Last of the ash skiing Sunday

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 610, 31 October 1995, Page 1

Last of the ash skiing Sunday

Looking like a liquorice allsort with white snow on the lower slopes, fresh snow on the slopes above the field and aband of dark grey ashcovered ski runs through the middle, Turoa provided the last runs for the 1995 ski season on Sunday. Conditions were good for spring skiing with a fine spring morning apd some passing cloud in the afternoon. Because of ash falls earlier in the week skiers and snowboarders experienced the strange phenomenon of carving through grey snow to leave white tracks behind. Some ignored warnings not to go to within two kilometres of the crater and climbed to the summit to witness the eruption scene. A light dusting of new snow had fallen on the high slopes above the skifield and as the climbers skied back down they left black trails in the fresh snow as they uncovered the ash underneath. Other contrasts were evident with bizarre scenes, looking like a solarised Turn to Page 2

Last '95 ski

FROMPAGEl black and white photograph, where the snow was grey and sheltered areas around rocks bright white where the snow underneath was visible. Added to the scene was the odd puff of eruption ash and gas from the crater, and keen snowboarders hurtling themselves into the air off a huge ramp built next to the High Noon T Bar, vying for the Powderhorn-Burton Snowboard's Big Air competition (see separate story).