The best thing about winter, and one that Perth doesn’t get nearly enough of, is snow. The best thing about snow – and something that Perth definitely doesn’t get at all – is skiing. And skiing is definitely at its best when performed in the company of several hundred gay and lesbian wintersports enthusiasts. So, all things considered, it would be practically criminal to skip Gay Ski Week in Queenstown, New Zealand.

This year, Gay Ski Week ran from the 29th of August to the 7th of September, and I was there with my crew of intrepid lesbians from the 3rd through to the 7th.

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We arrived on the afternoon of the 3rd, with just enough time to unpack before we hopped aboard the TSS Earnslaw for the DNA Lake Cruise Dinner. If the thought of cruising along a lake in a steamship at sunset, watching men in overalls stoke the boiler appeals, then this is not one to be missed. And to be honest, I don’t think there were many people on the boat who didn’t find it appealing, though the overalls were probably, strictly speaking, unnecessary. We got off the boat at Walter Peak, an old farm station, and had an enormous and delicious dinner in the grand ballroom, with dessert and a man auction to follow before the boat ride back into town.

Since Wednesday had been a skiing day, Thursday was a designated chill-out day, with no official skiing events planned. I spoke to a few people who decided to take to the slopes two days in a row, but most people spent the day shopping, relaxing, or going on the wine tour. The wine tour took in four of Queenstown’s local wineries, and included lunch. By the time the buses returned to the hotel, everyone was very merry, and several people had got a head start on the karaoke scheduled for that evening.

I never realized it before, but if you want to lure a lesbian out into the spotlight, offer karaoke. We ran into a table full of lesbians at the dinner, and they were certainly out on the slopes, but the karaoke was the only place to be for the fashionable skiing dyke about town. If you remember that many of the participants had spent all day drinking wine then I won’t need to say much more about the singing, but the atmosphere was fantastic. Kitty Glitter from Sydney hosted, and led a fabulous five queen extravaganza in a rendition of Spice Up Your Life.

On Friday, we finally hit the slopes for ourselves, after hearing about it all week. The weather had been pretty awful towards the start of the week, but by Friday it was beautiful. The Pink Bus skiers and boarders took in the full range of ability, so there were people to ski with from the learner slopes up to black diamond runs. Personally, I spent the day in inelegant dismounts off the first chairlift, and inchingly slow wedge turns.

After all of that, I needed a few hours’ sleep before I was ready to party. The White Out Party was the big party that closed out the week, and it proved so popular that the organizers had to move it to a larger venue. I don’t know what the original venue was like, but when I walked up the stairs of the Thirsty Ram and found myself in a fully-fledged cowboy bar, complete with ‘Ewes’ and ‘Rams’ signs on the toilet doors, I was a little perplexed. But once the crowd started thickening up and the music started playing, you hardly noticed the sheep skulls on the walls and the wagon wheel chandelier.

Cowboy bars aside, though, the atmosphere at ski week was fantastic. Far from being an event planned exclusively for guys under twenty-five, or guys over fifty, it seemed like the whole range of the gay community was represented. Everyone was friendly, and I think everyone was having a fabulous time. And although there were fewer girls present than guys, I have been assured that the ones that were there were lovely. There were women in attendance from Brazil, Chile, the USA, Australia, Ireland and Canada. The organizers are planning an expanded programme for next year, including some women specific events, which will with any luck draw in a larger female crowd.

If you have any interest in skiing (or coal-shovelling men in overalls) at all, you should certainly consider Gay Ski Week 2009. There are activities there for everyone, and one of the nicest crowds of people you could hope for to enjoy them with.

Ed Goode

Ed Goode – our NZ correspondent, and his team of intrepid lesbians, were guests of Gay Ski Week while in Queenstown.