Blasting won't work on Crater outlet, says ski field engineer

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 15, Issue 693, 1 July 1997, Page 2

Blasting won't work on Crater outlet, says ski field engineer

An experienced ski field engineer has ehallenged the challenger quoted in the Ruapehu Bulletin (24 June 1997) about blasting the outlet of the Crater Lake. In that article we quoted a local engineering contractor who said a much more practical way to clear the Crater Lake outlet would be to blast the volcanic debris. He also estimated, albeit roughly, that the cost of doing so would be about $20,000, while the cost of using a digger would be $40,000 to $80,000. Merv Moses, ex-Turoa

Skifields mountain man--ager, an engineer who worked on Ruapehu for many years both in operations and buildihg lifts, said blasting would not be an option. He said the porous nature of 'the debris meant explosive blasts would be dissipated into the rubble and not shift much of it. Mr Moses said they had often tried to blast boulders out of the way for ski field construction and often struck that problem. Costs of using a digger were way off the mark too, he claims, estimating that it

would be more like $200,000. "You can add 30 per cent to the cost for every 1000 feet up the mountain you go," said Mr Moses. Mr Moses pointed out that even if a digger or bulldozer were driven up to the site, a helicopter would be necessary to ferry fuel and staff, adding at least $500 per day. He also said insurance for "a $200,000 digger" would be out X>f the question so hefty allowances for that would be built into a contractor's price.