Good buy for RAL

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 250, 12 July 1988, Page 1

Good buy for RAL

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts has bought the Whakapapa Happy Valley beginners' facilities and the company is ecstatic with the purchase.

The deal, which includes the Meads Wall facilities, makes RAL the sole operator of lift facilities on the Northern Slopes of Mt Ruapehu. General Manager Dave Mazey said last Friday it is now very rare for more than one company to operate lifts on the same ski field. Roger Manthel, Chairman of Directors for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, said in a press release last week: "With its location along side the road end, its gentle terrain and all-weather shelter

Happy Valley has long been recognised as one of the best beginner areas of any ski area in New Zealand." Mr Mazey said RAL would need to attract more skiers to Whakapapa for the planned National Downhill area development and to do that the company needed to attract new skiers. The development would add 30 per cent more skiable terrain, he said. How the development will proceed depends on the Tongariro National Park Management plan due out sometime this

year. RAL have applied for an extended operating boundary. RAL previously had limited sheltered beginner terrain on the upper slopes of Whakapapa, said M r Manthel. "This purchase compliments perfectly our existing intermediate and advanced terrain," he said. Marketing Manager Scott Lee said it had been difficult to market RAL's skiing because of the lack of first time skier areas. Previously first time skiers had to travel the first chair to get to RAL operated beginner facilities. Many were reluctant to do this with the Happy Valley

facilities at the road end. "We can now offer a ski package aimed at first time skiers, with an update ticket available," said Mr Lee. In the past two separate tickets were needed to use the RAL lifts and the Happy Valley company lifts.

Mr Lee said much of the marketing his company had done directly benefited the Happy Valley company by attracting skiers t o Whakapapa, many of whom would then choose to ski in Happy Valley. Turn page 8

RAL buys Happy Valley ski tows

From front page Tm convinced the customer will benefit from our Happy Valley purchase," said Mr Mazey. He said the company had offered to buy Happy Valley from the original owner, Mr John Willem, but that he had decided to sell to Stars Corporation. That sale took place in November last year. Mr Mazey said he didn't know why M r Willem had sold to Stars Corporation and not to RAL. He said the sum paid for the facilities by RAL was similar to that offered to Mr Willem last year, said Mr Mazey. It is common knowledge that Mr Willem and RAL had a less-than-perfect working relationship. By agreement with the sellers and the directors of RAL the sum

paid has not been disclosed. Mr Mazey said the company had several ideas on developing Happy Valley "but no plans" as yet. "Over the next two months we will look at development plans," he said. He said having offered to buy the facilities before, RAL had considered many options. Mr Mazey said it was desirable to link the valley with the Meads Wall area and that making access to the valley easier was "very high priority". Parents with young children at the end of a day's skiing especially had problems with access, said Mr Mazey. He said the company would look at platter lifts, rope tows and chair lifts for the area. A chair lift was a possibility for access, he said.