Turoa sad, Whakapapa glad

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 656, 1 October 1996, Page 1

Turoa sad, Whakapapa glad

After an eventful winter season where mother nature has shown how powerful she really is, Turoa' s ski season ended on Sunday, while new snow has freshened Whakapapa' s runs for skiing hopefully until Labour Weekend. "With the ash coming through the snow from previous eruptions, coupled with warm temperatures, Turoa is forced to close due to lack of skiable snow," stated Turoa marketing coordinator, Brett Sheridan. He said the long-term forecast was for warmer temperatures to resume. "If any snow falls it is predicted to be insufficient to improve Turoa' s ash affected slopes," said Mr Sheridan. Turoa is looking towards next year, and is taking an optimistic view for he future. "Turoa would like to thank everyone for their patience and support this season and we're looking forward to a bumper season next year," said Mr Sheridan, "and we will be back with bells on". The end turns the tables on the situation at the start of the season, when Turoa was completely ash-free and Whakapapa was covered in a thick ash layer.

Whakapapa smiling Meanwhile, weekend storms have deposited new snow on Whakapapa Ski Area bringing smiles to faces of skiers, boarders and ski area staff alike. "The new snow was accompanied by very high winds so it's hard to estimate the exact amount," said Scott Lee marketing manager for Whakapapa. "There's up to a metre of wind-blown snow in the gullies and the cold temperatures have improved the general snow condition. The skiing is fantastic on the upper T-Bars". At present, beginner skiers can ski on Cindertrack Platter Lift and the Waterfall T-Bar with intermediate and advanced skiers catered for on the T-Bars and West Ridge Quad Chairlift. "The good news fOr the last week of the school holidays is there's plenty of snow at the Top O' the Bruce area for children to play in," said Scott. The ski area has a 175cm base and they are predicting a Labour Weekend closure for the ski season. As a spring special, all lifts passes have been reduced to $39 for adults and $20 for youths.