Mt Ruapehu hits ‘perfect sweet spot’ with two metres of snowfall

A dig crew clearing snow at the giant lift on Mt Ruapehu over the weekend. Photo / Nina Hennig

Stormy weather hit the “perfect sweet spot” for Mt Ruapehu, with snowfall tipping over the two-metre mark over the weekend.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts CEO Jono Dean said snow conditions were perfect for this time for year at both the Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields.

“We’re really happy with the position that we’re in with the early season snow,” he said.

“On both the fields, the majority of the lifts are up and running, and it’s likely we’ll get our west-side trails open in the coming days.”

Dean said the numbers on the mountain had been positive, with lots of newcomers experiencing the snow for the first time.

The next focus for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was to secure enough staff to keep the mountain running smoothly.

Dean said specifically, the lift crew and maintenance crew needed to gain more boots on the ground.

“We’re a little bit short. We do need some more people and we’re actively recruiting at the moment.

“We encourage people, if they’re interested, to come up here and try a season for the next three or four months.”

He said the insecure start to the season had not helped.

“It’s certainly been a bit late getting going, and we’ve had to recruit a lot of people in a short period of time.”

TCB Ski Board & Bike owner Ben Wiggins said the amount of snow currently on Mt Ruapheu would have been considered normal 10 years ago.

“The funny thing is, technically for Mt Ruapehu this is normal, but we just haven’t seen as much snow in such a short period of time for at least the last 10 or 12 years.

“Because Mt Ruapehu sticks out from a central plateau, it can be hit by weather from every direction, and it means if the weather pattern is just right, we can gather metres of snow from one individual storm.

“This year, we’re in that perfect sweet spot.”

Wiggins said in 2022, the temperature had been one and a half degrees warmer, which had meant rain and a loss of snow that devastated the season.

“The high altitude of the Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields means generally, it should stay colder and the snow should stick around for longer.”

Wiggins said business in the ski rental shop was getting back to normal.

“We’ve got awesome amounts of snow, and everyone in the North Island is losing their minds at the moment and loving it.

“Everyone’s coming off the mountain with big smiles, sunburns and sore legs.

“To come into this year with magnificent snow and top-to-bottom skiing - it feels like a reward for everyone’s who’s hung in there.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.