Ski-ing Canadian-style

Press, 19 July 1979, Page 7

Ski-ing Canadian-style

The exasperated cry of “Bend ze knees” that became the trademark of the European instructors during ski week lessons is fast disappearing from the seven club fields in Canterbury. In recent years the trend has been away from Swiss, Germans and Austrians. Instead it is Canadian ski instructors who are most in evidence at the fields.

Any individual, family or group going on a ski week for the first time this season should find the Canadians pretty easy to get along with. That is, of course, as long as you don’t mistake their softer accent for an American one — almost as bad as an outsider confusing New

Zealanders with Australians.

These days many more people are learning to ski at commercial fields but there is still a great deal to be said for starting off your career in a club ski week. Daily lessons are the ideal way to make progress and on the club fields the instructors strike up a rapport with their pupils in the apresski socialising that makes things go all that much better on the slopes the next day.

Ski weeks are universally regarded as a lot of fun and a great way to meet people. Some might at first be reluctant to tackle their share of the daily chores in the lodges only to eventually relish the chance to find previously unknown skills — such as community cooking or starting a generator.

Broken River Ski Club (formerly North Canterbury) is one which has become very partial to Canadians. Instructors from that country have been used since the 1976 season.

This time two instruc tors, Doug Whiteman and Tony Astles (assistant), have been employed. Both hold level four Canadian senior instructors certificates. They will be running the ski schools for nine weeks.. At the time of writing there were vacancies for the first (starting last Sunday), second and third senior weeks. A Broken River ski week costs $7O for a ncrnmember although there is a discount of $lO for both the first senior week and the sixth senior (September 9 to 15), which also has vacancies. Even with the extra 24 beds provided by the new Lyndon Lodge, there has been little trouble filling all three family weeks in the school holidays together with the fourth and fifth senior weeks (between August 5 and 18).

Mount Cheeseman, another field in the Craigieburn Range (reached via Porter’s Pass), has two Canadian instructors, Janice Harvey (a former racer) and Steve Feedham. They will be assisted by Martin Jones, son of Snowline’s Barrie Jones and in his first year of instruction after gaining his N.Z.S.I.A. stage I certificate. The club will be under the control of the field manager, Russell Brice, who spent last winter at Amuri. Working under him will be Garry Rush and Shamus Cureen (caretakers) and Roger Kern (driver-mechanic).

Cheeseman has nine official ski weeks starting from this Sunday although Medbury School pupils are up there this week during their mid-term break. The middle weeks (from August 5 through to September 8) are quite heavily booked and those contemplating going on a ski school should not delay. Cheeseman is the only South Island field with a T-bar and its two lodges accommodate 102 persons. Ski week fees are $B5 for non-members over 12 years of age.

Temple Basin, near Arthur’s Pass, has three Canadian instructors — the husband-and-wife combination of Michael and Brenda Long and a former top racer, Marilyn Robbins. The mountain manager is Anthony Hamilton and a Scottish girl, Jay Wilson, is looking after the ski hire.

The University Ski Club is having its first week there now with a group of about 25 from Queensland University. With the Universities winter •ski-ing tournament at Temple from August 16 in the usual first week club skiers will be virtually restricted to two weeks — bookings for these close on July 27 and are only half-full as students wait for bursary to arrive. A pleasant innovation is that part of the ski week package includes dinner at the Arthur’s Pass Chalet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the final night before the students leave on the bus. The Christchurch Ski Club, about to celebrate its fiftieth year at Temple Basin, has vacancies for each of its three “all comers” weeks (the first two between

July 29 and August 10, and the third from August 5 to 10). The first two junior weeks are fully booked, but the third one (September 1 to 8) which caters for older school-pupils still has a number of spaces left. The Amuri field near Hamner Springs has just finalised a 24-year-old Christchurch man, Steve Hembrow, as its instructor. Hembrow, who is completing a law degree, has instructed previously at Coronet Peak, Broken River, and Copper Mountain (Colorado). A Canadian, Max Corkhill, will be the custodian and Anita Heard will work

as a general hand. Ski weeks are full dur-, ing the school holidays though day visitors are welcomed. Limited vacancies are available in the other weeks including the special family “fun” week from July 30-August 3. A new move is the establishment of regular daily transport from Hanmer to the field and return. Amuri is hopeful of opening tomorrow. This season the Craigiebum field will have a Scottish instructor, Jim Thompson, who is back

for his third season after previous stints in 1976 and 1977. He will be supported by Trevor Streat, a New Zealander who was at Craigieburn last season.

Craigieburn’s new Koroheke Lodge was opened two weeks ago and will function as a services block this season with eating and cooking facilities for 70, flush toilets, showers and a drying room. Plenty of vacancies are apparent in the ski weeks from July 22 to 28 and July 29 to August 5 — although applications are worth a try in case of cancellation. Both the fourth and fifth senior weeks are full; the first junior family week has vacancies; the second junior week is full but then there are spare places right through to the end of the season. At Fox Peak, the home of the Tasman Ski Club, a German, Peter Bayer, will be doing the instructing. A custodian will be in residence during ski weeks.

At this stage there are vacancies in both senior 1 weeks (August 5-11 and I August 12-18) and in the first (a few) and third (a lot) junior weeks. The second junior week is full. Because of insufficient snow, the Windwhistle club at Mount Olympus had to cancel the ski week which would have been on now. All other weeks are “chocker,” according to a spokesman, but an extra week between September 16 and 22 is being considered. Ski weeks cost $7O for a non-member there. This year the instructor is a Scottish man, Steve Stephenson, and the custodian is a New Zealander, Alan Stratford.