Tukino ski field ready for the new winter season

Tukino ski field began in the 1950's, after the New Zealand Army moved a hut there from Ohakea Airbase. Photo / Supplied

A dusting of snow on the Desert Rd last week was a taste of what operators, skiers, and snowboarders are hoping is a busy season on Mt Ruapehu.

One ski field slightly off the beaten track is Tukino, located on the eastern slopes of the mountain.

Tukino Mountain Clubs Association chairman Shane Harrison said the skifield began to take shape 60 years ago, and three clubs - Tukino Alpine Sports Club, Desert Alpine, and Aorangi - currently had lodges on the site.

"The Army was there in the 1950s and shifted a hut from Ohakea airbase to the mountain to give some shelter," Harrison said.

"They bulldozed the road and did some skiing up there.

"In 1974, a loose association of the clubs was formed and in 1978 the association was incorporated.

"One of the drivers for this was so the Department of Conservation had only one party to deal with regarding the ski field."

The backbone of the ski field was club members and volunteers, who helped maintain the facilities and equipment, Harrison said.

"It's really run on passion.

"We just finished a big job of recladding the upper tow shed and we can't afford to helicopter stuff in so we were carrying scaffolding and iron up a bluff with many hands and a big line of people.

"Some locals from Ohakune, who weren't even club members, came along to help out for a good cause."

Tukino offered a sense of "how skiing used to be", Harrison said, starting with access to the ski field itself.

"The adventure starts at the road. We do offer a shuttle from the two-wheel drive car park, but it is a four-wheel drive trail.

"There's no electricity up there either, we're all off-grid.

"There are various solar and diesel projects that are going on, and, like everybody else, we're trying to green things up a bit as we go."

There are three tows in operation during the winter season. Photo / Supplied

Harrison said in days gone by, the ski field was only used at the weekend.

"In the early days people would meet at Waiouru at 8.30 at night. Each club had its own truck and you'd just jump in the back.

"It could take all night to get there, with digging and things, you might not get there until 1 or 2 in the morning.

"There was a social scene, and people would meet their respective partners up there. A lot of marriages have happened through the ski clubs."

At present, the ski field had two rope tows, a portable rope tow, and Cat (Caterpillar) skiing, Harrison said.

"The ride up on the Cat is a bit of fun. I wouldn't say its exhilarating, but its got a magic of its own.

"The lower tow is perfect for families and beginners.

"It's a little bit more sheltered, and because we run a rope tow we're not subjected to the same wind constraints.

"The Aorangi tow runs over a ridge and offers some more advanced skiing, and the portable tow takes us up to the top of what we call Banana Gully.

From there we have a lot of bluffs and cliffs to ski off."

Harrison said all three clubs were still taking memberships, but non-members could also hit the slopes over the winter season.

Due to the ski field running on volunteers, hiring equipment on site isn't an option.

"We don't have the option of manufacturing snow, so we are at the mercy of mother nature.

"Even with low snow people can have fun. The ski squad really went off last year, even though it was a low snow year."

"You can go just for the snow, but there's so much more. There's the camaraderie, there's the getting involved, there's the environment, and then there's the challenge."