Ski lift repairs explained

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 346, 31 July 1990, Page 4

Ski lift repairs explained

A combination of experience, kiwi ingenuity and hard work saved what could have been a disastrous problem for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, according to Marketing Manager Scott Lee.

Heavy early snowfalls had given Whakapapa its best start to the ski season since 1982 but early on Tuesday 10 July de-icing crews found a problem that could have adversely affected the

Far West area for the season. Ice buildup over a two day period, when 65 knot winds and blizzard conditions had prevented de-icing, had virtually destroyed two

towers on the company's new Far West T Bar. Towers 9 to 10 lay horizontal to the ground and the sheave trains on towers 8 and 11 were bent almost out of recognition. One of the towers was snapped off one metre from the base which caused the other tower to pull the foundation bolts out. An estimated 20 tons of ice build up

caused the problems, it was up to the maintenance department to fix it. The problem was discovered on the Tuesday but because the weather was still too severe to work for prolonged periods the mess was left until the following day. Luckily the weather improved overnight and at 7am on the Wednesday the maintenance team were on the job.

John Funnell's Helicopter Services flew in the necessary welding and cutting equipment and work began. By midday the damaged equipment was back at RAL's base workshop for rebuilding. While the equipment was being broken down for repair the rest of the maintenance team were back on the Far West T Bar drilling new foundation bolt holes. By Friday afternoon the towers were repaired with the assistance of Gary Kidd Engineering, a Taumarunui firm. Using a bit of Kiwi ingenuity RAL's team devised a reticulating hot water system to heat the concrete foundation to cure the epoxy resin grout used to fix the foundation bolts which go 1.7 metres into the concrete and rock foundations. To stop the heat loss a tent, nicknamed Base Camp 9, was erected over the foundation work. Sunday and Monday were spent straightening

the bent sheave assemblies and preparing for reconstruction. Tuesday was lost through bad weather as another storm lashed the mountain. By Wednesday morning the towers were flown in using a heavy lift helicopter brought down especially from Auckland. The sheave assemblies were reconstructed and aligned, the rope was dug out from under 50cm of snow and hoisted onto the sheave assembly. Safety circuits were reconnected and hydraulic tension was restored to the cable. Thursday was another atrocious day but by Fri-

day lunchtime the lift had been tested and was ready for action only ten days after the problem was discovered. The first skiers to test the skiing on the Far West T Bar were the Ski Patrol on Friday afternoon. "RAL are proud of their maintenance department led by Lorenz Rieser and Bill Tidswell who have 35 and 18 years experience on Whakapapa respectively," said marketing manager Scott Lee. "It's all behind the scenes work but the maintenance department are an essential component on the safe and efficient operation of any ski area."