Alpine exploring with Aspiring Guides

With so many Queenstown activities to be enjoyed, preparing the perfect itinerary can be a tough task. However if  you’re looking for a really different and challenging experience, check out what the Aspiring Guides Company offers. Whether mountain climbing, skiing or snowboarding appeals to you, a trip with Aspiring guides will make for an unforgettable New Zealand winter activity. If you love excitement, and having a great time, try these two options for exhilarating things to do in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Aspiring Guides

Experience a guided backcountry tour through the Remarkables with Aspiring Guides (Photo Credit: Aspiring Guides)

The Guided Backcountry Day Tour is one of the most exhilarating things to do in New Zealand in winter. Depending upon your expertise, your guide will choose the perfect option for a marvellous day of backcountry skiing or snowboarding taking you beyond the limits of the ski lifts and the marked tracks. Whether you have backcountry skiing experience and want to discover the best local powder, or if this is the first time you will be experiencing the excitement of traversing off the beaten track, you can be confident that your guide will show you everything you need to know, and that your safety is their top priority. Participants need to have a moderate level of fitness as there are steep hills to climb in parts, and while no ski touring experience is necessary you should be an intermediate to strong skier or board rider and able to control you skis or board over varied terrains and snow conditions in "off-piste" conditions.

The Wild Walks hiking tours offers the Overnight Snowshoe Experience which is an excellent introduction to what backcountry is all about, and is a great activity for kids and families.  This New Zealand guided hike starts out with an exhilarating helicopter flight from Wanaka deep into in the Pisa Range, and drops you at the hut where you will spend the night, or you can choose to sleep in a snow cave.  The day is spent exploring the nearby hills and getting used to walking with snow shoes on before a hearty dinner and an impressive sunset.  All cooking and sleeping supplies are already in the hut, so only a light personal daypack needs to be carried. After a peaceful nights rest, you can opt to fly back or to walk the 4-5-hour descent through the Pisa Conservation area.  The walk requires a reasonable level of physical fitness as although it is mostly downhill the snow conditions can make progress slow at times.

Pisa Range

Explore the magnificent Pisa Range with an overnight backcountry adventure (Photo Credit: Aspiring Guides)

Aspiring guides is based in Wanaka, just an hour's drive from Queenstown airport, and is registered as an Adventure Activity Operator. All guides are approved by the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA) and these highly trained and professionally qualified mountain guides know and love the magical mountains of New Zealand better than anyone. With small groups of no more than five people per guide, you can experience unforgettable New Zealand guided hikes and enjoy activities you’ve only dreamed of. Before embarking on either excursion you need to stop by the office the afternoon before to get kitted out with all the right ski touring gear, which is available for sale or for rent.

The Mt Aspiring National Park offers fantastic wilderness touring and for New Zealand winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding Wanaka is recognised as one of the best destinations. Enjoy an unforgettable experience with a guide who knows the very best places to experience some of the most impressive things to do in Queenstown in winter. For visitors flying into Queenstown who are looking to explore on their own, hire your Queenstown rental car from one of Omega’s two branches, conveniently located in the town centre and at Queenstown Airport.