Speedy five to line up in invitation race

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 41

Speedy five to line up in invitation race

That exclusive bunch of New Zealand speed skiers who have done more than 100 miles an hour (161 km/h) will add lustre to a special invitation race at Turoa next month. The speedy five who have now broken that barrier are Henry van Asch, with a best of 192.5 km/h; Martin Jones, 183.4 km/h; Roo Thomas, 172.41 km/h; Hugh Grierson, 166.35 km/h; and Mike Wallis, 161.58 km/h. Grierson, an Aucklander, is the' only member of the group from outside Canterbury. After the disappointment of the South Pacific Grand Prix event scheduled for Turoa earlier this month having to be cancelled there was now "heaps of snow” on Mount Ruapehu, according to the secretary of the New Zealand Speed Skiers, Martin Jones. The invitation speed ski-ing event will be part of a “New Sensations” fun week at Turoa from October 6 to 10, during which there will also be people whizzing around on mono skis, surf skis and telemark skis.

Ideally, the speed skiers would like to reach speeds of up to 185 km/h or even 190 km/h on the very fast Mangaehuehu Glacier course. “We feel that to do well overseas you need to get speeds In that region," Jones said.

At this stage Grierson, Jones, Thomas, van Asch and the “bungle jumper,” A. J. Hackett, are all planning to head overseas in February to contest the international speed ski-ing circuit Wallis will be going if he can attraact some sponsorship. The Christchurch Boys’ High School youngster, Nick Cullen, who has already done 158.17 km/h on production skis, is still 16 years of age and cannot compete in the international events. The minimum age for that is 18. Two or three of the "Speed Kiwis” are now looking towards making a more elite group still, the “200 K Club,” which at present has something like 45 members throughout the world. In the past there have been some problems in preparing the speed track on the Ma-

HENRY VAN ASCH ngaehuehu Glacier because of a National Park ban on snow groomers. But Jones said there was so much snow — between one-and-a-half and two metres — that the speed skiers would not have to prepare the course at ail. “It is totally smooth up there,” he said. Over the next two weeks a freezing and thawing process should result in quite a firm base. The course should be similar to what it was in 1985 when van Asch became the fisrt skier in New Zealand to crack the 100 m.p.h. barrier. Record crowds With Mount Ruapehu covered by a more than x respectable snow shroud after looking a little naked on television pictures a few weeks ago record crowds were attracted last week-end. On the Whakapapa side the operators, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, reported the highest number of people through the road toll on record. There were a whopping 9100 on the Saturday and 8052 on Sunday.

Turoa Ski-fields, in turn, had its busiest week-end of the season with about 4000 visitors on Saturday and between 5500 and 6000 on Sunday. This though Turon’s Giant triple chairlift is expected to be out of action for the rest of the season because of a gearbox failure. Hutt not shut Contrary to its past reputation in some quarters the Mount Hutt ski-field has scarcely suffered from closed days this season. Since the field was officially opened on July 3 the phrase “Mount Hutt is shut” has been heard on snow reports on only seven days. With the field open on 76 days, the closing rate is an impressively small one of about 7 per cent On some days, of course, the field has had to close early. By contrast, in 1986, when snow dump followed on snow dump, the field was open 120 days and closed on 52 days in a season stretching from May 30 to November 23. The dosing rate was just over 30 per cent Meanwhile, Mount Hutt has been doing fairly well in the public relations stakes this season with the lifts being kept open until 4.30 p.m. — half an hour extra — on several occasions when there has been a large crowd. Fresh tracks An unusual looking thing on tracks which “stormed” around the little township of Methven at 50 km/h last week is now up on the Mount Hutt ski-field for evaluation. The personnel carrier, originally designed as a military vehicle, has been brought out from Italy for trials. It is certainly versatile, making it up the Mount Hutt access road on rubber tracks and converting to steel-belted tracks when actually on the snow. The machine consists of two units, the back one doing all the steering. Reg ("Digger”) Cavill, who has been taking a break from his grader-driving duties to ferry people about on the ski-field, has quickly become a convert. “It's a great machine,” he said. “She’ll go anywhere you point her as long as the snow is firm enough.” The machine is powered by a sixcylinder Mercedes and has an automatic transmission. It would cost about $200,000 to buy. Among its possible uses are as a snow bus (with a capacity of about 20 people) to give the public rides on the Held, as a carrier for ski patrollers or maintenance crews, or even to mc-ve people up a road.