Crucial ski season wrapping up on Mt Ruapehu

Mt Ruapehu certainly wasn't short of snow this season, but visitor turnout was impacted by early uncertainty over the ski field opening. Photo / Mt Ruapehu

Mt Ruapehu’s ski season is finishing next week, and there have been mixed reviews over just how good it was.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief operating officer Travis Donoghue said the number of visitors for the ski season had been solid.

“It certainly isn’t enough to have changed the big picture, I guess— of the solution that needs to be found for the mountain.”

He said the fantastic snow environment meant numbers were well up from last year.

“It wasn’t a season that set records— but the numbers were as we expected.”

TCB Ski Board and Bike director Ben Wiggins said it had been “friggin’ awesome”.

“We’ve had an absolute cracker of a year as far as snow-wise and weather-wise goes.”

Wiggins said Tūroa had the biggest base in the country for the season, and the largest commercial field snow base in the world for one month: “We beat out Austria by 5 centimetres.”

Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton said this year’s ski season was absolutely crucial for the region.

“We’re grateful for the fact that it was open with all the politics that went on behind the scenes.”

The turnover from the ski fields to the community had been tremendous, he said.

Wiggins said uncertainty at the beginning of the season led a lot of regular customers to book holidays down south.

“We definitely saw a bit of a lack of our regular visitors, but what we did see was a massive uptake in first-timers and people that have never been skiing before.”

New skiers had flocked to the region, he said.

Donoghue said hiring staff in the technical departments of the ski field would remain a challenge in the coming years, but that was a similar case for the ski industry the world over.

“Certainly, with the return to work visas, we did see a few more international staff than we’ve had the last few [seasons], but overall it was a fairly typical mix for us.

“Hiring locals was priority one.”

Liquidators PwC and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are still working to figure out a medium to long-term solution for Mt Ruapehu.

It was beyond Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ ability to comment at this stage, Donoghue said.

Kirton said he was confident the ski field would be operating next year.

“What we’ve got is breathing space over the summer months to solve some of the outstanding issues.”

There were ongoing negotiations with the Government and iwi relationships and Treaty settlements to consider, he said.

Donoghue said tourist ventures such as the Sky Waka Gondala and Tongariro Crossing would continue through the summer months.

The projected closing date for the ski season on Mt Ruapehu is October 23rd.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.