Thu 3 Sep 2015 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
Judges Kola, Lilly and Miss Cinnamon Thursday, 10PM: Karaoke is in full swing up the top of the stairs at at Sky City Casino. Two Australian singers have kicked things off, the powerful version of My Way had the 150-strong crowd cheering. Judges are Lilly Loudmouth, Little Miss Cinnamon and Kola, whose strategy so far seems to be to hold up her score card showing 10 out of 10 above her phone number for all the male competitors. Such a pro! The Remarkables at sunset... wish you were here? Thursday 3.30PM: Lisa's back! Two years ago Sydney-ite Lisa Blackmore won a trip to Gay Ski Week QT and she was hooked. "I love the people associated with it, the people who come and the atmosphere here," she says. She hasn't been skiing this year, “too many injuries from playing rugby league for the Berala Bears women's team.” She says ever since she got home from her first visit she has been feeling amazed by it and has been pushing her friends to come too. “I love it!” She says she comes to enjoy the social aspect of Gay Ski Week QT rather than ski, though why anyone would need to come this far from Sydney (huuuuge glbti communities) to be social seems a bit odd. But “coming to Gay Ski Week is about being involved in a community, I get closer to the people here every year. In Sydney it's all over the place, it's confusing and crazy. Here you turn up and you seem to know everyone... in Sydney the scene can be bitchy but here we're about family and being involved with each other and feeling like we belong. This is like coming home.” In 2013 Lisa was able to bring a friend with her as part of the prize and chose gay best friend Kenny. But he hasn't been back. He loved it but has been traveling elsewhere around the world in the meantime. But does want to come back, perhaps next year. He too “couldn't believe how friendly it was here compared to the gay scene in Sydney." Both seem to feel that the huge Sydney scene is too cliquey. “There you kind of have to choose where you stand, what group you want to associate with. Walk into a bar back home and you instantly get judged... what do you look like, where do you fit, what group so you belong to... here we all combine and come together... it's more about the love and grouping together.” Had to ask her if she is still single and she laughs that she is, though she was coupled up for a time. “Had a bit of drama last year and am back to being single” laughs the woman who, by personality, energy, and all the rest of it is my bet for the most eligible lesbian in Sydney... and perhaps Queenstown? Pic: Aaron of A.R Photography Thursday 8.45AM: A sell-out Skyline venue, fabulous and fun drag, some good sports and a great view last night at the Caluzzi Queens Cabaret Night! The view up and down the gondola ride is always superb and to be met by Caluzzi hostesses with glasses of Gibbston Valley wine added a touch of class. From there on it was all downhill in the class department, but they piled on the glamour, energy and ribald fun. This was one of the most anticipated events of Gay Ski Week QT and it didn't disappoint. Heaps of guys and a smattering of women and straight folk had a ball. Meal courses were interspersed with Caluzzi acts and hats off to the four good sports who had a go at swinging poi in front of the cheering, laughing and applauding crowd. Lots of mingling and matching. Good looks: Some classy dressing, a sense of community you could almost reach out and touch, and good spirits. Bad looks: Selfies, selfies, selfies... and wandering around trying to unsuccessfully match up a Grindr pic with the man who said he'd meet you there. Too bad we didn't run a sweepstake on which day Sally Whitewoods' voice gives up. It happens every year. Last night she croaked. Favourite quote of the night: "You know how hot he thinks you are by how quickly he puts your pic up on Facebook." Hats off to Campbell, Kola Gin, Taro Patch, Zoe Devine, Victoria Secretzz, Ling Ling and the rest of the team for a fab night. See more pics by Aaron here. Wednesday 4.00PM: Pink, camp and outrageous, Mary Keith has become a magnet for glbti folk looking for a quick coffee or a sit down meal. She excuses her croaky voice: "I've been doing phone sex night and day for the last few days," then laughs her head off. She's in your face and loves to shock and awe. In reality she's the uber-friendly front-person for her son's restaurant, Bob's Weigh. She says the locals are the luckiest people in the world. "God created Queenstown and this area first... and then he didn't give a shit about the rest of the world," she chuckles. "It's been very busy for Gay Ski Week," she says. "There have been lots of gay and lesbian people in, and we have a few on staff as well." Her pink hair and clothing isn't just a gimmick for Gay Ski Week QT. It's her favourite colour and she sports it every day of the year. Even her motor scooter is pink. "There's not enough pink in this world," she says. "If you dull farts got real you'd realise that pink is the new black." In her own way Mary came out. She dropped any facade of 'normality' and let her own megawatt personality come out of the closet. "It comes from being married for 40 years and getting rid of the old shit! Now I can be me. I don't have to answer to anyone and no-one tells me what to do at the end of the day. This is the only chance you get at life so you have to give it your best shot." Wed 11.45am: It had to come to this, GayNZ.com reporting Gay Ski Week QT gossip: Word is starting to get around about a broken bed at the Novotel where a number of the NZ's most glamorous drag divas are staying. We hear that two people were keeping company on the bed when it collapsed under them. There are no reports of injuries but we're all looking out for signs of a bad back. Clouds have cleared, it's a glorious crisp and mostly sunny Queenstown day. We now hear there apparently was fresh snow up at Cardrona last night. Gay Ski Week QT organiser Sally Whitewoods says everything is going "unbelievably well" and that's been our impression too. All the major events are being well attended, mostly sell-outs. Only five tickets were left last time we checked for the Caluzzi girls show at the Skyline restaurant high above the town tonight. As for that other parallel-imported Aussie Gay Ski Week which is doing a commercial cash-in on the community-oriented main event, Whitewoods says she hasn't been aware of any negative affects on the official event yet, but admits she would have preferred them to have worked collaboratively with her team rather than the way things have turned out. Check our our Scene Pics section for photos from photographer and full-on socialite Aaron of A.R Photography and thanks to the generous folks at Blue Kanu restaurant for making sure he was well fed and watered last night. The Deer Park Heights hill this morning with The Remarkables in the background. WED 8.30AM: It's a bitterly cold morning, wind and rain lashed the town through the night. But there's a lot of fresh snow on the mountains and it's even as far down as the Deer Park Heights hill across the water from the GayNZ.com mobile newsroom. Low cloud everywhere, though the locals are pretty sure that will lift as the morning goes on. Officially it's up to 2 degrees here in town now, with 92% humidity and a very slight breeze. Mid morning view across from the GayNZ.com mobile newsroom. Down on the Queenstown to Frankton Road the buses and big people movers are already ferrying folks out to the slopes. At Coronet Peak they got 12cm of fresh snow last night and all their runs are operating. It's -4 degrees up there at the moment. The Remarkables field got 7cm of fresh snow, everything's running and its about -2 degrees. Apparently Cardrona missed out on last night's snow, but everything is running and the temperature at the moment ranges from 1- at the base to -3 up top. Cold, cold, cold... but the Caluzzi girls will be performing tonight so that should heat things up! Jay Bennie - 3rd September 2015