In search of snow

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 19, 11 October 1983, Page 6

In search of snow

Seen hitch-hiking south recently in search of more snow was John E. Valencia, 26, of Mammoth Lakes, California. He - was one of two experienced American skiers who had arrived in New Zealand last month to attend the Turoa International Sports School in Ohakune — the other was Karen Farker from Alaska. Both had come to receive advanced ski tuition from Andreas Hefti, former coach of the Swiss Olympic team ... but even the most

expert ski coaches need plenty of snow and the right weather conditions to allow access to the skifields. These ingredients were conspicuously absent on the central North Island skifields during September and though both Karen and John — who is a ski racer back home in the States — did enjoy a few day's skiing Qn Mt Ruapehu it was decided they should travel down to the South Island skifields which were experiencing their best season in many years. They hitch-hiked out of Ohakune separately and were planning to meet up again in the South Island to spend the remainder of the season sampling the various skifields between Mt Hutt and Coronet Peak before returning to America sometime this month. John who normally skis and races at the 32-chairlift Mount Mammoth skifield, spends the summer montto^^ working in hotels so that l^P can pay for his winterlong addiction to the ski slopes.