Ruapehu names closing date

Skiers and snowboarders have only two weeks left to fit in the last run of the season at Mt Ruapehu.

Operators Ruapehu Alpine Lifts announced yesterday that both Whakapapa and Turoa ski areas will close on October 30.

Marketing manager Mike Smith said Mt Ruapehu would be the last ski area in the country to close this season.

Although snow quality was still good on the upper slopes, he said, weather conditions had been so changeable this spring that closing at the end of October should guarantee a top end to the season.

Visitor numbers had been good but the success of the 2004 season "was a hard act to follow".

Mt Ruapehu is scheduled to reopen on June 15.