Buckled tower jeopardises Turoa opening

A tower on Turoa skifield's 1.4km-long six-seater High Noon express chairlift has buckled, throwing plans for the season's opening day into disarray.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts confirmed last night that tower nine on the high-speed chairlift buckled after de-icing work on Monday.

Spokesman Mike Smith told the Dominion Post he did not know how long it would take to repair or replace the 18-metre-high tower.

"We're still doing engineering assessments," he said.

Turoa's lower slope, the Alpine Meadow, still plans to open today allowing limited skiing.

- NZPA