Count on the unexpected at Ruapehu

Turoa's High Noon Express. Photo / Chantel Smith

Whether it was the effect of climate change or just the vagaries of the weather, who knows, but Mt Ruapehu had a strange ski season last year. West-facing Whakapapa had far more, and better, snow than south-facing Turoa.

It was classic Sod's Law - Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), which owns the two skifields, had just spent $6 million on a flash new rapid six-seater lift and $20 million in all on lifts, snowmaking, cafes and base facilities.

Exacerbating the problem, the weather was often bad in the weekends and October was the foulest on record.

RAL general manager Mike Davey is philosophical - climate change is a reality and something skifields have to manage.

One positive, though, is that the long-term effects of climate change are going to be more adverse for skifields in Australia than in New Zealand, he says. Although it's too early to predict what sort of season Ruapehu is likely to have, Davey is optimistic after northern hemisphere fields in Europe, the United States and Japan had among their best seasons of the past 50 years.

Davey said the weather knocked the not-for-profit RAL's financial result last year. It had 380,000 skier days against 430,000 in 2006, of which 225,000 were at Whakapapa and 157,000 at Turoa.

RAL has also been set back in its plan to have had a six-seater detachable chairlift to replace the Valley T-bar at Whakapapa ready for this season.

There have been hold-ups getting agreements and resource consents. Whakapapa is in the Tongariro National Park and RAL is highly aware it is dealing with sensitive issues and bodies, including local iwi and the Department of Conservation.

"It's a fairly unique landscape," said Davey. "There are issues about developments of that scale in World Heritage Sites. Problems or trouble are the wrong words, it's just a lengthy process, and considering the sensitivity of the location and the environment I don't have an issue with that. I think it's appropriate," said Davey.

In the long run there will be better outcomes and developments, he said.

In the meantime, Whakapapa skiers and boarders may have to put up with some lifts that are getting past their use-by date.

There were grumblings last year that RAL was slow to get its Knoll Ridge and National Downhill lifts opening until late in the school holidays when demand was high.

In defence, Davey said ice last year at Whakapapa was a serious problem.

Opening lifts after a storm cycle at Ruapehu is a far more complex operation than most at other ski areas and more difficult than people realise.

RAL accepts frustration was expressed by customers.

"There is no less effort," said Davey. "The systems are much the same. The resource we put in is probably greater than it's ever been.

"At certain days and certain times it takes longer than we would expect or like and I share the frustration that customers have."

He hopes the big new detachable chairlift, allowing chairs to be stored inside at night, will solve much of the problem. He expects that to be running in 2009 but is not promising.

Another grumble was that safety controls at Turoa in heavy traffic areas seemed to be on the light side.

Because of the shortage of snow, chutes on some trails were intensely used and the intermingling of skiers and boarders was not always a happy or safe one.

Davey said he had felt "uncomfortable" himself in those areas, and ski patrols had been told to improve things. It's an education process that builds every year, he said. "We keep trying to address it."

Because it is a national park, DOC has prevented RAL widening some trails or putting in new ones that would ease the problem.

But improved snow-making systems have helped, providing the capacity for wider and more robust trails in the lower mountain, Davey said.

Turoa has tripled its snowmaking capacity, and because it now has piping infrastructure in the ground as part of last year's spend-up, it can double capacity again.

Lift pass prices have been raised about in line with inflation - to $83 from $80 for an adult day pass, and from $44 to $48 for a youth pass. Online season passes have gone up $20 to $409 for an adult, $359 for a student and $239 for a youth - if bought by April 30.

No life passes are available this year because no new large capital expenditure is planned.

Davey said RAL was very aware it is competition not just with other New Zealand skifields and activities but with overseas fields.

He said he had just returned from Japan where prices were very reasonable. Japanese fields have suffered a dramatic drop in patronage in the last five years as young Japanese have - you guessed it - rejected skiing for computer games.

"Where I was, even on a busy Saturday there were lifts they don't even bother to turn on," he said.

But Davey said Japan was an anomaly in the world and there was little danger of that happening here.

RAL has seen its school group business double in three years and its youth custom was growing faster than the adult sector, which was also growing.

As well, RAL is seeing more and more Australians come here to ski and Davey expects that trend to increase. "That bodes well for the future."

FURTHER INFORMATION
See www.mtruapehu.com or ring 07 892 3738.