The team is-
Duncan Sherratt
Gary MacPherson
Grant Guise
Jane Harper
Kathy Conlan
Fraser MacIntosh -team manager/support
The 2008 NZ team has also so picked up some amazing support along the way.
Swiss company Texner will supply custom race suits and other sponsors are Icebreaker, Buff, Marvelox and the New Zealand Alpine Club.
More details of the SMWC can be seen at http://www.smwc2008.ch/
For the next 11 or so weeks we will do a series of “meet and get to know” members of the New Zealand ski mountaineering race team.
This is the first in a series of “meet and get to know” members of the New Zealand ski 
mountaineering race team.
This week we catch up with Jane Harper. Jane is one of the more experienced members of the team, having won the 2007 Asian Ski Mountaineering Champs in Nagano, Japan.
Jane also is undefeated, having placed 1st in both the 2006 and 2007 Temple Basin Randonnee Rally and CraigieBurner events and winning the 2007 Scarpa Ski Mountaineering Race Series.
-SkiMoNZ: How did you get into ski mountaineering Jane, in particular the race side of it?
-JH: I did the MECNZ ski patrol course in Wanaka in 2003, we had to buy all the necessary gear, including a back country ski touring set up. Part of the course included doing back country days and it just grew from there. When I first heard about ski mountaineering races it sounded like a lot fun, so I just gave it ago.
-SkiMoNZ: You have had a very successfully run so far, wining all 7 races you have enter, what do you hope to achieve in Europe this winter?
-JH: I want to see what I am capable of.
-SkiMoNZ: What kind of preparation are you doing training wise?
-JH: Currently trail running uphill at least 1hr 4-6 days a week. I will be living in France from mid December and plan on stepping training up once there. Skinning at least 1000m vert most days, as well as some skate skiing.
-SkiMoNZ: What event are you most anticipating at the SMWC?
-JH: The individual short race has me the most excited. Its 1600m vertical and the course looks really nice. If all goes to plan, I will race on it as part of a World Cup event a month before the SMWC.
-SkiMoNZ: For you, what is the best thing about these races?
-JH: The best thing about racing is you get really fit, so when you are out on a fun day back country skiing you can get more turns.
mountaineering race team.This week we catch up with Jane Harper. Jane is one of the more experienced members of the team, having won the 2007 Asian Ski Mountaineering Champs in Nagano, Japan.
Jane also is undefeated, having placed 1st in both the 2006 and 2007 Temple Basin Randonnee Rally and CraigieBurner events and winning the 2007 Scarpa Ski Mountaineering Race Series.
-SkiMoNZ: How did you get into ski mountaineering Jane, in particular the race side of it?
-JH: I did the MECNZ ski patrol course in Wanaka in 2003, we had to buy all the necessary gear, including a back country ski touring set up. Part of the course included doing back country days and it just grew from there. When I first heard about ski mountaineering races it sounded like a lot fun, so I just gave it ago.
-SkiMoNZ: You have had a very successfully run so far, wining all 7 races you have enter, what do you hope to achieve in Europe this winter?
-JH: I want to see what I am capable of.
-SkiMoNZ: What kind of preparation are you doing training wise?
-JH: Currently trail running uphill at least 1hr 4-6 days a week. I will be living in France from mid December and plan on stepping training up once there. Skinning at least 1000m vert most days, as well as some skate skiing.
-SkiMoNZ: What event are you most anticipating at the SMWC?
-JH: The individual short race has me the most excited. Its 1600m vertical and the course looks really nice. If all goes to plan, I will race on it as part of a World Cup event a month before the SMWC.
-SkiMoNZ: For you, what is the best thing about these races?
-JH: The best thing about racing is you get really fit, so when you are out on a fun day back country skiing you can get more turns.
Jane standing atop Temple Peak, high above Temple Basin in Arthur's Pass National Park
Got things started with a little trail running on Saturday. We both ran to the snow line, which worked out to be about 900m of vert. Was good to get an idea of things, as we planned to return the next day with skis.
On Sunday we started from North Egmont, up the Summit Rd, but not before being asked "do you know this mountain?" by a little old lady who was concerned that we might be a little confused with the skis on our back.
We made it to the 2518m summit of Mt Taranaki in about 3hrs and had really good skiing off the top before skiing into the early after noon cloud that had rolled in. We made it back to the camper in just under 5hrs for the car-summit-car trip, with 1585m climbing and about 700m vert skiing. 
I woke up yesterday and wanted to ski some more, so after a late start (3 in the after noon!) I managed to climb to the top of Snow Valley (just over 12oom from the Camp House) in about 1hr45min. It was there that I meet up with Glenn, the man behind 
