Ski fields delay opening
Many southern ski areas are delaying their season openings and will operate three-day weeks as they prepare for a year without international visitors.
In Queenstown, NZSki is anticipating between 25 per cent and 40 per cent of its usual numbers and will only open The Remarkables ski area for the July school holidays and weekends.
Nearby Coronet Peak will open on June 26 and stay open for the season, chief executive Paul Anderson said. Last year the ski areas opened in early June.
This year’s delay was due to lost preparation time during the level 4 lockdown, he said.
Mt Hutt, near Christchurch, would operate for three days a week after it opened on June 12, and five days a week from July 1, including the weekend, he said.
Operations were restricted because of the lack of availability of some critical staff, such as groomer operators, who typically came from overseas.
The company was refunding season-pass holders who could not get to New Zealand due to Covid-19, if they had also purchased ‘‘pass protection’’.
Those without pass protection were able to roll season passes over to the 2021 season. The company would consider full refunds later in the season, depending on border restrictions, Anderson said.
Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone ski areas were offering full refunds to those who could not get there due to Covid-19, general manager Bridget Legnavsky said.
Only a small number had sought refunds so far, and they were mostly Australians or other international visitors.
Cardrona was scheduled to open on June 26 with neighbouring Treble Cone opening a day later, she said. A later-than-usual date was selected for Cardrona because the main visitors in early June tended to be international tourists wanting snow experiences, sightseeing and beginner ski packs.
Domestic skiers were not usually keen until the snow was good, she said.
The delayed start was also necessary to ensure appropriate planning was in place, she said.
‘‘Most of the feedback we’re getting is just relief we’re going to open . . . It was touch and go for a while.’’
The intention was to keep both ski fields open throughout the season but limitations could be put in place if demand was low.
‘‘We can promise we will have a ski field open all season,’’ she said.
Ohau Snow Fields and Tekapo’s Roundhill were planning to open on June 27, while Mt Dobson ski area near Burkes Pass was preparing to open on July 3.
Porters Ski Area’s website said it intended to open on June 22, depending on the snow and weather conditions.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief executive Jono Dean could not be reached to comment on opening days for the Whakapapa and Turoa ski areas in the North Island.
Last week ski industry representatives confirmed details of their level 2 operational requirements with the Government.
The agreed guidelines included no cap on the total number of people allowed on ski areas, provided physical distancing could be managed. Contact tracing and increased sanitation requirements were to be in place, while restaurants and hospitality facilities would be subject to standard hospitality requirements.
Students return and so do the parties
Scarfies are back and so are couch fires and parties, despite a plea from the University of Otago for students to be considerate. Police were busy in the Dunedin student quarter on Saturday night, dispersing several parties that were being attended by well over the mandated maximum of 10 people under level 2. The university last week thanked students for their sacrifices during the Covid-19 lockdown, and reminded them of their ‘‘collective responsibility’’. However, it appears some did not get the message. In the middle of Leith St, in the heart of the student quarter, Campus Watch staff spotted two men lighting a couch. Just before 9pm on Saturday, police helped break up a party of 15 to 20 people on the same street. Another party, this time in Cumberland St and with 30 people, was broken up about 20 minutes later. Police broke up a third, larger party on London St, this time with 50 people, about 10pm.
‘We’re taking a gamble’
A further 21 roles at the Hermitage Hotel may be off the chopping block as a result of the Government extending its wage subsidy scheme. Aoraki/Mt Cook Alpine Village Limited, which owns the hotel, planned to axe 157 of its 178 staff in its efforts to stay afloat amid Covid-19 – but company director Peter Carnahan said the eight-week wage subsidy extension gave it a chance to save more jobs. ‘‘Essentially, 21 people have had their previouslyannounced termination date [June 24] extended to the end of August to see what sort of activity we can generate,’’ Carnahan said. ‘‘We’re taking a gamble, but we’re prepared to do that to grow the business and help more people.’’ Accommodation is available at the hotel from September 24, ahead of the school holidays, and the company’s Mt Cook Lodge and Motels is set to reopen on August 1. The number of bookings will determine how many of those extra 21 roles can be retained beyond the wage subsidy period, Carnahan said.