Skifield may not open at all this season
Taranaki is known for its fickle ski seasons, but this year the mountain’s Manganui Ski Area may not open at all for the first time in over three decades.
To date, the skifield on Taranaki Maunga, which has been known to open as early as May, has not turned on its rope tows or T-bar, and with recent rain washing almost all the snow away there’s little chance it will.
The skifield, which is run by the Stratford Mountain Club, came near to opening in late July and early August following heavy snow, but unfortunately the snow was too wet to ski on.
Then the region had 10 days of rain which washed off much of the snow and ice that was left leaving the maunga looking like it would in the early summer rather than the end of the winter.
But Taranaki is not alone. Mt Ruapehu’s two skifields, Turoa and Whakapapa, are having their worst season in decades.
Turoa has closed until further notice and more than 100 staff who work on the mountain have been made redundant. At the same time the Rainbow Ski Area at the top of the South Island has seen ‘‘rivers’’ running through the snow, leaving them unable to operate.
But back to Taranaki and the Manganui field. Here are some numbers that explain a bit more about the area and its poor season.
0 The number of days the Stratford Mountain Club has opened the Manganui Ski Area this year. Club president Jenni Fletcher said while the club’s rope tows and T-bar had not been in operation, there had been people skiing.
Should the region get a dumping of snow the club could be operating in no time to capitalise. Fletcher said there had been 5 to 10 centimetres of snow in one day in August but a one-day dump of wet snow wasn’t enough to open the area.
2 Manganui Ski Area sits in Te Papakura o Taranaki, Egmont National Park, the second national park established in New Zealand. The park was recognised in 1900 and followed the establishment of Tongariro National Parks in 1894.
3 There are three major reasons for the poor season – no cold airflow from the south, a marine heatwave over the coast of Taranaki and climate change.
‘‘If we look at Taranaki, New Plymouth is on track for one of the warmest winter on record and the records go back to 1944,’’ Niwa principal scientist Chris Brandolino said.
‘‘Stratford has had again a very warm winter. A top three warmest winter is very likely and the records there go back to 1960.’’
Getting enough snow was possible but not probable as the sun was getting higher while we approached spring, he said – the odds for ‘‘any meaningful snow over the next several days are quite low’’.
16 The earliest the skifield has ever been opened to the public was in 2009, when the top tow was suddenly opened on May 16.
In 2018, Taranaki Maunga had a late dump snow in November and skiers took to the slopes on November 2 – the latest day on record the field has ever been opened.
300 The average snowfall on the mountain is 300cm per year. MetService meteorologist John Law said this winter ‘‘has been dominated by wet, warm weather which is sadly not the weather we want when we are looking for snow.’’
‘‘For the North Island, to get a dump of snow on the mountains we are looking for a good southerly.’’
But cold temperatures are not all it takes – ‘‘we also need moisture,’’ he said.
1200 The cost to operate the ski area for a day is $1200. Fletcher said on a fully operational day, the top tow and the T-bar would be manned by a mix of workers and volunteers.
‘‘If we have the canteen open and the tows all going, with wages contributing $600 to 800, the overall daily cost is around $1200.’’
1917 (Probably) the first year someone skied on the mountain.
It’s thought that Mr R Tyrer was the first local man to ski on Taranaki Maunga.
He skied on Fanthams Peak on skis borrowed from an Auckland visitor, wrote Bob Stokes in Manganui: A History of the Stratford Mountain Club.