No more smoking on this volcano
Mt Ruapehu is about to become a non-smoking volcano.
Breathing in the cool fresh air on the slopes is about to get fresher with the mountain’s two main skifields adopting a smokefree policy.
The operator of the skifields Ruapehu Alpine Lifts - has decided it no longer wants the mountain shrouded in cigarette smoke
and has adopted a smokefree policy in all indoor and outdoor areas of both ski fields - just in time for the opening of the ski season.
Mt Ruapehu general manager of people and performance Andy Hoyle, said there were many reasons that the time felt right to make the mountain smokefree, one of which is the Government’s goal of a Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025.
‘‘That is something, we as an organisation, support and believe in,’’ he said.
‘‘In the end we’re in the business of sports and leisure and as part of that it’s important to promote and support healthy lifestyles, not just for our staff but for the general public as well.’’
While indoor areas of the ski fields are already covered by smokefree laws, the new Ruapehu policy will extend to all outdoor public use areas of Whakapapa and Turoa.
‘‘The other aspect of this is that we are privileged to operate in the pristine surrounds of Tongariro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site,’’ Hoyle said.
‘‘Anything we can do to preserve and protect our part of it – from cleaner air to fewer cigarette butts littering the ground – we have a responsibility to do.’’
All visitors to the mountain lighting up this season will be politely asked to refrain by staff.
‘‘In the end it’s about creating a more pleasant environment for everybody to enjoy the mountain,’’ Hoyle said.
*Happy Valley will open Friday, June 1 and will offer free skiing and snowboarding from 11am-2pm.