Rail riots. Film tours. Sweaty post-ski après antics. But not that sweaty, because you remembered your Merino. Ski fiends and athletes, packing in powder laps like cold ones at happy hour. Park days, powder days, free sh*t, winter events, and your favourite Merino brand, right there behind you. Throwing said free sh*t at you on the chair.
As always, winter in Wānaka was packed, and we were stoked to partner with and back events all around the home base and right up to the big smoke. Here’s how it all went down, from the Mons crew on the ground.
Cardrona and Treble Cone: winter antics with our new apparel partner
Cardrona and Treble Cone have been part of the Mons story since we were knee-high. They’re the mountains that shaped us: where we tested our gear, where our athletes ride and the number one reason for sick leave on powder days. Becoming the Official Merino Apparel Partner across both mountains was an easy call.
The big goal is to create rad days in the mountains today and protect them for future generations tomorrow. This winter, that meant Mons Royale Powder Days every time we had 20cm or more of the fresh stuff. We had prizes, kitted out the crew and backed key events on the calendar. We finished the season by planting trees at the base of Treble Cone as part of their Plant A Seed initiative. And because we f*cking love trees.
Red Bull Rail Riot: rails in the middle of Wānaka
Wānaka hasn’t seen a rail jam like this in many, many years. Mostly because there’s not really snow that far down anymore. Red Bull Rail Riot pulled 6,000+ spectators into Pembroke Park, and our partner Cardrona helped the Red Bull crew bring 500 tonnes of snow off the mountain to build one massive rail. No small feat.
We kitted out every competing athlete in a Mons Royale neckwarmer, plus a cheeky discount code for our local Wānaka store. Our mates Ed Leigh and Laura Wotton MC’d, and a couple of local DJs kept the tunes going, snug in their Mons Royale kit.
We were stoked to help bring this event to the streets, and even more stoked to watch our own Finn Bilous rip it in front of his home crowd.
Depth of Field
Depth of Field is a weekend gathering that brings together women from across the action sports and outdoor industries. Rach Hadfield and Haley Ashby run the workshop every year to share their knowledge and encourage more women into the industry.
We rolled in with merch for the participant packs and handed over a creative challenge: snapping a few for our new Mountain Mad products. The crew shot it throughout the weekend workshop, and did it with a whole lot of energy and style. Just the way we like it.
She’ll Be Right
We were chuffed to come on board for the community side of She’ll Be Right – the grassroots park event for female and non-binary riders and behind the scenesters who shape our Kiwi snow community.
The week kicked off with a build planning night, where fifteen volunteers worked together to plan the rail layout for community day. Then we caught the premiere of Wayward: The Untold History of Women’s Snowboarding, and we surprised the packed-out cinema with Mons goodies under the seats. On Wednesday night the build took place, with the Cardrona Park Crew and legendary snow cat driver Sarah, down from Mt Hutt, helping get every rail and feature in place.
Thursday was registration night at b.social, where we snapped a portrait of every participant on the way in and a panel of women shared what they knew. Olympic snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, psychologist Mariane Wray, Creative Design lead at Burton Casey Callahan, filmmaker and manager Chiara Grisoro, photographer Belle Grace, and our very own Mons Royale representative (and ex-competitive freeskier), Lily Balsom.
Friday’s community day was a collaborative, inclusive day with our Mons Royale marquee giving shelter from the morning snow and shade from the arvo sunshine. Tricks went down all day off our mystery spinning trick wheel, and every rider who landed one won some Mons kit. Saturday belonged to The Uninvited comp, followed by the afterparty. All up, an epic weekend for women in snowsports.
The Antidote Tour: Finny B’s film premiere run
The Antidote is Finn Bilous and Hunter Paull’s two-year collaboration on the last 15 years of Finn’s career as a global skier. It covers the Natural Selection Tour (NST), Freeride World Tour (FWT) and the Olympics, plus the journey that comes with them: what keeps him grounded and what keeps him frothing.
We were stoked to support Finny on his NZ tour through Wānaka, Queenstown, Christchurch, Mt Olympus, and finally Auckland, hosted in our Britomart store. Every stop brought out an epic crew for a few beers and casual Q&A yarns with the boys. And naturally, party tricks.
Avalanche Night in store with Tom Willmott
There’s nothing sexier than safety. Which is why we pulled in big dog Tom Willmott for an avalanche and backcountry refresher in our Wānaka store, sharing his extensive knowledge and running hands-on exercises to help keep the Wānaka community sharp in the mountains. Everyone from beginners to alpine experts turned up, and all the powder hounds in between.
A Yeti cooler full of brews kept the room happy, and we handed out spot prizes for those brave enough to put their hands up at the end. Because we know that asking questions in a room of shredders is scarier than a mountain dumping its load on you.
Kai Fridays
Kai Whakapai is the go-to for après in our little mountain town. Naturally, we jumped on the bandwagon with other local businesses to offer prizes (more Merino, more!), while local musicians served up the tunes. Let’s just say people definitely left warmer than when they arrived.
And that’s winter wrapped. Thanks to everyone who turned up, built a rail, hit a trick, put their hand up or stayed for one more beer. The mountains make the community, but the community really makes the mountains worth riding. See you out there next season, ya filthy animals.
