Mt Ruapehu on track to bounce back this ski season after some 'challenging times'

Mt Ruapehu's snow factory has been in use for the past month. Photo / Supplied

Mt Ruapehu's Happy Valley ski area is on track to open to the public over Queen's Birthday weekend in early June.

Whakapapa ski area manager Steve Manunui said his team was feeling confident about the upcoming season.

"The snow factory has been pumping out snow for the last four weeks and there's been a couple of dustings [of snow]," Manunui said.

"There's also snow in the forecast over the next week so it's shaping up well."

The Sky Waka gondola and Happy Valley beginner ski area are scheduled to open for the winter season on Saturday, June 5, with the rest of Whakapapa ski area and Tūroa set to follow a month later on Saturday, July 3.

Last year's Covid-19 restrictions resulted in "some challenging times for the ski fields", Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) chief operating officer Travis Donoghue said.

"Sourcing staff was difficult due to many usually coming in from overseas to work the winter," Donoghue said.

"There were travel restrictions for Kiwis, as well as the various Covid level requirements.

"That placed a lot of pressure on staff."

Overall visitor numbers in 2020 were "of course down", Donoghue said, and routine maintenance work had to be placed on hold.

"We are confident that it will all be completed soon and all facilities will operate this season.

"Our visitor numbers did drop overall without the international market but we were compensated a little with local Kiwi numbers."

Manunui said cable maintenance was completed on the Sky Waka gondola two months ago.

"Maintenance work is on track on the Valley T-Bar and West Ridge Quad, and maintenance is under way on all the other lifts.

Whakapapa ski area manager Steve Manunui. Photo / Joel McDowell

"We're also busy with a general tidy up of the ski areas and ensuring that our processes are streamlined ready for the busy winter months ahead, with both New Zealand and Australian visitors."

New Zealand's border restrictions had affected staffing levels on the mountain, Donoghue said.

"They will continue to do so until all travel restrictions are lifted, which is some time away.

"We did a big recruitment drive for the winter season with our apprentice instructor programme (AIP) offering a NZSIA qualification upon successful completion and a job at either Tūroa or Whakapapa.

"We had a bit of interest from Australians to work on the mountain, but not a huge amount."

Donoghue said one positive to come out of last year's social distancing requirements was that people got used to contactless online buying of passes.

"That meant they avoided queues up the mountain to purchase passes."

The 2021 winter season is set to run until Monday, October 25, snow permitting.