Ski town's post covid 'sigh of relief'
Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Business operators in Ohakune for whom the snow ski season is a shot in the arm are breathing a “huge sigh of relief” that Mount Ruapehu will be open this winter.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) on Tuesday announced that it is planning a season that will see both Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields open every day the weather permits “with top to bottom skiing and riding.”
Though the company did qualify that with: “it is likely that not all lifts will operate.”
Operational teams would provide detail later via the company’s social media channels.
**READ MORE:
* Increasing visitor numbers on Mt Ruapehu proves a challenge to keep skiers and daytrippers happy
* Slippery start to ski season offset by August's massive snow dump
* Photo essay: New Zealand's magnificent snow-capped mountains
* Mt Ruapehu gondola opening delayed
**
James Foubister of Ohakune’s Taking Care of Business Ski, Board and Bike said he and the business owners had been “hoping against hope that something would happen, as we all played ball and stayed at home and saved lives.”
He could understand why a number of South Island ski-fields had announced restricted seasons or limited opening days.
They were much more reliant on overseas visitors, he said, though there had been a push in recent years to attract more Australians to Ruapehu and he had noted an increase in skiers from French Polynesia.
“The issue will be the queueing system and monitoring people on lifts,” said Foubister.
The trend towards neoprene face masks of six or seven years ago (for warmth and sun protection) and the popularity of locally produced merino neck warmers (which can be pulled up over the face) could play a factor in any Covid-19 concerns, he felt.
“We’ve got a whole wall devoted to face coverings. A lot of people already have these things on.”
Foubister, and other local operators, like Rocky Mountain Chalets manager Ryan Papple, had noticed an almost instant upswing in business activity when the country moved to Alert level 2.
Papple said he had enquiries from as early as May 11.
“Following the announcement from Jacinda, I had people calling. Honestly the emails and the phones went from zero to 100. They started piling in full weight and that was even prior to the latest RAL announcement.”
They definitely had skiers booking for the July school holidays, he said, but there were also people who may have been booked for overseas travel now wanting to see New Zealand as a country or revisit places they hadn’t been for years.
“We’re just waiting for the snow and the right weather at the right time. It will be interesting to see what the mountain looks like when they do open.”
A planned Queen’s Birthday Weekend opening of Happy Valley on May 30 had been cancelled, said Jono Dean, RAL chief executive in this week’s announcement, due to time lost during the lockdown, but the company would however be opening the Sky Waka for sightseeing over the weekend, weather permitting.
Happy Valley is often opened early in the season for promotional purposes as it can be topped up with snow from the company's snow machines.
Otherwise, Dean announced that RAL was hopeful of opening its first ski area on the mountain in late June/early July to take advantage of the July school holidays.
Ruapehu District Mayor Don Cameron has hailed as “fantastic news” the prospect that skiing will be possible at Whakapapa and Turoa.
“With every dollar being spent on the mountain rippling through to $5 of spending in the wider Ruapehu and regional economy this will provide a significant shot in our economic arm,” he said.
The job opportunities were not just with the ski field operator, but right across the local business sector and economy.
“With opening being dependent on a number of factors, including snowfall and the alert level restrictions that exist at the time we are all hoping that New Zealand plays it safe, holds onto the gains we have made, and that we have some great snow and sunny days.”