Skiing back in '62

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 501, 31 August 1993, Page 9

Skiing back in '62

Skiing as a tourism proposition came to Ohakune in 1962, when local enthusiasts, Rodney and Peter Winchcombe, started the snow ball rolling with the first rope tow at what is now the Turoa Ski Resort. A 12 month licence from the then Parks Board came through at the beginning of the year, and in a matter of months the tow was installed and operational. Timber for a

public shelter was ferried in by helicopter and assembled on site. The brothers installed the original 60 foot (18 metre) tow where Turoa's ticket offices stand today. Later, a bulldozer was used to open a track further up the slopes to what is now known as 'Broadbent's Flat', where the tow was relocated and extended to 140ft (approximately 40m). The public shelter was also relocated and doubled in size. The tow was operated by a diesel crawler tractor with the winch geared up to drive it. Skiers were each provided with a 'nut-cracker', and used this metal device to clamp onto the rope instead of gripping it with their hands.

Said Rodney: "A tour company ran a bus load of people from Auckland every weekend. They stayed at the King's Court at the Junction and skiied all weekend. " "They had a ball." Local entrepreneurs Peter Hansen and Alwyn Moss had the bus contract in Ohakune to transport the skiers, numbering around 100, up the mountain - in the early days only as far as Mangawhero Falls. The remainder of the journey (around 5km) was covered on foot. The facility also attracted a number of locals who swelled the ranks of day trippers. Skis were supplied through the Winchcombe 's hire shop at the Ohakune Junction (the site of the Junction Ski Shop), which would also provide a hot lunch for skiers. Total cost of the package: £1 a day.

"It was hard work", recalled Rodney. "Every weekend we would be up the mountain running the tow, then spend all week repairing and maintaining the hire equipment. Maintenance of the early wooden skis included the regular application of 4 Ski Gliss' - a graphite compound - to the base, enabling them to glide. Repairing the edges of the skis - replacing the sections that fell off during use - was a continuous task. "There were no snow groomers back then", said Rodney. "People would ski in all conditions." "Today 's skiers are a spoilt lot." The early ski industry was fraught with difficulties, not the least being the drive up to the snow. One particularly heavy snowfall completely covered the hut and rope tow and finding them proved to be a challenge.