2000 wait an hour to score ski gear
ABOUT 2000 people waited more than an hour to grab themselves a bargain, courtesy of the Whakatipu Ski Club, at the Queenstown Events Centre yesterday afternoon.
The club’s annual ski sale was again held at the Queenstown Events Centre, organisers deciding to open the doors a few minutes early, as the queue snaked around the exterior of the venue and into the carpark.
Among the shoppers was new Queenstown resident Emalee Watson, who has just moved here from Oregon, in the United States.
She said she was ‘‘superexcited’’ about the resort’s mountains opening.
‘‘I’ve never skied out of the [United States] before, so it’s kind of exciting to see what it’s like here.’’
Whakatipu Ski Club president Adrian Hoddinott said the sale started about 30 years ago when the club was looking for an event to raise funds.
At that time, proceeds went towards ski lessons, but in latter years it had been a fundraiser to maintain the club’s lodge at Coronet Peak.
For the first time this year, the club moved registration for all gear online, which Mr Hoddinott said worked brilliantly, but did mean they had to turn away a few people who wanted to drop off items yesterday.
Given the cost of living pressure, events such as the ski sale were ‘‘vital’’ for those who still wanted to get their winter fixes on the mountains.
‘‘People are struggling out there, so we see it as a pretty cool role that we can play to be a bit of a conduit between new skiers and snowboarders and getting [gear] for a really cool price.
‘‘I’ve seen some fantastic bargains today. It makes me stoked that other people are getting a bargain — it’s really cool.’’