Downhill Ski Club

Downhill News

P O Box 1741Shortland StAuckland 1015

Downhill Ski Club Inc.
Ruapehu	0-7-892 3843
National Park	0-7-892 2601
email	grant.mctavish@telecom.co.nz
Web Page	www.iol.co.nz/dsc/

May 1999

Dear member

There have been some encouraging snowfalls on Ruapehu since I wrote the last newsletter. Snow was down to a reasonably low level during the working bee, and it was certainly the most I have seen on Ruapehu for quite sometime. While the sun has been shining on to make a glorious Indian summer, and now winter, the temperature has dropped noticeably. The signs are looking good for a great season. RAL and Turoa are projecting to open on June 23 for the school holidays. Keep up with that training and start waxing those skis.

Club Evening at The Snow Centre

The committee has arranged a free Club evening at The Snow Centre, 71 Stanley St, Parnell for Thursday 3 June. A 15% discount is offered on all items, except second hand goods or items that are already at sale price, between the hours of 5 and 7pm, with the evening finishing at 10pm. There will be complimentary tea and coffee, and the Club will provide some nibbles. There will be also a guest speaker explaining the new carving skis. See you there.

Activities

Working Bee

As a result of the recent working bee, both lodges are looking great and are ready for a busy season. Despite the never ending list of jobs to do, for a small material cost and a big labour input, the important jobs were completed. A busy Saturday on Ruapehu and at National Park (enjoyable even for those blown off the roof, exercising muscles moving rocks and picking up rubbish in the bracing weather, painting, nailing, spraying, cleaning, and plastering). A feast of a dinner at National Park cooked by Heather, some late night social drinks and story telling, and then a morning clean-up at National Park, made for a rewarding weekend. A big thankyou to those who attended, who will also receive two nights of accommodation credits.

National Park Freezer

Unfortunately, the freezer at National Park has reached the end of its life. As there is longer a need for such a large one with grocery deliveries to both lodges on a regular basis, and mains power on Ruapehu, a smaller one will replace it. Until the Club has a positive cash flow, or a generous member donates a freezer, bread and milk will have to be bought by people using the lodge. Please submit the receipts for these to the committee, and you will be reimbursed.

RAL and Turoa Update

Those of you following the RAL v State Insurance case (RAL claiming $4.6 million on a business interruption policy as a result of the 1995-96 eruptions), you will be pleased to see that the Court of Appeal has ruled in RAL's favour. Not so good if you are a State policy holder, as the premiums may rise. State may yet appeal to the Privy Council. The financial state of RAL according to Dave Mazey is very good considering the poor seasons since the 1995 eruption. RAL is committed to buying the financially troubled Turoa, while at the same time not raising prices. As Dave Mazey says, the North Island skifields are not so much competing amongst themselves for business, but with the South Island and overseas skifields, and the overall competition to attract the discretionary public dollar.

Club Web Page

The Club has a site in the Internet at www.iol.co.nz/dsc/ . This site has news along with information about the club. If you have Internet access, go to this page and put your email address in. You will then be emailed when the page changes.

The newsletter and club rules are now online as well. If you are in credit with the booking officer, you can book with the online booking form. There is a list of committee contact numbers and links to related sites such as the ski report at www.snow.co.nz or www.whakapapa.co.nz .

If you have any prospective members, point them to the information on entrance fee, subs and accommodation rates. There are some photos of the lodges, which give an idea of what they are like. Mike Fitzmaurice, who wrote the pages, would like to set up a members links page. If you have any skiing related pages you have created in your own home page with your ISP, then email Mike at admin@iol.co.nz and he will include them for you.

Ruapehu Mountain Sewerage Scheme Update

Even though the Club does not have to connect to the proposed system (yet!), I thought that it may be worthwhile to give a quick update on the sewerage scheme. For a number of years, RAL, DoC, Ruapehu District Council (RDC), the Ruapehu Mountain Clubs Association (RMCA), and the Chateau, Skotel and others at Whakapapa Village, have been working on a scheme to improve and incorporate the existing sewerage systems at Whakapapa and Iwikau Villages. The Whakapapa system (to the northeast of the Chateau) is reaching capacity and is not very efficient, while the Iwikau system consists of septic tanks spread across the mountain. DoC and the iwi have stated that the sewerage must be removed completely from Ruapehu, and treated and discharged appropriately.

The proposed scheme involves running a sewer pipe to every septic tank and RAL building, linked to a main laid down the Bruce Rd, picking up the Whakapapa system, and piping it all to a treatment station. There are two possible sites for the treatment station; one at the end of the Chateau Rd (strongly objected to by Mountain Air and Landcorp), or at the site of the old National Park tip (objected to by RDC as it would only increase the existing leachate problems of the tip). No site has been finalised. Each sewerage contributor would be charged for the connection and use based on a pre-set formula which would see RAL and the Chateau being charged the most, and each individual club based on the number of bunks. The Knoll Ridge Café would be connected at a later date, while at this stage the West Ridge Café, the NZAC hut on Delta ridge, and the Downhill Ski Club are exempt from joining the scheme.

Work was supposed to start a number of summers ago, but with the eruption, low income seasons, the lack of a treatment site, and now the withdrawal of RDC from the funding scheme, it has been put on hold for at least a year.

Subscriptions

Enclosed are the subscription statements for this year. In order to gain new members and to encourage past members to rejoin, it was decided at the AGM to hold the 1999 subscription rates at the 1998 level and to remove altogether the joining fee for 1999.

Please pay your subscriptions as soon as possible to make Ivan a happy treasurer.

Booking Officer

The Club is still seeking a Booking Officer to take over from Barbara. If you are interested in doing this very rewarding and fulfilling role, then please contact me and I will arrange for Barbara to apply her teaching skills on you to ensure a smooth transition.

Committee

If you have any suggestions or queries, please do not hesitate in contacting any Committee Member.

Grant McTavish
President.

Downhill Ski Club Incorporated.

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