MOUNTAIN RESORTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23108, 6 February 1937, Page 14

MOUNTAIN RESORTS

IMPROVEMENT OF ACCESS PLANS FOR FUNICULAR RAILWAYS POPULARISING WINTER SPORTS (Special to Daily Times) WEHEKA, Feb. 5. The Tourist Department is investigating the possibility of constructing funicular railways to several of the major snowflelds of the Dominion with the idea of developing tfeem as ski-ing and mountaineering centres. This was announced this evening by Mr L. J. Schmitt, general manager of the department, who stated that, while the final plans had to be submitted to the Cabinet, he thought it certain that at least two or three of the railways would be built within the next two years. " Engineers of the Public Works Department are already preparing estimates for the construction of funicular lines similar to those common in the winter resorts of Switzerland, at The Chateau Tongariro, the Hermitage, Mount Cook, the Franz Josef Glacier, Waiho, and the Fox Glacier, Weheka," said Mr Schmitt. "All the available data is being secured from Switzerland and other countries where funicular transport has proved popular, and the work of preparing the plans is being pushed forward at a rapid pace. . "I think that this.method of transport will provide an excellent facility, not only for those interested in seeing the mountains from a scenic point of view, but. particularly for the rapidly increasing number of New Zealanders and visitors who are keen on that fascinating sport—ski-ing. We have some splendid ski-ing fields in New Zealand described by many experts from abroad as ranking with the best in the world. We have a great advantage in that practically all our ski-ing grounds can be used all the year round, and, it seems very necessary that something should be done to make them more - accessible to the people. I feel certain lhat if we can build some of these funicular railways along the lines followed in Switzerland, where ski-ers are taken up well above the snow line or at least into the snow, and saved a long climb with their skis, it will give the tourist trade a great stimulant. It is quite likely that some will be built, if not this year, then during the next year or so. There is no doubt lhat eventually several will be built in New Zealand." Mr Schmitt, who made the announcement after a trip up the Fox Glacier with the Minister of Railways (Mr D. G. Sullivan) and his party, mentioned how keenly Dominion and visitings ski-ers had advocated funicular lines to the snow, and emphasised his own view of the enormous possibilities if the scheme were approved. He pointed out the growth of winter sport in such countries as Switzerland and the extent to which the tourist trade there had been stimulated by the development of a system of funicular lines at all the most important ski-ing centres in the Swiss Alps. It is considered that no insuperable engineering difficulties would present themselves in the construction of short lines to the snow at any of the major winter resorts in New Zealand, although possibly in some cases it would be necessary at first to extend the road access to some of the points from which the lines would be built, but in no case, apparently, would this be a very costly undertaking. Electricity would be the motive power tor any lines built in the Dominion, and for this reason the investigations will include an inquiry "into the available power supply at each resort..