I was able to quickly grasp how the whole process worked. Within no time I was comfortably shooting targets on my own, accomplishing something I never thought possible. There was a range of directions the clay targets flew, as well as a range of sequences the targets were released. By the time we were doing the more difficult sequences everyone in our group was able to shoot the majority of their targets. I left with a sense of accomplishment few other activities in Queenstown proved to be able to provide.