As the first few teams arrive at the finish line in Tekapo, both their stories, and the feedback from teams still on course, tell the tale of a nasty last section in the mountains.
From Fox Peak ski field to lake Tekapo is a 40-km mountain trek through yet more scree and tussock; even more snow travel took the teams deep into the Two Thumb Range across rugged peaks and huge valleys and eventually down to Lake Tekapo.
The only way to appreciate this terrain is to be in it, so with the aid of a friendly chopper pilot, we ventured into the wilderness in search of teams.
Sure enough we found teams Marahau Beach Club (NZ) and Outdoor Action Fourmidable (NZ) very close together. Route finding and slowly struggling trough the endless scree and deep snow appeared to be the main priority, but it is obvious these teams are close to exhaustion and needed to rest at any chance.
When we saw these teams it was still daylight and bitterly cold, so you can imagine what it was like in the middle of the night when the lead teams endured this terrain. Yep the stories are true, this is nasty, and what makes it even worse is that it comes at this stage of the race when competitors hope for nothing more than a straight shot home.
– Chris Vile, MountainZone.com Correspondent
