In the southern hemisphere winters are shorter so you can’t burn a month of snow waiting for your legs to warm up, you want to hit the mountain with legs of steel and that means beasting your quads on bikes or trails in May and June.
After a week of the kind of rain that only New Zealand can deliver photographer Erica Clapp and some friends decided to use a rare break in the relentless autumn down pours to test their legs and explore the high country before it becomes accessible only on skis.
A pre dawn departure meant they set out in that wonderful half light that can romantisize and distract your mind from the punishing climb that awaits. It also offered the reward of a winter sunrise, cloud willing.
Kicking off from the valley floor temperatures plummeted rapidly and they all needed to add a layer. The men’s Temple and women’s Bella ranges are Mons most technical base and mid layers. The super light 140gsm merino is warm and quick drying, so when base and mid layer are paired together they are a worthy opponent to even the most horrendous conditions.
The sun caught the tussock and turned the mountain side gold as the group traversed the ridge toward Knuckle peak. At the summit views into the Motatupu valley and 8 Mile Creek were as much of a reward as the knowledge that your legs will be just a little bit more ready to shred.
The pace of the descent was anything but leisurely however, the promise of tea and cake to celebrate Laurie’s birthday meant stride length was stretched and every muscle group ended up receiving more than its fair share of punishment.
The temperature swing during the day was the perfect illustration of why our Merino Air-Con is a magic fabric, as a base layer it works through every season. There’s cleverly placed mesh on the pack and armpits that mean it breathes with you, but the corespun yarn makes it’s light and strong whilst retaining all the traditional properties of Merino.
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