World first in NZ surf to summit mission
23 Sep 2010
A group of Kiwi champion skiers and surfers has scored a world first in an ambitious feat thought to be only possible in New Zealand - skiing five different mountains and surfing five different breaks in just five days.
The ‘Surf to Summit’ adventure involved four high profile Kiwi athletes - professional snowboarder Maria Kuzma, pro skier Tom Dunbar, skier and surfer Angus Kebbell and ex-pro, ski personality Alex Herbert who now makes sustainable skis for the world market.
Surfing in the morning, skiing in the afternoon and driving, flying and sailing in between destinations, the group battled extreme weather conditions as they travelled the length of New Zealand to create a world record - though no Guinness Record Book officials were present to validate their effort.
Action-packed trip
Day one began in Northland where the group surfed at Cape Reinga before heading to Mount Ruapehu in the Central North Island to ski.
The intention was then to head to Taranaki but a heavy rain warning altered plans and the group headed straight to Wellington to catch a 3am ferry to the South Island.
Day two was spent surfing the challenging Meatworks break at Kaikoura and skiing nearby Mt Lyford in the afternoon.
On Day three they surfed Hickory Bay on Banks Peninsula near Christchurch and drove two hours to ski Mt Olympus in the Craggieburn range.
The weather continued to challenge the mission and on Day Four the group surfed at St Clair beach on Dunedin’s south coast before driving to Central Otago to ski at Wanaka’s Snowpark under lights, during a snowfall.
On Day five, the group then heli-skied Mt Aspiring in the Southern Alps before experiencing the most extreme conditions of the trip - where they ended up surfing in snow and hail at Colac Bay just out of Invercargill.
Celebrity guests
Special guests joined the four at various points of the trip including Paige Hareb (ASP Surf Tour), Jossi Wells (free skiing world champ), Maz Quinn (WTC), Geoff Small (national big mountain champ, Ruapehu extreme champ), Sam Smoothy (national freeride champ), and Sam Hawke (big wave legend).
Tour leader Angus Kebbell says he came up with the idea for what he called "the ultimate road trip" while surfing in Kaikoura some months ago.
Sponsored by the New Zealand makers of Speights Summit lager , the mission was to set a world record for something never been achieved before. And while it is unofficial, Kebbell says the team achieved their goal, a world first adventure which could only be experienced in New Zealand.
"We made the best of the conditions thrown at us and eventually completed the world first mission. We definitely earned our Speights Summit on arrival in Bluff. We have big plans for the next Surf to Summit mission, so watch this space," says Kebbell.
More information
NZ skiing & snowboarding destinations
Paige Hareb - Kiwi teen surfing the dream
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
