7-year Whakapapa upgrade reviewed

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 534, 3 May 1994, Page 22 (Supplement)

7-year Whakapapa upgrade reviewed

A $300,00 refit to the Top O' the Bruce cafeteria at Whakapapa over the summer marks the latest phase of a seven-year multi million dollar upgrade to the skifield. Since the late 1980's $20. 5 mi llion has been spent on the resort by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts. Plans to build a new quad chairlift in Te Heu Heu Valley and to instal more snow making on the field were put on hold. RAL had

applied for resource cqnsent for the projects in October 1 993 , but the application was put on hold at the request of the company. As a result of the upgrading work done in the past seven years traditional problems associated with poor access, limited facilities and a lack of ski terrain are a thing of the past, say managements. Today, skiers and visitors to Whakapapa enjoy facilities which match any-

thing on offer at international resorts. The dri ving force behind the upgrade is a long-serv-ing management team headed by general manager Dave Mazey , who are committed to ensuring Whakapapa 's product and service are as good as possible. RAL are now confident the ski field meets customer expectations. Dave Mazey says the turnaround for the skifield was the purchase by RAL

in 1 988/89 of all businesses operating on the ski area, and the takeover of activities previously controlled by the Department of Conservation. No longer disjointed "Until then Whakapapa had a split, disjointed management with four organisations providing services and no co-ordinated marketing or development of facilities". Under the new structure key operational people were re-employed,establishinga strong management team which is still in place today. A long term development strategy initially concentrated on addressing access. The Bruce Road was upgraded and the sealed two laae highway which now exists is one of the best ski field routes in the country. Car Park facilities have been steadily upgraded over the last seven years. Today Whakapapa has 2000 tarsealed carparks with a fleet of shuttle buses transporting skiers up the hill. To assist flow-on to the mountain, 14computerised ticketing facilities were installed along with an offmountain ticketing system. Dave Mazey say ticketing is now a lOminute process saving skiers the hassle of queuing for long periods. | More uphill capacity A main priority was ex- | tending the field' s uphill lift | capacity. Installation of the Waterfall "Express" quad and the Centennial Double Chair in 1986/87 eliminating early morning queues for access to the upper mountain. The redevelopment of the Happy Valley beginners facility also increased lift capacity reducing the number of beginner skiers on the upper lifts by 10 per cent. One of the most ambitious aspects of the upgrade was the development of new ski terrain to the west, on the National Downhill slopes, between 1988 and 1990. The construction of the West Ridge quad and the Far West T-Bar further re- . duced upper mountain lift queues and opened up significantly more cruisey intermediate terrain. It was also hailed as the country' s first major development offering new ski terrain. Shifting snow Snow management has also come under scrutiny. Today five snow groomers work in tandem grooming the trails. Excavators and purpose built trailers work on snow moving and trail making - at times moving Turn to Page 8

7-year Whakapapa Skifield upgrade reviewed

FROMPAGE6 tonnes of snow to create trails on the mountain. The final and one of the most important issues addressed has been revamping of existing ealing and rest room facilities to international standards.

The $2.5 million Knoll Ridge Chalet, New Zealand's highest restaurant, includes a range of food options, bar facilities, ski shop and rest room facilities. A 120 seat Bistro with large sunny decks and view-

ing windows was also built in Happy Valley. The redevelopment of the Top O' the Bruce cafe this summer - renamed Lorenz's Bar and Cafe - mirrors the other two and reflects the move away from plain daytime-only fare.

The new facility is intended to become an integral part of Iwikau Village serving breakfasts and meals through the day and opening in the evening for apres ski entertainment. Mr Mazey says development during the last seven years has literally "dragged" the skifield out of the 1970's and into the 1990's. Service The improvements have been complemented by the staff commitment to customer service. It has already paid off with Ruapehu Alpine Lifts winning last year's New Zealand Tourism Award for Service Enhancement.

"There's genuine desire to make the customer' s day happy. It's an on-going thing and new staff are familiarised with the concept and given continual reinforcement" says MrMazey. Another revenue earner for the skifield has been the extension of the four year old Summer Alpine Magic sightseeing operation to a year round programme. The two main chairlifts operate for sightseeing giving trampers easy access. to the upper mountain. RAL is also offering guided walks to the Crater Lake. The program has enabled the company to maintain a profile during the summer, utilise the up-mar-

ket cafeterias off season and offer permanent employment to more staff. International status Marketing Manager, Scott Lee says the total $20.5 million upgrade has given the field international status for the first time. "We made a conscious decision not to market overseas until we had an internationally acceptable product. Now we have that confidence." The main priority remains meeting the expectations of New Zealanders - particularly North Islanders. MrMazey says the last seven years has given

Whakapapa a firm development base to build on. He estimated another $30 to $35 million will be spent. "There's no perception that the work's now done. We already have a development plan for the next 15 to 25 years." He says the overriding objective is to dispel the notion that skiing is still hard work. "Many people who used to ski heredon'tknow about the massi ve changes to service and facilities during the past three to five years. "We're telling them it has happened and urge them to come and try us out again!" he says.