MOUNT HUTT FAST BECOMING A M. DOLLAR DEVELOPMENT

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 12

MOUNT HUTT FAST BECOMING A M. DOLLAR DEVELOPMENT

In just three seasons. the Mount Hutt ski field near Methven has developed from a field served by a rope tow to one of the best ski areas in New Zealand.

What started as an idea within the Methven Lions Club in 1969 has become a reality and the mountain now has almost Sim invested in it. The success of the field has come mainly from the

tremendous interest and support given it by the residents of Mid-Canter-bury, and to a lesser, but still significant extent, by residents of Canterbury as a whole. The spectacular growth of tne field in terms of patronage continued again last season when the numbers rose 50 per cent on the previous season. Up to 2000 a day were using the field at week-ends. This season, two new T-bar lifts have been installed and other facilities, including the day hut, have been expanded to cater for double the crowds of last season. When the first T-bar lifts were erected two seasons ago, the support pylons were installed for a

double tow line and this saved considerable time and expense in the duplication of the tow this year. The T-bars now have an houriy capacity of 5000 skiers, compared with half that figure last year. This should eliminate tow queues which are always a source of annoyance to skiers. Although the field will now be able to cope with much larger crowds, the Mount Hutt Ski and Alpine Tourist Company, which runs the area, says the slopes will not be overcrowded. The basin has a vertical rise of 2500 ft and is a mile wide. There is also room for expansion over the main ridge, and although this

will not be needed for several years, the company knows additional area is available if the crowds become too large. The field has several advantages. Mount Hutt is a large mountain, its peak more than 7000 ft high. The ski basin drops to 4500 ft and the car park can be reached from Christchurch and the airport, in an hour and a half. The mountain, facing south, is far enough east of the main divide to miss many of the north-west rainstorms which turn the snow to slush. Because it faces south, Mount Hutt generally enjoys good weather and light, dry snow. While much of the pat-

ronage for the field comes from Canterbury, a variety of package tours are offered in Australia and the North Island, and an increasing number of the skiers using the field use these tours. The field itself has no accommodation, but hotels and motels are available at Methven, and a new motel complex has recently opened near the Rakaia Gorge Bridge. There is accommodation available at Ashburton, 30 minutes drive from Methven, Christchurch, Rakaia and Mount Somers. Besides being popular with recreational skiers, the field is also very popular with racers, and last year both the New Zealand and Australian winter

Olympic squads trained there. The New Zealand championships were held in Canterbury for the first time last' season — at Mount Hutt — and they will be there again this year. It has been the policy of the New Zealand Ski Association in the past to hold the national championships in the North and South Islands in alternate years. The decision to hold the championships at Mount Hutt this year was prompted by the fact that the field is usually guaranteed good snow in September, whereas other fields in the past have had difficulties with snow cover.