BIG FUTURE LIKELY FOR NEW SKI FIELD AT OHAU

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29010, 26 September 1959, Page 10

BIG FUTURE LIKELY FOR NEW SKI FIELD AT OHAU

T YING on the border of Canterbury and Otago and mirrored in the waters of beautiful Lake Ohau is a ski field which promises to rival Coronet Peak as the South Island’s major winter playground. When the Lake Ohau ski field was opened to a major ski-ing contest for the first time last week-end, the South Island’s top racing skiers were most impressed by the site and facilities of the field.

The Lake Ohau field has been in use for two seasons now, but it had not beer) officially opened nor been the scene of a major ski-ing meeting until the Cantago trophy contest last Weekend. The brilliant weather and perfect snow conditions, combined with a view matched only by that seen from the top of Coronet Peak, left a lasting impression upon the visitors, who were guests of the former New Zealand representative skier and managing director of the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company (Mr Harry Wigley).

The idea for a ski field at Lake Ohau appealed to Mr Wigley many years ago, and having flown over much of the country around the lake and later tramped in to every basin in the Ohau range to investigate their ski-ing potentialities at first hand, was convinced that the present basin immediately behind the lodge was the most satisfactory. Plans were made to achieve vehicle access, for the popularity of any ski resort today depends on how far persons have to walk to reach the ski tow. The company was fortunate in having had the experience of developing the ski resort at Coronet Peak in 1939, and later organising the first ski tows there in 1947. A Major Problem One of the major problems with the reading programme at Lake Ohau was to provide access up the steep valley leading to the ski field. The track now climbs in a bewildering number of zig zags by steep gradients and across boulder-strewn slopes. Work on the road began about six years ago, but rock outcrops, springs, and vigorous mountain streams slowed work down to a snail's pace. It was a disheartening period, but tenacity and a great

deal of expenditure finally mastered the situation. Bulldozers found a hefty challenge from the forces of nature striving to break up the sinuous paths they had forged, and it took four years before the road finally reached the foot of the learners’ tow at 4550 ft. From the lodge (at 1720 ft) the road had been pushed over country where many persons considered a road a sheer impossibility. At present, skiers reach the field by four-wheel drive vehicles which make easy work of the road. As the vehicles climb higher, the lake slips below and the field, of vision expands to cover the peaks and the glacier-carved landscape surrounding the Mackenzie Basin. Eventually the company hopes to be able to make this scenic route open to private cars in summer. Magnificent View From the top of the main tow in the basin, it is only a short walk to the summit of Mount Sutton (6594 ft On clear days the view is a magnificent one—a panorama of hundreds of snow-capped peaks as far as the eye can see, all dominated by the bulky and lofty summit of Mount Cook. To the west, Mount Aspiring can be seen in the distance.

Already one ski club has made Lake Ohau its headquarters. It is the Glen Mary Club, named after the massive mountain block which stands at the head of the lake. Founded early this year by a young band of enthusiasts, the club has built a hut near the shores of the lake. A landing strip close by enables tourists to be flown into the area for ski-ing. The present main ski tow at the field has a capacity of about 400 persons per hour, so that it takes an extremely large crowd of skiers to make a queue necessary. This is in marked contrast to the long waiting times for week-end ski-ing at Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island, where waits of up to half an hour have been experienced. The present policy in the South Island is to develop several resorts rather than concentrate on any particular one, and consequently congestion on fields and facilities is avoided. Not the least feature in favour

of the Lake Ohau field is its strategic position almost midway between Christchurch and Dunedin, and within easy reach of Timaru and Oamaru. It is a shorter distance to Ohau from Dunedin than it is to Coronet Peak, and one of the bestequipped resorts within 200 miles of Christchurch.