More snow than you could shake a stake at?

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 599, 15 August 1995, Page 13 (Supplement)

More snow than you could shake a stake at?

Well it' s a record, 7.05m is the combined base depth on Whakapapa and Turoa and it's the best base ever for this early in the season. "We' ve got the snow but now we need the weather" says one down town ski guru, but an interesting question is, how is snow depth measured? Well, you could go and dig a hole and get two radio announcers to stand on each other's shoulders dangling a tape measure. But seriously, is it really a true record or did someone move the marker to a big gully that's renowned for snow drifts? Do they just look out the window, take a stab at the current storm' s contribution and add it to the total from the day before? "Definitely not!" says Nicole Bayes, marketing assistant at Whakapapa. "Every year the snow base is measured in the same place, with the same stakes, so annual comparisons can be made. Each day snow depth is measured in the same places at points on Knoll Ridge and Happy Valley." The same procedure is in place on Turoa, using markers in various places, said general manager Angus Grimwade. He said Turoa Ski Resort has a policy of not revealing the location of the snow stakes to avoid people going to inspect them and trampling the snow down or interfering with them.

Angus said he thinks that describing the snow depth in numerical terms is misleading as there are a lot of ridges and gullies which can dramatically affect an estimation of snow depth. Snow depth can vary dramatically in certain places depending on the prevailing winds of the season. One year snow can build up more on southern aspect slopes and in another season, on northern aspect slopes, giving totally different pictures. Angus said he would like to see a move towards the use of descriptive words rather than numerical values. Editor's note: Could you have a "we've reached the 'really, really deep mark' party"? Would it be the same as a four metres party?