Spectacular back

Press, 1 June 1989, Page 36

Spectacular back

One of the more ambitious sporting events launched in New Zealand last winter, the Cadbury Moro Ohau Spectacular, will be run again this year — with a new format. The chairman of the Ohau Ski Area, Ltd, Michael Neilson, rated last year’s event as very successful, even though ill-directed wind forced the cancellation of the hang-gliding section and the windsurfers had a tough time of it.

Mr Neilson said that the event had been reorganised to cater for the weather conditions, and will now be run over two days on the week-end of August 26 and 27 (the first week-end of the primary schools’ holidays) with the addition of a mountain biking section. The first day will begin as last year with competitors running from the Ohau T-bar return station up to the top of the ridge and then fastening skis for

a mad downhill race to the helicopter park. From there they will ride mountain bikes down the ski-field road, and depending on the direction of the wind, cycle either to the top or bottom of the lake.

“The windsurfing stage will thus not be phased by a strong headwind, and competitors will enjoy a spectacular downhill slalom course with one buoy to negotiate back to the finish at Lake Ohau Lodge,” Mr Neilson said. On the second day the hang-gliders will have their turn. They will take off from the top basin and fly over the field, points being scored for the length of time airborne “The prospect of maybe 30 to 40 hang-gliders in the air at once over the ski-field, and looking down to the lake on a still, fine Mackenzie country day could only be described as spectacular,” says Ohau’s chairman.