Triple breakdown tests Turoa's emergency procedures

Ruapehu Bulletin, 11 July 1995, Page 1

Triple breakdown tests Turoa's emergency procedures

Turoa suffered a number of what it said were unforeseeable mechanical problems on the lifts Tuesday last week, which led to the evacuation of three lifts. Two of the lifts, the Giant Chairlift and the Parklane Chairlift, had to be evacuated using ropes. It took several teams of staff about two and a half hours to evacuate the Giant Chairlift while the Parklane Chair was partly evacuated by ropes and partly by off-loading while running it on the back-up diesel motor. All the people observed by the Bulletin photographer being evacuated from the Giant Chairlift were in good spirits, saying they enjoyed the 'adventure'. However, possibly because it was later in the day and much colder, some of those evacuated from the Parklane were unhappy , especially some who had been stranded on both lifts. "All of the problems were unrelated incidents which unfortunately happened to fall on the same day," stated Turoa in a press release. There was also some difficulty experienced on the Movenpick chairlift for a short period but once repaired, it operated until the end of the day.

Customers who had to be evacuated from the Parklane and Giant were able to receive a credit for an all-day lift pass valid for the 1995 season, with free snacks, tea and coffee also being made available, said the press statement, although the Bulletin reporter present noted that not all people were aware that they were entitled to credits. Adding to Turoa's problems, the Bulletin was also told by members of the public that there were cases where people were claiming credits when they had not in fact been on the two lifts. The mechanical problems were worked on ovemight and were fully rectified by Wednesday. The Bulletin understands that the problems were: the Giant Chairlift anti-rollback pins in the gearbox jammed making it impossible for the lift to operate even on emergency power; new drive belts on the Movenpick motor stretched and had to be adjusted; and on the Parklane an electrical fault cut power to the main motor which was followed by a blockage in the fuel line to the back-up diesel motor (later rectified in time to evacuate some of the passengers by offTum to Page 2

Triple breakdown on Turoa ski field FROMPAGEl loading). Turoa apologised for the inconvenience caused and offered afternoon rates for all day lift passes on the next open day The experience highlighted for many people, the need to be prepared for drastic changes in conditions on the mountain. Most experienced mountain people advise that you should always wear a wind-break layer on top, carry a warm hat and something to eat. It may be comfortable to wear just a jersey on a short ride on a chairlift on a warm, windless day, but it is not safe when conditions change, which can happen at any time as illustrated by the breakdowns.