Steve McGill has lived on Mt Ruapehu for the past 20 years, and wouldn't be anywhere else. He spends up to eight hours a day outside at Whakapapa during the ski season, overseeing chairlift and maintenance crews and the car-parking and chain-fitting services. Temperatures average -2C to -4C, but with
a little wind they can plummet to -20.
"You can get quite hot walking around, so I'm constantly peeling off layers then putting them back on."
McGill's employer, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, provides polar fleece tops and wind and waterproof overtrousers and jackets. It also pays an outdoor and clothing allowance of 46c a hour.
There is also a travel allowance, and a tool allowance for tradesmen such as builders, electricians and mechanics. Hourly rates for maintenance and chairlift workers range from $9.60 to $11.
"People do handle the cold differently," says McGill. "I tend to employ people who have done a lot of outdoor work, but you don't know how they'll perform until you get them up here and on the job."
Maintenance work is hardest on the hands, as many jobs need to be done without gloves. And maintenance workers may have to climb chairlift towers to knock the ice off them when conditions are "pretty horrible".
"Your gloves end up wet and some people's hands start to freeze. They need to go indoors to thaw them out, and that's when the pain sets in.
"De-thawing hands can bring tears to your eyes. But I find that afterwards, you can go back out and your hands will be fine for the rest of the day."
McGill loves the constantly changing environment in which he works.
"The whole mountain is my workshop. My kids go to the local school, and the whole family loves skiing. Then at the weekends we can go to Lake Taupo, or even drive up to a beach in the Bay of Plenty."
