Whakapapa lifts on target

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 276, 28 February 1989, Page 16

Whakapapa lifts on target

Work on two new ski lifts that will open up another 100 hectares of Whakapapa skiing is right on target.

Last Friday Ruapehu Alpine Lifts general manager Dave Mazey, ski field engineering consultant Barry Hobman, chief lifts engineer Laurence Reizer and marketing manager Scott Lee toured the project. Mr Lee said the work was running on time and within budget. A new fixed grip quad chairlift is being built this summer, starting from the top of the National Downhill access chairlift to just above the old loop access rope tow. The West Ridge T Bar is being moved to a new line above its old position. It is the relocated T Bar that will open up an extra 25 per cent of Whakapapa ski terrain. Also, the new quad will allow the western sloped to be open more frequently, because it removes the constraint of having to wait for snow to cover the lower T bar line before skiing can start. Easy access The new T bar will reach a height of 2280 metres and will give skiers easy access to the Knoll Ridge part of the field. Mr Mazey said the new terrain is mostly intermediate and advanced skiing to the east of the line and

that there are some double black diamond chutes (expert skiing) to the west. He said the terrain was quite different to that of most of Whakapapa's, in that it would need much less snow to be skiable. Some parts of the existing ski field need large amounts of snow to fill gullies, he said. On Friday construction crews were working on the drive sta- . tion of the new T bar and were pouring concrete for the tower bases for the new quad, with the help of helicopter pilot John Funnell and his machine. The towers will be flown in by helicopter onto the pads. All steel work for the towers is being carried out by Garry Kidd engineering of Taumarunui. An excavator machine has been used on the site to help with the drive st&tions and it will be used to level the site of a new cafeteria at the top of the new quad. RAL planned to build the cafeteria this summer but have deferred construction till next year. Cafeteria deferred Mr Mazey said one of the reasons for putting off building the cafe was the uncertainty in the siting of

further lifts planned for the area. He said RAL hoped to build a detachable quad in the future from the top of the new quad, to rise to a level at present outside their licence area. The company is waiting for the release of the latest park management plan before they can plan the siting of further facilities. They have applied for more height to their area and to be allowed to build chairlifts to that height. Under the old plan T Bars only were

allowed in the top part of the field. Mr Mazey said DoC had been concerned that chairlifts imposed too heavily on the landscape and were dangerous in that they allowed inexperienced skiers access to terrain that could put them in danger. Mr Mazey said he believed chairlifts impacted less on the landscape than T bars, because no ground works were needed to build a drag line and that keeping inexperienced skiers off the

top slopes can be carried out by ski field staff. Also in this summer's works plan is the creation of some new trails. A trail from below the Knoll Ridge cafeteria to the Valley is being cut and the dog leg above the nose dive is being widened making a groomable trail. At the end of the summer the Bruce Road will be sealed from top to bottom, with a deviation taking out the worst of the corners and 220 new carparks have been created.