News
Ohakune centenary celebrations
Preparations by the Centenary Committee for Ohakune’s 100 year celebrations on Saturday 5 November are well advanced.
Ruapehu District Councillor Ben Goddard, who is leading the organisation of the celebration arrangements, said that the Centenary Committee is planning a festival-type market day with stalls, food, music and a parade along with other official events to mark the historic occasion.
The Ohakune Borough was officially 100 years old on 1 November 2011.
“In addition to the all day family festival and parade, Ruapehu’s mayor Sue Morris will be hosting previous Borough mayors and councillors to a civic function at Council’s service centre in Ayr St,” he said.
“The centennial parade led by Mayor Sue will be made up of colourful floats that celebrate Ohakune’s amazing history and the various influences and industries that have contributed to the town’s development over the years.”
“A fly-over by Tiger Moth aircraft will pay homage to aerial top-dressing and the invaluable role that played in the development of farming in the Waimarino.”
Green light for Big Black Carrot
Ohakune’s giant carrot turned black in time for the thousands of rugby fans who toured the country over the Rugby World Cup months.
Paint maker Resene painted the Big Carrot in its ‘Paint it Black’ colour, complete with a silver fern and the Resene logo.
The Ohakune Vegetable Growers Association said it’s a great idea, having been asked by the Ruapehu District Council to consider the proposal.
Afterwards, the Carrot is to be repainted orange courtesy of Resene Paints – a plan that suits the Growers well as they had been intending to repaint the Carrot in the near future. It was last painted in 2004.
Visit Ruapehu trustee Mike Smith says they were also really enthusiastic about the idea, saying it could draw thousands of rugby tourists off the main highway and into the Ruapehu District.
Ruapehu marketing
Mike Smith says the chance for people to have their photo taken with a big black carrot is likely to “go viral” and fits perfectly with Visit Ruapehu’s Rugby World Cup marketing plans.
Anyone wanting to have their photo taken with the Black Carrot has a bit more time to do so – it's still all black in the mean time.
Visit Ruapehu is planning to launch its RWC campaign at the end of August.
Major makeover for Turoa’s High Noon Express
A major makeover for Turoa’s High Noon Express was completed in time for the 2011 snow season.
The rebuild, proposed by Doppelmayr who built the lift in 2007, is aimed at reducing problems caused by ice and wind in the chairlift’s extreme weather environment.
Four extra towers have been installed, two existing towers relocated and several others were lowered. As a consequence, the High Flyer chairlift can no longer operate because the High Noon cable is now too low where it previously went over the top of the High Flyer bull wheel.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts managing director Dave Mazey said the company had been in discussion with Doppelmayr for the past two years, looking at ways to reduce the problems they have faced in operating the lift.
He said that when the state-of-the-art six-seater detachable chairlift was built, the thinking world-wide was to have fewer towers, with bigger rope spans.
“It meant less holes in the ground, less visual impact, less cultural impact, less de-icing and servicing and less economic impact,” said Mr Mazey.
He compares the 1.4km lift, with 11 towers, with Whakapapa’s 20-year old Waterfall Express lift, with 17 towers over 1km.
But Turoa’s unique environment – one of the toughest in the world for ski areas – has proved extremely difficult.
Mr Mazey said there have been around 100 derails of the cable in storms since it was completed.
In June last year, Tower 9 collapsed at the end of a storm cycle, after a natural ice release led to the cable whipping. The forces involved toppled the 18m high tower. Later in the same season, the top of Tower 8 was damaged in similar circumstances.
The ski area is known as the worst in the world for ice storms.
Mr Mazey said Doppelmayr’s engineers believe that with the height of the towers, the length of the cable spans, the extreme winds on the south side of Mt Ruapehu – especially cross winds – all coupled with massive ice build up had compounded to set up “some sort of harmonic” that led to the derailing and damage.
He said the derailing was not just a case of the cable falling off the towers – sometimes it whipped up and down a huge amount, even flicking up above the top of the towers.
“Doppelmayr engineers (who have built lifts all around the world) have never seen it before.”
After the tower collapses last year, Doppelmayr agreed that the modifications they were working through were not enough and came up with the proposal that has now been carried out.
Tower 8 is reduced from 19m to 11m, towers 1,2,9 and 10 are the same, while the rest are reduced in height by 3-5 metres.
Lowering the towers is designed to reduce the effects of extreme winds, especially across the lift line. Doppelmayr and RAL believe that the extreme wind effect is exponentially worse higher up the towers.
New towers – 7a, 8a, 9a – have been built near the top of the line, Tower 3 is moved about 20m down the slope and Tower 4 moved 44m up the slope and another new tower built in between.
More towers have combination sheave assemblies fitted – with wheels underneath and on top of the cable, to hold it in place.
Mr Mazey said the benefits from the modifications to the lift line will be that there should be much fewer derails and de-icing will be completed more easily and quickly. This should lead to the lift being operational sooner in he morning after storm events.
“We should see a quantum shift in the way we can manage this lift,” said Mr Mazey.
“It’s still a brilliant lift. All these issues are not about when it’s running.”
Whakapapa wants a chondola
One lift – a ‘Chondola’ – from the Top O’ The Bruce to 2000 metres. That’s one of the ideas for the redevelopment of Whakapapa now that the Knoll Ridge project is complete.
A chondola is a hybrid skifield lift that uses both chairs and gondola cabins.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts managing director Dave Mazey outlined some of the ideas the company is considering, to a group of snow industry people at the annual pre-season briefing recently.
He said gondola cabins were good for sightseeing customers – they offer protection from the elements – which could “vastly increase that market”.
Gondolas are heavier and have lower wind restrictions, but offer protection from the elements, and can also be used during the summer for walk-on guests and wheelchairs.
Chairs are quicker and easier for skiers and boarders to load.
Higher on the ski area, the company’s long-term plan is to get rid of its T-bars.
Mr Mazey said RAL was looking at a multi-lift resource consent application, for developments over a five-year period.
The application would be for the lift from the base area (the chondola) and a chairlift in the area above the Knoll Ridge Café. Earlier announced plans included an express chairlift in the Te Heu Heu Valley, but Mr Mazey said the “next best investment” the company could make would be a Knoll Ridge Express.
RAL would also like to move the Far West T-Bar eventually, partly for safety – to move it away from possible lahar paths. Mr Mazey said that while the lift accesses some great terrain, the line was too steep and “people don’t like it”.
He also said removing T-bars would allow better development of terrain parks.
New High Flyer location would access 'beautiful terrain'
TIn 2011 there was no High Flyer chairlift, thanks to the remodelling of the High Noon Express at Turoa (see separate story).
But lots of Turoa fans will be hopeful that plans for the future of the lift come to fruition next year – Ruapehu Alpine Lifts general manager Dave Mazey told a group of ski industry people that the High Flyer had a life of around 2-3 years in its old location, whereas the High Noon is likely to have a 40-year lifespan, hence the decision to accept the proposal to lower the High Noon towers (to better cope with Turoa’s ice storms).
Mr Mazey said the company was “in the consent process” to move the High Flyer to a new location.
If approved, the lift would be relocated to the South East Basin, also known as the ‘Thousand a Day Area’.
The lift would run from the basin below the old High Flyer drive station to the area above the Movenpick, to allow for easy access across to the High Noon base. The proposal would see the new High Flyer 150 metres longer than the old lift.
This lift line would be within the Turoa licence area.
“It’s beautiful terrain, with some incredible chutes for advanced skiers,” said Mr Mazey.
“But the real gain is the access from the Triangle and the Glacier.”
Skiers and boarders who enjoy these areas, accessed from the top of the High Noon Express, have to traverse out from the end of these runs, coming back to the ski area below the Buttress (the southern end of Hamilton’s Face). They then have to climb up the side of the gully, to get back to the High Noon.
With a relocated High Flyer, they would be able to not only get back more easily, but would be able to keep riding down the lower Triangle and Mangaehuehu Glacier runs.
Mr Mazey said the proposed location has been in the company’s indicative plans since 2001. He said they expect to lodge the resource consent application in late June.
He told the industry gathering that there had been a lot of internal debate about taking out the High Flyer for the 2011 season, but that “the main issue is to fix the High Noon”.
“It’s got to be able to stand up to the conditions.”
Mr Mazey said the High Flyer had been used less and less in recent years. Even on peak days there was very rarely a queue for the lift, nor a full line of chairs.
A downside of losing the High Flyer is that the terrain it serves often gets early snow.
“But we will work to get the Jumbo (T-bar) operating earlier than normal and it will operate more frequently through the winter,” said Mr Mazey.
Published: June 2011
Pictured is one of the lowered High Noon Express towers, near the return station of the High Flyer. The cable is now too low for the High Flyer to operate, hence the decision to remove the bull wheel and last tower of the High Flyer.
Knoll Ridge recovery is complete
By Liz Brooker
With the finishing touches to the Knoll Ridge Café now completed, staff at Whakapapa are celebrating the chance to start looking forward.
A soul-destroying fire in February 2009 ravaged the former restaurant building and a groomer shed, causing well over $10 million in damage.
Out of the ashes was born a determination to rebuild a structure ski fields around the world would envy.
For Whakapapa area manager Steve McGill the finished structure more than achieved the vision of a design that is not only customer friendly but maximises the sun while taking in views of the Pinnacles, Te Heu Heu Valley all while linking inside and outside spaces with extensive decks.
“The arson attack was devastating but there was a chance for something good to come out of it.
“That morning we were standing there watching it burn but within an hour we were planning what we were going to do next.
“It’s been a hard build but it’s been a great project and we now have awesome building.
“It’s over.
“It’s been a hard couple of years for a lot of us but now we can start looking forward to new projects.”
During the summer a huge rock wall has been erected in front of the main deck that will become covered in snow.
While putting the finishing to the café was a high priority, a large amount of improvement work has also been completed.
The area behind the Waterfall chair return has been opened up to twice the original size and a formal trail from the Valley exit down to the Knoll Ridge Café has been constructed in an effort to ease any congestion.
The ground in and around the old cat shed area has been reinstated to its natural state and the area has been tidied up including laying all the surface cables and water lines and put them into one trench.
Lower down the mountain, a 100-metre Sun Kid carpet lift has been installed in Happy Valley, replacing the platter which used to run towards Meads Wall.
No park at Whakapapa, but wait for the stash
By Liz Brooker
While the recently announced closure of Whakapapa’s terrain park has frustrated some, bigger and better plans are being made for a return in the future.
Whakapapa area manager Steve McGill is on a fact-finding mission this winter to check out the world renowned ‘Burton Stash’ at The Remarkables ski field.
“We are seriously looking at doing something like this in the future out at West Ridge.
“We’ve got the perfect terrain out there with natural hits, cornices and bowls all around the chair.
“I’m going to go down there this year to have a look and see what we could do.”
When the South Island run opened in 2008 it was described as an evolution in freestyle terrain and was the first to be opened in the Southern Hemisphere and only the third in the world.
Created by Jake Burton and his global team riders, the kilometre-long run provides an organic, big mountain terrain park by following the natural lines of the mountain.
Rock-wall rides, log jibs, cliff drops, a stone hut and other one-of-a-kind obstacles lie hidden in a Stash run offering a totally different experience that has all of the makings for an awesome ride with plenty of opportunity for getting creative.
Honouring a commitment to an all-natural environment, no metal or plastics are used to create obstacles; instead, stone, wood, trees, dirt and rocks are moulded into features.
On The Remarkables run, even the signs that direct riders to The Stash are hand-carved out of stone and wood and are designed to be jibbed.
Global resort director at Burton, Jeff Boliba, said his team had primarily worked with the South Island field because both businesses shared the common goal of taking snowboarding to the next level.
“No two runs … are the same, every time you drop in you get a completely new riding experience.”