New Zealand to get first ski resort gondola
New Zealand to get first ski resort gondola
The ski and snowboarding community in New Zealand has welcomed the news that the country's first gondola to service a ski resort is to be built. The Lee family and Snow Park NZ earlier this week announced that the Cardrona Valley project has been given the green light.
The NZ$16.6 million project will reportedly service three zones; Snow Park NZ, Waiorau Snow Farm and the planned Roaring Meg Resort.
New Zealand’s new gondola will be 3.8 kilometres long and will have capacity to transport up to 1000 skiers per hour in gondola cars, each holding eight passengers. The go-ahead was enthusiastically received by Sam Lee, Snow Park NZ manager: "We have world class facilities available and can now deliver the whole package to ensure safety, ease of passage and an enjoyable mountain experience to our visitors. It is immensely important that we can develop not only the ski fields but the means of access to them. There are so many benefits, we are thrilled." The proposed Roaring Meg Resort will, according to Snow Park NZ, "exponentially add to the freestyle and cross country sports on offer" and will have runs of up to 1,800 metres on a site of 300 hectares.
The proposal was originally submitted in July 2007 and has now been approved after amendments centred around the development of public walking tracks around the gondola station and across the valley were agreed to. The revised plans include the creation of an ecological walk around the top of the station. Information cards will also be placed in all of the gondola cars to educate skiers and snowboarders about the history and ecological importance of various points along the gondola path.
Skiers and snowboarders flying into New Zealand to test out the snow will soon also be able to take advantage of in-flight iPod docking stations with Air New Zealand. Flight International reports that the airline is equipping 13 of its aircraft with in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, allowing passengers to play music and video content from their own MP3 player. Ed Sims of the airline explained that the new system allowed them evolve beyond immediate requirements and would ensure that they could continue to offer their customers "a unique travel experience" in the coming years.
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16 May 2008
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