CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Touch down; New Zealand's peerless
Southern Alps; Lake Wakatipu; a hut
in, you guessed it, Glenorchy, a small
settlement on the northern end of Lake
Wakatipu.EXPERIENCE THE REAL
QUEENSTOWN
Outdoor’s Chef de Mission on a recent
adventure to the awe-packed Queenstown
area, Matt O’Meara, sat down to answer a
few questions about his experiences
hightailing it around the wintry
countryside aboard an Indy Polaris 600
snowmobile.
Q: For those new to snowmobiles,
what the blazes are they? Are they a
motorbike with skis instead of
wheels or something else all
together?
A: It’s quite odd to start with as they have
a lot of power but are very smooth. Very
easy to use once you get the hang of it.
Closest comparison would probably be jet
skiing.Q: Where did you pilot this snow-
gliding beast?
A: We took a 15 minute (each way)
helicopter from Queenstown Airport with
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters to a
secret pristine location on the GarviePlateau, which is only accessible by
h el i c o p t e r.Q: What sort of performance can
you eke out of a snowmobile?
A: We were on four new Polaris Indy’s
which have a 600cc engine. I had the
opportunity to let it rip on a couple of
pre-prepared areas and it can certainly
go.Q: What was Queenstown
Snowmobiles like to deal with?
A: They were fantastic, the pilot was veryDESTINATION ADVENTURE
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