NZ luge carts off to Canada

Canadians will soon be bulleting down their slopes in luge carts made in Rotorua.

Having conquered Queenstown and Japan, Skyline Skyrides' luge carts are to take on the popular Quebec skifield of Mont Tremblant.

The 1.6km luge track currently lies deep under snow, but come the Canadian summer it will have dried off to reveal rides through stands of maple and Douglas fir.

Containers of equipment including 200 luge carts, a conveyor and a computer system, have been shipped to Canada where they will form part of North Sky Luge.

Skyline Skyrides general manager Neville Nicholson said all the equipment was manufactured in Rotorua, as it had been for the Japanese operations.

The gear took eight months to manufacture.

The marketing and development manager for the Rotorua operation, Bruce Thomasen, will manage the $3 million Canadian investment.

North Sky Luge will work alongside Intrawest, which runs several skifields in Europe and America, including Mont Tremblant.

The luge operation will be open for business between May and October.

During that time Mont Tremblant hosts 800,000 visitors, most of them from Canada.

Located seven hours' drive from New York, the luge track is expected to generate 200,000 luge rides in the first six months.

The Rotorua operation is open year-round and does 850,000 rides annually.

About eight New Zealanders, including Rotorua-based maintenance engineer Doug Hopewell, will leave for North Sky Luge in May to set up the business.

It is expected to employ up to 15 staff.

Unlike the Japanese franchises, North Sky Luge will be run by New Zealanders.

- NZPA