Broken River to hold annual Mountain Smoker

Press, 25 August 1988, Page 22

Broken River to hold annual Mountain Smoker

WEWS FROM THE TOP

by

Tim Dunbar

Broken River is holding its annual "Mountain Smoker” race on Saturday, September 10, and skiers who prefer a reasonably sedate pace and the odd breather need not apply. Mountain Smokers have been run at the Broken River field in the Craigieburn Range since 1982, and the event’s physical demands are well known among club skiers.

For two hours non-stop, competitors will be hurtling from the top to the bottom of the ski-field and then heading back up the main rope tow. Once up and once down, comprises a complete circuit and the idea is to do as many as possible. Helmets are advisable, bruising falls are frequent and the pace unrelenting. For safety reasons, numbers will be limited to about 40 skiers (teams of three or individuals), and some people will probably have to be turned away. “It’s a very demanding and difficult event,” said the captain of the Broken River Ski Club, Lawrence Boul. "We’re only really looking at advanced skiers and super fit ones.”

The race record is still held by a Canadian ski instructor and fitness fanatic, Norman Kreutz, who did a startling 52 laps in 1983. He was said to have legs like tree trunks.

Kreutz’ record represents a little over an average of two minutes per 'lap and it takes about Imin 30s to go up the rope tow. Obviously, the top racers make very few turns on the way down, a vertical drop of about 200 m. One year, a competitor skied into the tow shed and his skis snapped off. Undaunted he borrowed another pair, had a quick smoke and carried on.

This year’s event is sponsored by Look bindings and Kiwi Lager to the tune of

about $l2OO worth of cash, and other prizes. Novelty prizes will include the usual one for “best fall.”

Among the likely entrants is the Christchurch speed skier, Martin Jones, who has won the event twice before and should again be a top contender.

As usual, the race will take place snow conditions and weather permitting with the Sunday as the contingency day. Skiers keen enough, or mad enough, to take part should contact the Broken River club captain, P.O. Box 2718, Christchurch. Time off For a very good reason, Wendy Williams (nee Leslie) has stepped down as ski school director at Cardrona this winter after five seasons in the job. On May 20, she had a baby daughter. But while the new mother takes a break from ski instructing her husband, Noel, has moved back to Wanaka’s other ski area, Treble Cone, and is in charge of the ski school there. A former Christchurch lad, Nigel Kerr, has taken over at Cardrona in what is his sixth season on the field. During the northern winters Nigel works at a ski area in Washington, U.S.A., called Snoqualmie and is assistant ski school director there. Among his projects at Cardrona for 1988 are two junior race camps during the school holidays — from August 29 to September 2 and from September 5 to 9. Fencing break One hill-country sheep run, Lochiel Station, Hanmer Springs, is making a considerable contribution to the smooth

running of the nearby Amur! ski-field, which opened for the season last week. Both the field’s manager, Tim Bygate, and the assistant-manager, Hamish Monteath, are seasonal workers on the station. Tim is taking a break from a fencing assignment which lasted rather longer than expected with the late arrival of the snow.

Quick way home Getting home at the end of a day at The Remarkables ski area, Queenstown, is literally a breeze for Paul Van Der Kaag and his partner, Ged Hay. While others take the long way down — the 14km access road — they often fly home in just seven minutes by parapente (a fully inflated rectangular parachute) from the 2000-metre-plus ridge of The Remarkables. It is all in the line of their work as they operate Max Air Parapentes at the ski area. Field reduced Terrible weather, and to a lesser extent, the ravages of the free champagne from the previous night’s race party, severely reduced the field for the inaugural Telerate Ski Classic at Turoa, Mount Ruapehu, on Sunday. Thirty teams from the financial markets, comprising 120 skiers, were registered for the corporate ski challenge. The race had to be postponed on the Saturday and on the Sunday a small field of dedicated skiers still had to battle against blizzard conditions with visibility less than 15 metres. Just 39 skiers completed the giant slalom course, a team from Bankers Trust taking the trophy from N.Z.I. Bank and B.P. Oil, N.Z. Ltd. To be eligible all corporations had to subscribe to Telerate, an international financial information network.