Safety seminar for ski clubs

Press, 30 June 1983, Page 21

Safety seminar for ski clubs

Heavy snowfalls and consequent avalanche problems in the Craigieburn Range last winter brought what was regarded as “adverse publicity” for club ski-ing. In response, the Canterbury Ski Association reacted positively and planned a mountain management safety seminar which will be held at the Mount Cheeseman forest Lodge from Thursday to Saturday. The seminar has been subsidised by the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council.

“We feel that the highest possible standards of safety should be available to club members and the ski-ing public alike," said the chairman of the C.S.A., Mr Ted Clarke.

All clubs in Canterbury have been invited to send at least one person to the seminar and two clubs want to send four representatives. The Rainbow ski-fields in the Nelson-Marlborough region will also be represented.

Among those making a contribution over the threeday seminar will be C.S.A. personnel, the Forest Research Institute, snow safety officers from Mount Hutt, the Labour Department’s explosives inspector, Mr Trevor McQuoid, the Forest Service, the Porter Heights avalanche control programme, C.S.A. ski

patrol and rescue, and the Mountain Safety Council. The seminar has been planned to provide better public safety in the Canterbury ski-fields and wider education for mountain management staff. The C.S.A. apparently wants to show the public that it is “on the job.” Last winter a Christchurch man was buried under three metres of snow for more than 30 minutes after an avalanche at the Broken River ski-field. The seminar will include a practical avalanche rescue schedule for the Saturday morning, and on Thursday the demonstrating of an avalauncher at the Porter Heights ski-field.