Ski-field report

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34031, 20 December 1975, Page 2

Ski-field report

An environmentalimpact report on the proposed Kemarkables ski-field has been released today by the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company, Ltd, for audit by the Commission for the Environment.

The report is being advertised nationally, and the commission is calling for public submissions on it. The advertisements advise at which libraries the report can be read. The submissions will be studied by the commission during its audit of the report, which will determine

whether it is a fair and accurate statement.

The assistant general manager of the Mount Cook Company (Mr R. R. Forward) said that the search for a ski field to complement Coronet Peak began several years ago, and the final choice was in the snowfields of the Rastus Burn basin and the area known as Doolans Creek. Coronet Peak ski field was expected to reach the limit of its capacity within the next three years, and it was necessary to develop another ski-ing area to cope with demand. The high-altitude ski-field on the Remarkables was expected to have good snow fromthe beginning of June

until the end of September, which would result in better use of Queenstown’s accommodation and other facilities, benefiting the working and business communities, said Mr Forward. The new ski-field would enable the tourist industry to guarantee the overseas visitor a more certain skiing season, and would increase the recreational resources of the area in the sumhier, as well as the winter, because of the sightseeing. The company would appoint a full-time ranger for thj Remarkables. He would be trained by the National Parks Board, and his job would include the education of the public in the proper use and appreciation of the area and the formation and maintenance of tracks. While developing the field, the company would pay close attention to the environment and how best to preserve the natural beauties, according to a release from the company’s public relations department. (Further report on skifield, Page 17.)