Anger at hefty charges for snow play

Free sledding and snow play on Mt Ruapehu skifields is soon to be consigned to history, with hefty new charges imminent.

Locals are furious that the company which runs the Whakapapa and Turoa skifields is proposing to charge $59 for adults and $35 for children to access the Happy Valley and Alpine Meadow areas which were previously free.

Those areas have traditionally been used by North Island families giving children their first taste of snow.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), a not-forprofit corporate, has been accused of a money grab, but says it has spent millions developing the areas and the charges are fair.

RAL has fenced off the snow play area at Happy Valley on Whakapapa and plans to do the same at Turoa’s Alpine Meadow, forcing people to purchase tickets and pass through turnstiles.

The charges include compulsory addons such as sled hire, a sight-seeing chair ride and shuttle bus.

Other skifields such as Coronet Peak and the Remarkables in Queenstown allow free access to their beginner areas, while Mt Hutt has a small sledding area allowing bring-your-own toboggans.

RAL’s new chief executive, Ross Copland, said there were still lots of areas on Ruapehu where families could play or sled for free, but locals say those places are not necessarily safe or accessible.

‘‘I think it’s ridiculous,’’ said Lucy Conway, Raetihi resident and former Waimarino-Waiouru Community Board member.

‘‘I saw Happy Valley fenced off and I thought ‘they can’t do that, it’s a National Park’. People get their first touch of snow normally by just playing around and sliding on rubbish bags, and there’s going to be a whole lot of people who don’t do that anymore.’’

Copland said RAL had invested $4 million in Happy Valley facilities, and it was unfair that skiers and snowboarders carried all the cost.

He said the company was not allowed to restrict public access to its skifields. But under its concession, it could charge reasonable costs.

Safety was another big factor, with sledders often colliding with skiers.

‘‘It was a chaotic experience in previous years, with everything from real estate signs, fridge doors and car bonnets being used to slide down the slope, and there were a lot of injuries as a result.’’

He said there was a large area known as Meads Wall which would still be available for free sledding, although he acknowledged it had cliffs at either end and parental supervision was needed.

‘‘There’s been some sensational things said, like people won’t be able to build a snowman or throw a snowball without having to pay, which is not correct.

‘‘You can build a snowman anywhere you like in the National Park, and we’ve provided a big mound of snow for kids to play in.’’

Copland said the costs were fair, and on a par with attractions such as Rainbow’s End and the Rotorua luge, but RAL was considering a cheaper option that didn’t include a sightseeing pass.

National Park Community Board member John Chapman said he was concerned that the area’s many low income people would be shut out.

James Barsdell, the Department of Conservation’s acting operations manager for Tongariro, said RAL was required to provide safe snow play areas, and its licence permitted it to ‘‘make business decisions’’.

But it might have were reasonable.

Ruapehu mayor Don Cameron said Copland had some hard lessons to learn if he wanted to keep locals on side. ‘‘He doesn’t quite understand that National Park isn’t Coronet Peak and it’s got to be treated as a National Park.’’ to prove its charges