Whakapapa Ski Area to open this Saturday

It’s all go at Mt Ruapehu with Whakapapa Ski Area set to open tomorrow, Saturday 26 June.



Whakapapa’s Happy Valley Beginners’ Area will be operating, with facilities on the upper slopes opening as conditions allow. Whakapapa’s Lorenz's Bar and Cafe will also be open, as will the Vertical Retail Store. Turoa Ski Area opened on Thursday last week.



Mike Smith, Mt Ruapehu marketing manager says the Mt Ruapehu snow making team has been working overtime to get Happy Valley ready for tomorrow’s opening day.



“The weekend’s outlook is for more snow and our snowmaking team’s been working hard preparing trails at Whakapapa, and Happy Valley is all set for tomorrow,” says Mr Smith.



“With snow in the forecast through until Tuesday, together with snow making we are hoping to open further lift facilities as soon as conditions allow.”



The good news at Mt Ruapehu continues with construction of the replacement tower for the High Noon Express already underway.



“We’ve had phenomenal support from our manufacturing contractors who’ve been working ahead of schedule. Galvanising and painting of the new tower is expected over the next couple of days, and we anticipate it will be delivered to Turoa on Monday. From there we’ll require a three fine days for installation,” says Mr Smith.



“Following installation the lift will undergo several strict safety checks before being certified by SGS and a new operating certificate issued. We expect the High Noon Express to be fully operational sometime during the first week of the school holidays which is great news.”



A full inspection of the other towers of the High Noon Express was undertaken by Doppelmayr Metal Specialists from Austria, and no damage or stress to any other towers was found.



As well as Whakapapa celebrating its opening, the Mountain Mardi-Gras is happening this Saturday at Ohakune Junction, and will feature a line-up of well-known and up-and-coming Kiwi acts.



Visit www.mtruapehu.com for more information about Mt Ruapehu and Saturday’s Mountain Mardi-Gras.