Cardrona rope tow gives wider scope

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 10

Cardrona rope tow gives wider scope

l/lEUfS THE TOP by Tim Dunbar . . mßiii inn iiii niiiiii|iiwd

by

Tim Dunbar

Skiers visiting Wanaka should have two ski areas to choose from after Saturday week when Mount Cardrona is expected to be open to the public for the first time.

Cardrona. the only freehold ski-field in Australasia, has been going for 10 years and many people have enjoyed helicopter ski-ing there. But before now no lifts have been available to visitors. This situation has been changed in recent weeks with the installation of a 1000 m rope tow (bought from Mount Hutt) on the quite wide main basin and two fixed grip tows on the learners’ slope. The owner of the land, Mr John Lee, said from his Cardrona farm this week that about four days work were required on the field and it was hoped to open on the week-end of July 26 and 27. "We’ve been trying for a week to get through the snow and get back up to the field,” he said. Last year the Lake County Council approved the development of a ski area on the mountain but the Invercargill firm signed up to buy the land subsequently backed out. (The firm had been unable to get a guarantee that the Crown Range road would remain open during the winter, to bring skiers from Queenstown.) So Mr Lee and the rest of what he nicely describes as a "syndicate of friends” (six altogether) had to decide whether to drop the project’ “be silly fools” and go ahead alone .. .the second choice was taken.

Patrons can’t expect anything too marvellous in the way of facilities this first season while Mr Lee and his friends "get experience in running a ski-field.” . . But . there should be some pretfy good ski-ing for the taking on what is described generally as bumpy terrain. There are both Tekapo-like slopes (good for learners and intermediates) and slopes right up the alley of advanced skiers.,

Mr Lee says that this is an exploratory year during which the field will be suitable “more for the more adventurous’ rkier.”

It’ll be basically powder snow as Cardona has no packer. There’ll be a small day hut but no canteen facilities.

The 12 km access road starts about 24km from Wanaka. Mr Lee says the

road, is “a very ® as y grade.” However, only half the gravelling has been done and only four-wheel drive vehicles or at least cars with chains will be allowed up. Like Mount Hutt, the base facilities are at about 1650 m. Interestingly, Mr Lee says that only about 30 persons are required on any one day for costs to be met. That’s just a coachload. Initially the field will be open only on week-ends. It will operate . seven days a week during the August school holidays and, additionally, will open on extra days when the demand requires. A Wanaka man, Mr Graham Wall, will manage the field. He is an engineer and installed the Doppelmayr T-bars at the other Wanaka field, Treble Cone (which opened for the season a fortnight a s o) - Your “Views from the Top” columnist makes his usual promise to visit Cardrona during the season. # $

A Californian company has produced a special boot which gets around all those problems skiers (and others) have with plastic bags and rubber bands after breaking a leg. Their "long boot,” which slips over the cast and extends above the knee, is completely waterproof and takes the bother away from showering or bathing. It’s apparently even possible to go swimming with it. The: company also offers a “turtle boot,” which is warm and waterproof in all weather and makes walking easier and more comfortable. is sjs

There'll soon be somewhere to dispose of those .funny, old skis that have been lying in the garage for years and you couldn’t get rid of at the ski auctions. Last week the Tongariro National Park Board announced plans to establish and maintain a ski museum in the Whakapapa Village. The board’s secretary, Mr R. H. F. Nicholson, said that the museum' was intended to be of national interest —- “not just restricted to ski-

ing at Whakapapa.” Displays on all aspects of ski-ing, particularly skis, boots and bindings, clothing and photographs will be included. Already, a variety of wooden and more modern skis have been collected. Regular ski-ing in New Zealand, incidentally. began at Mount Ruapehu in 1913. '

Two Queenstown identities known as “Roaring Meg" and “Gentle Annie” will be kept pretty active nights at Coronet Peak this season. The pair are snow-grooming machines and it is planned to introduce night packing on the field. There’ll be no skiers in the way and the snow, naturally being colder at night, can be packed more effectively. The drivers of the “cats,” Colin "White (from Geraldine) and Don Campbell, are hoping to get a fair bit of ski-ing in during the day. * # «

Rather a change of approach can be expected over the next few months from the race coaches attached to the United States ski team. This has been brought about because the new al-: pine director, Bill Marolt, has virtually taken a snow plough to the coaching staff in “power” during the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Late last April Marolt asked all the coaches to resign and then rehired the people he wanted to keep on. Among those who did not get the “welcome back” message were Jim “Mooise” Barrows (special men’s downhill . coach), Hermann Goellner (head women’s coach), and Tony Hedgecock (men’s coach) — all visitors to Mount Hutt with the, United States team last . winter. The head men’s coach, 1 Harald Schoenhaar, has I retired, but will still train < other coaches and act as a ’ talent scout within the United States. ' ” ’; ; ’ Marolt has just started a new fbur-year programme building up to the 1984 Winter.. Olympics at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, and his new men’s downhill coach is Dave Durrance.