Piste Piste A piste () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French ("trail", "track") and synonymous with 'trail', 'slope', or 'groomed run' in North America. The word is pronounced using a long "e" sound (e.g. rhymes with "beast"). Increasingly, North Americans employ its common European antonym, 'off piste', to describe backcountry skiing, especially when referring to skiing outside officially approved areas of a ski resort. Pistes are usually maintained using tracked vehicles known as snowcats to compact or "groom" the snow to even out trail
Awakino ski area Awakino ski area The Awakino ski field is located in St. Marys Range, North Otago, New Zealand near Kurow. It is run by the Waitaki Ski Club. The field is little changed from when it was established in the late 1940s. Run by volunteers only, it operates most weekends in the winter season, which normally lasts from mid June to October. The field has one and a half high-speed rope tows, queues are unheard of and a busy day means more than 10 people. The field has a 35 bunk main lodge for overnight stays. The lodge can be booked