Snowlines: Glad tidings from a very Happy Valley

By COLIN MOORE

Happy Valley, the country's best ski and snowboard learning area, is even happier. The natural amphitheatre at the Whakapapa skifield on Mt Ruapehu has had several million dollars lavished on it to make learning snow sports easier and more fun.

The valley floor has been groomed and cleared of rocks so a minimum snowfall will allow skiing and boarding. Banks have been cut and levelled to increase the skiing area by more than 30 per cent, and a problematic stream that caused problems during minor thaws has been drained.

Water pipes have been buried to feed a network of snowmaking machines that will quickly blanket the floor with a snow layer.

But the biggest improvement is the installation of the Double Happy Chairlift. It is ideal for a beginners' ski and board area as it travels at a sedate 1.5m a second and does away with the archaic rope tows.

The valley's platter lifts have been relocated but the provision of a moving carpet for the youngest beginners is on hold. , as is found at some overseas fieldsnte

The sunny, sheltered area has its own cafeteria, equipment hire and ski school.

When I jokingly suggest to Dave Mazey, general manager of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, that all that is needed now is to grass the valley floor so that it will require even less snow to get up and running and be suitable for summer terrain boarding, he is aghast.

The former Department of Conservation officer is quick to remind me that this is a national park and a world heritage site.

In fact, the Happy Valley landscaping has included planting and nurturing alpine mosses and tussock on the valley floor.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts spent $3.5 million over the summer on improvements to the Whakapapa and Turoa fields, the largest single spend-up in 10 years.

The other major development is a snowmaking system for the Rockgarden which will allow two trails to open early in the season.

A new, 28 million-litre water reservoir will supply 25 snow guns through a network of pipes. Ruapehu Alpine Lifts plans to create a third Rockgarden trail and to expand to 35 snow guns next year.

Dave Mazey, RAL's general manager, is loathe to concede the development is an acknowledgement of global warming. Snowfall records have yet to show any significant long-term change. What they do show is a cyclical pattern, and increasing snowmaking capacity is a cover for poor snow seasons and late winters.

Mark Davies, DoC area manager, says it has worked closely with Ruapehu Alpine Lifts on this work .

"These are fantastic projects for the ski area and the mountain as a whole. The Happy Valley project includes a five-year restoration of the valley floor in tussock, and the Rockgarden snowmaking project includes taking major electrical and telecommunications cables underground."

At Turoa, the seating in the Giant Cafe has been doubled and upgraded, and the High Noon T-bar has had a refit. The snowmaking capacity on Clarry's Track has also been increased.

The changes at Mt Ruapehu are part of a 10-year plan to improve facilities at Turoa and Whakapapa, with a priority on snowmaking, new lifts and improvements such as new restaurants for the ski areas.

If most of the initial development seems to be for the benefit of beginners, the more experienced skiers and boarders should be happy, too.

Beginners hire equipment, take lessons and spend a lot of time in cafes. In short, they make money for ski areas, money that can be spent higher on the mountain.

Another good move this year for beginners is an extension to Ruapehu Alpine Lifts's Discover Skiing package to a second and third day, with a more advanced lesson on the upper mountain lifts.

The package, which includes equipment hire, a lesson and lift ticket, is the most economical way to start skiing or boarding, but fast learners tended to find that one or two days on the lower mountain was all they needed. Now they can progress with a package deal that remains good value.

There has already been snow on Mt Ruapehu and with a few cold nights the lower mountain areas should be open on Queen's Birthday weekend.

* A season's pass for Mt Ruapehu costs $579 for adults, $519 for students and $449 for youths (16 and under). Contact RAL, ph 0508 782 734.

* An all-lifts, all-day pass costs $56 for adults, $28 for youths. A lower mountain all-day pass costs $43 for adults, $22 for youths.

* Day one Discover Skiing costs $60 for adults, $40 for youths; Discover Snowboarding, adults $68, youths $50.

* Day two Discover Skiing: skiing, adults $75, youths $50; snowboarding, adults $85, youths $64.

* Day three Discover Skiing: skiing, adults $90, youths $58; snowboarding, adults $100, youths $72.

Mount Ruapehu

Snow Centre

* Every fortnight until Labour Weekend, Outdoors/Snowlines will focus on winter activities.

* colinmoore@xtra.co.nz