Roofing Torn Off Pass Ski Hut

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30406, 3 April 1964, Page 12

Roofing Torn Off Pass Ski Hut

One of the strongest gusts of wind remembered at Arthur’s Pass tore 1360 sq. ft of roof from the Canterbury University Ski Club’s new hut last week. Part of the iron sheeting roof was blown off the Christchurch Ski Club hut nearby and huts in the Craigieburn Range were also damaged.

The partly-completed university hut. at Temple Basin in Arthur’s Pass National Park, successfully withstood the gale that levelled 4000 acres of Eyrewell State Forest, but the gust proved too much for it.

The chairman of the hut committee (Mr D. R. Campbell) said yesterday that a strip 80ft long and 17ft wide on the northern side of the roof had been ripped off and carried 100 ft in a southerly direction.

Mr Campbell said the material had been salvaged and the work of replacement had been begun over Easter. The financial loss was thought not to be as great as had been feared at first. If the weather next week-end was fine enough for a working party it was hoped to return the roof to its former position. It had been fortunate that the interior lining had not been fixed. The roof is built of rafters skew-nailed on the beams, diagonal sarking lin thick nailed on to the rafters, and corrugated iron nailed on to the sarking. Rafters, sarking and iron were all ripped off together and were still intact in places after hitting the ground. The part of the roof still in position was damaged and in places the iron had been curled back by the strength of the wind.

Mr Campbell said it had been proposed to do a lot more wiring on the roof before winter. The walls, with the bracings intact, had not moved in any way. As there is no wind gauge at Temple Basin it is not known how strong the wind was or the night on which it blew. In the last two years and a half club members have put about 7000 man-days of voluntary labour into the hut. which is about 5000 ft above sea level. Those concerned with building the hut now have an opportunity of assessing the testing force of such a wind because the hut straddles a ridge and is fully exposed. Mr Campbell said it had been hoped to complete the hut before the onset of winter and the damage had proved a setback. However, with the help of the National Park Board and other clubs, as well as favourable weather, this could still be done.