A world class event

Waimarino Bulletin, Issue 3, 5 August 1988, Page 6

A world class event

The staging of the BP-Europa FIS Ski Series at Turoa Skifields this winter will add a vibrant international chapter to the annals of this major New Zealand ski resort. Early this century a group of Waimarino local people cut a track through the bush to provide access to the higher southern slopes of Mt Ruapehu. Little did they realise that this was to culminate in the development of one of New Zealand's biggest recreational ski centres. The first skifield development took place at Turoa in 1962 with a small number of ropetows being installed in the area which is now the skifield carpark and base facilities area. Turoa began its transition from a local alpine playground into a ski facility available to all

New Zealanders. Boarding houses and ski lodges began to spring up in Ohakune with regular bus loads of skiers arriving each weekend. A shelter was built at the skifield and a transport licence granted to enable vehicles to operate on the Ohakune Mountain Road. But it wasn't until the late 1970's that Turoa finally changed from a small club field into a fully developed commercial ski area. In 1977 Alex Harvey Industries, one of New Zealand's largest industrial manuf acturing companies was granted a licence to develop and operate the Turoa Skifields area on Mt Ruapehu. At a speed unparalleled by aliy other New Zealand skifield Turoa changed from a collection o f rope tows to a fully fledged commercial ski area.

Following its official opening in 1979 Turoa has continued an aggressive programme of investment in new facilities. Its modern lift system will now cater for over 10,000 skiers per hour and services 900 acres of skiing terrain. Also of significance is the development that has taken place in Ohakune, the support town to Turoa Skifields. Originally a sawmilling town which supported up to 30 sawmills, Ohakune has also developed a proud reputation for the quality of its carrots and other market g arden produce grown there. More recently there has been a dramatic building programme which has seen the construction of new ski lodges, chalets, motel units, ski slopes and ski hire outlets, restaurants and retail shops, to com-

plement the development on Turoa Skifields. Upgrading of the facilities and services at Turoa will be a continuing process. The continued development of the skifield itself will be complemented over the coming years by the further development and expansion of the accommodation and apres-ski facilities in Ohakune. The rapid growth of Turoa and Ohakune would have been almost unimaginable to that small group of locals who first set out to open up access to the Turoa slopes all those years ago. Now Turoa faces the challenge of continuing its development programme so its future growth and that of the local region will happen with the same care and foresight that has brought it so far so quickly.

The Federation of International Skiing was founded in 1942, at the time of the first winter Olympic Games. Its purpose is to organise skiing competitions throughout the world. It was under the leadership of FIS that the true competitive sport of skiing developed. Every year hundreds of international ski races are held under the rules and observation of FIS. During these times the cream of the skiing world meet in competition. Spectators by the hundreds come to witness these world class events and give support to those competing. The competition is not only of national interest, but creates a great stir throughout the modern mass media.