Skifield still keen on camp

this year’s ski season had kicked off. ‘‘We were looking at multiple things, and the council suggested we put it all together and submit it as one, rather than as multiple resource consents,’’ Lazor said.

‘‘We just have to make sure everything we want long-term is aligned with council and DOC requirements.

‘‘For now, we have to step back and say, ‘how do we grow our ski business?’ Our main focus is our skifield. This [a freedom camping site] is an add-on to it.’’

However, he said the club, which attracted close to 22,000 ski visitors last ski season, was ‘‘still keen’’ to install a freedom camping site as part of its long-term plan.

It would first look to install a freedom camping site for summer visitors, while working on the logistics of opening the site through winter, he said.

Several summer visitors to the Rainbow Ski Area had expressed interest in staying there overnight, he said.

‘‘People come up and say, ‘oh, this is what it looks like from up here, now we understand why you want to do this’,’’ Lazor said.

There were almost two dozen skifield in New Zealand, and while several offered lodge accommodation, none boasted a freedom camping site.

Priorities this year were fixing the road to and from Rainbow, and being able to make snow at more reliable temperatures, Lazor said.

The club had a resource consent in at the council to put gravel on its 8-kilometre alpine road because it had no improvements for four to five years. It had also recently bought two new fan guns, worth $120,000, for its beginner area. The guns could cover the slope in snow in about 80 hours. Fan guns were scheduled to be switched on in late May to help it reach its target start date of June 28.

‘‘We want to be open for school holidays . . . it’s big pressure for myself and the operations crew,’’ he said.

The club had a record 86-day season last year, which was in stark contrast to the two years prior, when it opened for about 50 days.

Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd said at a planning, community and finance committee meeting in March that it was interested in working with Rainbow to help boost the winter market.

Residents can keep an eye on the skifield at skirainbow.co.nz.