Public support for heliskiing sought

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 306, 26 September 1989, Page 3

Public support for heliskiing sought

A petition has been launched to gather support for the re-introduction of heliskiing into the Tongariro National Park.

Ruapehu South Business Association is putting together a petition to put to parlia-

ment asking for heliskiing to be allowed on Mt Ruapehu.. The group says he-

liskiing is crucial to the development of three Ruapehu ski fields, Whakapapa, Turoa and Tukino, into "truly international skifields". RSBA member Paul Scarfe said the petition idea was in response to

feedback from members of the public. Mr Scarfe operates a ski hire and ski shop business. "We feel the public want heliskiing," said Mr Scarfe. "It's another service we could offer the visitor." He said heliskiing would also

make a heli-taxi service for rafting and jet boating viable. Mr Scarfe said he believes a heli ski service has been allowed to operate in a national park near Queenstown. New Zealand Ski Fields managing direc-

tor Tony Wright said the company, which operates Turoa, supports the petition in principle. He said it was "absolutely correct" in saying heliskiing was needed to make the ski fields "truly interna-

tional". Overseas visitors choose southern ski fields because they have the option of heliskiing, he said, even if they spend little or no time heliskiing. Mr Wright said the nearby Ruahines heliskiing didn't have the vertical drops to attract overseas tourists and that runs from the Ruapehu Summit area would be of comparable length to South Island heliski runs. The important point would be to allow picking up of skiers from the bottom of long runs such as the Mangaehuehu Glacier. Modern helicopters are much less noisy than the ones used when the ban was imposed in the early 1980s, said Mr Wright, but strict flight paths away from the ski areas would have to be adhered to so that people on the ski fields were not disturbed by noise. "A heliski operation could be managed for minimum intrusion," said Mr Wright.