First speed race to Chch skier

Press, 16 August 1985, Page 32

First speed race to Chch skier

Henry Van Asch, of Christchurch, has won the first race of the 1985 New Zealand speed ski-ing series. Competing in the event at the Cardrona ski-field near Wanaka on Wednesday, Van Asch was timed at 119.44 km/h. He finished ahead of two Swiss skiers, Alvin Gantz and Daniel Hoffi, who are both instructing at Cardrona

this season. The event was originally to have been held at the week-end, but was postponed because of whiteout conditions. The delay cut the original number of entrants from 20 to nine. Mr Martin Jones, the organiser, said that the course in the Captain’s Basin area was not long, but it had been well prepared by the

Cardrona snow-groomers. He is expecting far greater speeds to be reached in the other two speed ski-ing events planned for the South Island this winter, at Tekapo from August 31 to September 1, and at Craigieburn from September 21 to 22. Last year a speed of 146 km/h was reached at Craigieburn. Another event in the

series, scheduled to be held at the North Island ski area, Turoa, last month, has been postponed until Festival Week later in the season.

Results of the Cardrona event:— Henry Van Asch (Christchurch), 119.44 km/h, 1; Alvin Gantz (Switzerland), 115.09, 2; Daniel Hoffi (Switzerland), 109.09, 3; Neville Broadbent (Queenstown), 101.69, 4; Misato Okura (Japan), 101.18, 5; Allan John (Wanaka), 98.01, 6.