New hut on Mt Olympus

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 24

New hut on Mt Olympus

The recent opening of a new $30,000 ski hut at 1700 m on Mount Olympus is one of the major developments on South Island club ski fields for the coming season. , As the result of the work by members of the Windwhistle Winter Sports Club, who built the hut in four months during the summer, the existing hut space has been doubled. The new pine and oregon hut is linked to the old Hugh Richards Memorial Hut by a covered walkway. It features two brick-backed stoves on an upper level while a fireplace and large picture windows fit into the lower level. Wind-blown timber was supplied for the hut, which was pre-cut in Hororata, by many farmer members and transported up to the basin free of charge by a local firm in Coalgate. The old hut — opened 21 years earlier — has also been upgraded with day space replaced, by a new bunkroom and separate instructor’s and caretaker’s rooms. And the good news for members of the Amuri Ski Club at Mount St Patrick, near Hanmer, is the installation of a new tow which will treble the skiing area available. The new tow-line is almost double the length of the existing one and will be run at a slower speed with the beginners in mind. In the day hut the mezzanine floor with access stairway has been completed and an open fireplace built to supplement the central heating comforts in ski weeks. The condition of the road should be considerably better than' last season after a lot of time and money has been spent on improving it. For the Craigieburn Valley Ski Club the summer saw the completion of the first stage of an accommodation hut which will eventually have 72 bunks. Now that the foundations have been laid the club is hopeful that the service module part of the new complex with 30 bunks will be ready for use in the 1978 season and then work on the bunking

modules proper should start. When operational the complex will boast conventional flush toilets compared with the “long drops’’ most clubs have. Further showers too will be installed as part of this project. The North Canterbury Sik dub has installed a new generator at Broken River which will provide the hot air necessary for a central heating system in the accommodation huts. Electric power stoves have also been built to replace the old coal-burners but plans to build a goods lift have been held up until the Forestry advisory committee gives its approval — it is now hoped that work can start on this next summer, Fox’s Peak, near Fairle, has spent the summer principally doing major repairs and upgrading the access road. The club had placed 500 tons of gravel on the road with the help of 250 bulldozer hours. At Temple Basin the University club has built a new ski hire hut, measuring about 5m x 9m, and a new lounge with dimensions of about 7m x 9m. On the same field the Christchurch Ski Club has installed a smpll supplementary generator and made several hut extensions with 20 new bunks, and new showers and toilets the end result. The Canterbury Winter Sports Club at Mount Cheeseman is one of the few in Canterbury which has been able to keep its tow fees at the same rate. General maintenance has been carried out on the top and the road has been re-graded. Last season the new top road really proved its worth with the club able to keep it open almost continually with only occasional recourse to the access tow — most week-ends the top car park was crowded. During the summer much-needed new staff quarters were completed at the top lodge and these now comprise three single bedrooms and one double bedroom as well as shower and toilet facilities. Last November the annual meeting of the club voted unanimously to proceed with the installation of a T-bar and the final line survey is presently being drawn up. It is hoped to have the new tow operating in time for the 1978 winter.