{"id":3863,"date":"2024-11-15T09:42:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T23:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/?page_id=3863"},"modified":"2024-11-24T09:50:14","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T23:50:14","slug":"my-70th-anniversary-of-skiing-on-mt-ruapehu-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/my-70th-anniversary-of-skiing-on-mt-ruapehu-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"My 70th anniversary of skiing on Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sliding on wooden skis at the raw Whakapapa ski area in1954 was my baptism to mountain life, and the first sensational thrill of going down a snow covered mountain…fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With father \u201cJack\u201d who was a passionate mountain climber it was a no-brainier \u201cYou walk up and I’ll watch you ski down\u201d, eventually graduating to the Manawatu Tramping Clubs tough n\u2019 gruff private rope tow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

70 years later I was slapping my big red ski bag and boot-pack up a nasty volcanic rock pathway to the Ngauruhoe ski lodge (being a foundation member for 60 years) on Mt. Ruapehu and stumbling into the welcoming foyer. The snow was very skinny around the club, definitely not ski in-out and the magic Pinnacle view and clear mountain summit showed considerable volcanic scab and un-skiable slopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Welcome to Whakapapa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Definitely not ski in-out!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Friday’s skiing looked promising, with blue skies and groomers with grippy snow and consistent depth? The Valley T. opened early and provided excellent \u2018ballsy\u2019 fast skiing on the valley\u2019s race slopes and tricky off piste challenges down the steep and icy Pinnacle face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, after a few \u2018non stoppers\u2019 under the Sky Waka gondola this group of club racers finally steadied, to enjoy a delicious coffee and a tasty kiwi-style late lunch in the revamped and classy Pinnacles Restaurant. Or is it the Knoll Ridge Cafe…your call?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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apre ski at N.S.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Top of the Bruce. Sky Waka.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ngauruhoe\u2019s ski club resident chef Fillippo Gasparini and delightful side-kick Anna completed our day, serving tasty \u2018Italian\u2019 first plates, followed by a regional (Bologna) veg-Risotto and a delicious sweet Ravioli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrazie mille\u201d Fillippo and Anna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fabulous Fillippo and Jodie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sky Waka over the waterfall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was a tough weekend at Whakapapa. The R.S.C.\u2018fastest skier on the mountain\u2019 race was cancelled and the two lifts above the gondola eventually closed due to high winds and the continuing whiteout conditions. Making the gondola run and the narrow Rock Garden trails with weekend warriors on slick and in sugar snow definitely scary. All saved by Lorenzo\u2019s Cafe at the Top of the Bruce with raucous fun and the interesting mix of day trippers, locals, and global ski – board wannabes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SKy Waka by Studio 86.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tough Grooming!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the week warming temps, low clouds and rain put a kibosh on good skiing on Mt Ruapehu. Even \u2018First Tracks\u2019 down the Sky Waka gondola couldn\u2019t maintain my enthusiasm and the desperately thin (anorexic) snow with unavoidable volcanic grit made me check out my options?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However being held hostage by a stubborn weather pattern and a creative Italian Chef does have it\u2019s advantages… (Fillippo\u2019s Tiramisu is amazing) and our clubs lodge in Ohakune is \u2018self catering\u2019, with a 20-minute mountain drive up to the Turoa slopes.
After 3 days of endless rains and with the mountain closed except in the Happy Valley beginners area I pulled the plug and re established camp in down town Ohakune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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bye bye Fillippo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hello Benny ?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Staying with a long standing school friend, ski racer and surfer Benny M. was an interesting reunion as he had recently moved to Ohakune to establish a new home and widen his creative and alternative life style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My relationship with Turoa ski fields started in 1979 when I bought the very first Turoa lift ticket and skied with my SKI SHED mates on opening day. (it\u2019s framed and safely displayed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohakune is the kiwi town \u201cToo Tough To Die\u201d… and this winter Turoa Ski Field enjoyed new local ownership with astute hands-on management. Bravo guys! It is all positive and producing a great vibe in the town and up on the slopes.
On a good day it\u2019s a beautiful drive from the Junction to the Turoa base, on a well maintained road to a drop off zone or the car park and a quick walk to the base area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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early risers get the car park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Welcome to Turoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After booting up in the comfortable cafeteria and with my free Super Senior season pass, (much appreciated) we hit the Movenpick Quad and unloaded down to the Giant triple chair. Exiting at the popular Giant Cafe to do the \u201cDump Your Day-Pack Ritual\u201d.
There were only three chairs open above the base and after a gulp of \u201ckiwi can do\u201d we skied down to the High Noon 6 pack and grabbed fresh tracks in the West Gully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High Noon Express is New Zealand\u2019s highest chair lift at 2322 metres but with the low snow pack only 3 groomed runs were open and Off Piste was frozen crust and not patrolled.
1.\u201cThe West Gully\u201d with a bumpy black diamond drop-in.
2.\u201cSnowbird\u201d the steep and firm pitch under the chair (in full view).
3. Testy \u201cVertigo\u201d a steep n\u2019 narrow natural half pipe with a slick gut exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stunning spring views south.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Turoa Base.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Turoa\u2019s south facing slopes had more snow than Whakapapa and these runs down past the Cafe to the High Noon Base became the daily pick. They were great training slopes and perfect for Old Dogs to refine their bio mechanics and create higher edge angles…rotating the 3 runs with 5 sets on most days was challenging, but earned \u201cApres at Freddies\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bottom of West Gully.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rolling Clouds from “out front”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chairlift chatter introduced me to the owner of the comfortable self catering \u201cStation Lodge\u201d above the vintage Ohakune railway station and Museum. David is a regular global skier with guiding experience in the Courchevel-3 Valleys and the Hintertux Glacier region in Austria. Being a local, he was good fun and interesting company while we enjoyed the High Noon steeps and avoiding the hard charging boarders and skiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the Giant slopes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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the Giant Cafe deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Giant Cafe is a Turoa Institution and now with a modern twist. Refreshed and poshed-up a bit the busy and cheerful staff offer hearty fast foods, kiwi pastries n\u2019 pies, great coffees AND the 2nd best Hot Chocolate in the ski world! True, Barista \u201cPavla\u201d makes world class Hot Chocolates, only bettered by the slope-side cafe at Nevados de Chillan, and the Refugio on top of Zermatt makes the 3rd<\/sup> best. Its a great meeting\u2013rendevous, inside, out front, or up on the deck with the OMG. views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pavla making the 2nd best Hot Chocolates on the planet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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out front of the cafe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApres at Turoa\u201d is above the main Cafeteria and in the very cool and stylish Freddies Bar-Restaurant and Lounge. Its open for breakfast, brunch and late lunches, serving delicious and tasty regional gourmet fare all day and drinks with snacks around the fire in the comfy Lounge area.
NICE team…and all managed with cheerful and engaging staff. It\u2019s very civilised and worth their international ski resort prices $$$.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rolling Pillows over Snowbird steps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Superspring skiing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To balance my travels I moved to Ngauruhoe\u2019s Ohakune ski club in the Alpine Village, to assist the non member arrivals, as active members were only skiing on Turoa if the weather was settled and staying one or two nights. Or was it the fabulous Italian \u201cTiramisu\u201d at the Whakapapa Lodge attracting them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After bombing the High Noon chair above the cloud pillows for nearly three perfect days and sipping delicious Hot Chocolates before down-loading to \u201cApres at Freddies\u201d, we added \u201cFrank\u2019s eatery and bar\u201d at the Junction to the must go apres list. Its a friendly all day Restaurant and Bar – Coffee an\u2019 Cake stop and where I bought my delightful \u2018Studio 86\u2019 Art Exhibition original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AK Studio 86<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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calm twilight from the Station Lodge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the Friday the mountain was closed due to extreme high winds, so I took the opportunity to socialise and see whats going on in Ohakune when the road is closed and the mountain shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Severe Weather Event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Studio 86 shows your options.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brunch in the \u201cUtopia Cafe\u201d with a ginger-nut and Havana Coffee Latte was outstanding and the Eggs Benedict were perfect, ensuring this casual cafe and creative kitchen wears the crown of \u2018 best in town\u2019 and good value. Many Thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popular Climbing Wall was well patronised with beginners and pro teens, while their families trolled the three major ski and board shops SLR. TCB. and Ski Shed, all offering good savings on current stock or organising \u2018Bike and Hike\u2019 groups for the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual \u201cWinter Art Exhibition\u201d created a tour to visit selected cafes selling the art in the Town and Junction, including La Pizzeria, Frank’s Cafe, The Kitchen, Utopia, The Cyprus Tree and up top, cool n\u2019 retro hand painted bikie jackets in Freddies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the beautiful road to Turoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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the cosy Station Lodge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was all good fun until we learned of the death of a tourist up on the High Noon slopes the previous day. An accident which was attended by many Patrollers and where I had described on the Vertigo run as…\u201cwith a slick gut exit\u201d? It took time, and as we were lapping on the chair in close proximity we could see very professional safety and care being provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This death instigated a traditional Maori \u201cRahui\u201d to be placed on the area and respectfully the ski field closed for the weekend.
Continuing the weekend \u2018tourist tour\u2019 now became somewhat calming, however it did solidify my feelings about this resilient town and the positive vibe the new owners were creating on Turoa and region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the tough Vertigo slope.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Off piste crust!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our \u2018last supper\u2019 was at the popular \u201cMountain Rocks\u201d Cafe and Bar in the main street, and that said….it does rock, and provide a tasty euro-bistro-pub style menu with cool craft beers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Is this bye bye Turoa?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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bye bye cosmic Benny.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Add the All Blacks thumping the Wallabies on the big screen and it was a great night out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s plenty to do in the Ohakune region…if the weather goes up side down. And it does,
Unfortunately, this low snow season with consistent warming temperatures and rains did not equate to the usual snow base on the lower slopes of Whakapapa or Turoa and the dinky Tukino club field with cat skiing on the eastern flank did not even open?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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view from the N.S.C. club.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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take your pick!.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next morning after reading the reliable 7 am Pure Turoa snow report (the mountain was closed) and calling my mate and local guru Ian Heappey for his long range weather opinion, it was \u201cGame Over\u201d and with two choices? The Bus from the main street near the \u201cI site\u201d office or the express Train from the Junction station, both leaving around midday and arriving in down town Auckland about 7 pm…may be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a scramble to complete my ski club duties and pack the gypsy ski bag, then race into the \u201cI site\u201d office to purchased a bus ticket to Auckland and fuel-up the cutesy b.m.w. coupe for Ian (gracious omego). Finally after a cosmic bye bye to Benny I grabbed a latte at Utopia and jumped on the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When leaving Ohakune I was confident there would be more snow and good spring skiing at both resorts but waiting another 2 weeks to enjoy world class corn snow \u201cout west\u201d on Turoa or Whakapapa just wasn\u2019t in my time equation. But wait….there\u2019s more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1st Day Ticket!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Murray Sandman
November 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sliding on wooden skis at the raw Whakapapa ski area in1954 was my baptism to mountain life, and the first sensational thrill of going down a snow covered mountain…fast. With father \u201cJack\u201d who was a passionate mountain climber it was a no-brainier \u201cYou walk up and I’ll watch you ski down\u201d, eventually graduating to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3863","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3863"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3993,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3863\/revisions\/3993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyskitravels.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}