Have food, will ski

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 534, 3 May 1994, Page 25 (Supplement)

Have food, will ski

Buying a snack and a drink while standing in a ski lift queue may be possible in the near future, if a project by a Massey University student proves effective. Dan Gillingham has plans to see skiers served with food and drink while they stay on their skis. He is working on a project as part of his fourth-year Bachelor of Technology course at Massey University, where he is majoring in product development. The ideas he has come up with for staff to be able to serve skiers on the move include a back-pack drinks dispenser and a collaps-

ible food kiosk which can be towed behind a skier, similar to a first-aid toboggan. He said the project idea came from discussions with keen skiers who said they often felrthe need for refreshment but did not want to loose skiing time. They

felt being able to buy food and drink while in a lift queue would be a plus. Dan plans to build prototypes of his designs and test them on the mountain this winter. Ruapehu Alpine Lifts food manager Mark Wignal

has been helping Dan with his project as well as taking a keen interest in his results. For the ski company the project could lead to a whole new area of service to skiers. He visited Whakapapa last week to discuss his plans with Mr Wingal.