We stayed at Piper's Ski Lodge, a rambling wooden lodge with a large open fire, warm atmosphere and pleasant staff and guests. We were up early next morning for a hearty lodge breakfast and rearing to go. The skyi was cloudless and the air was still - just as the weather forecast had promised - and soon we were on the pistes of Whakapapa ski field on the northern slopes of Ruapehu. It was a fantastic day; typical spring snow, icy in the morning, softening in the middle of the day and a bit slushy by late afternoon. Whakapapa was just the right size for a day's skiing, small enough that we could explore all the runs, from the broad expanses in the west to the eastern ridges and gulleys, nestled under the impressive razorback of the Pinnacles, with its wind-carved icy mantle, but big enough to spend a lot of time in the different areas.
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