Mead and Drake - first skiers on Ruapehu, 1913

Although skis had been used on the Otago goldfields by Norwegian miners in the 1860s, it was another 50 years before they were seen in the North Island.

THE NGARUAWAHIA ADVOCATE, JULY 1913 There arrived in Ngaruawahia today, by the one o'clock train, the largest pair of shoes yet imported into the North Island. They measure from toe to heel 7ft9in, and are the property of Mr W P Mead, of the Raglan County office staff. In other lands these enormous "strides" are known as "skis" pronounced "shee", and are used as a means of locomotion over ice and snow. Mr Mead, as most residents know, is an enthusiastic mountaineer, has imported the skis from Zurich, at considerable expense to himself, in order to introduce the exhilarating pastime of ski-ing into New Zealand. In all probability a club will be started for the purpose of prosecuting this novel - to New Zealanders - mode of recreation, on Mount Ruapehu.

Two young men were the first to use skis on Ruapehu. Having experienced the frustrations of plodding through heavy snow when climbing Mount Ruapehu, William Perrett (Bill) Mead and Bernard Drake decided to act on advice they had received ''to procure skis and to travel over the snow instead of through it'. They sent for equipment from Switzerland and also ordered the only book in English about the new sport of ski running.

In July 1913 the pair headed for Waihohonu with their wooden skis and a copy of 'The Ski Runner' by E C Richardson. It was a case of "because it was there" that Waihohono Hut on the eastern side of the volcanoes became the centre of activities in Tongariro National Park for almost 20 years. Built in 1901 by the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, the hut provided the first accommodation for park visitors.

"We got the coach driver at Waiouru to take us to the Waihohonu Hut in a buggy. There had been a heavy fall of snow not long before, and there were inches of snow around the hut. Just across the stream the southerly slopes of Tama Ridge were under deep snow which made it perfect for trying out our skis." W P Mead.

After only a day and a half of practice in the vicinity of the hut, Mead and Drake went ski touring across the tussock country near Tama Lakes. The next day they set off on ski to see what the Whakapapa slopes of Ruapehu were like in winter. They returned "satisfied that this Whakapapa area was much better than any other area on Ruapehu for skiing as well as for summer parties, if it would be given road access and huts.

When their winter holiday was over Mead and Drake left a note at the hut saying they were organising a ski club to be called the Ruapehu Ski Club and for anyone interested to contact them.

 Although novices, Mead and Drake made the descent to the limit of the skiable snow via the Whakapapa Glacier in about 20 minutes. They both fell frequently for, as Bill Mead said, "this was the most convenient way then known of turning at a moderately sharp angle".

Early ski enthusiasts, 1920s

The easiest slopes were the most suitable terrain for the ski enthusiasts of the 1920s and 30s. Skiing technique had not yet developed and how to turn was still a mystery. But, despite the drawbacks of basic equipment and having to walk for every run, the new sport of skiing was regarded as "jolly good fun".

Until the late 1920s skiers used only a single pole. By dragging it in the snow like a rudder it could be used to help turn, steer or stop. The correct thing to do seemed to be to hold the pole across the body while running downhill. Anyone who could run on skis for some distance was considered good and those who were able to turn were considered to be the finished article!

Early ski bindings were elemenary devices which held only the toe of the boot in place. The heel was encircled by a strap but was free to lift.

This allowed people to walk on the skis and to execute telemark turns. Unfortunately skis often came adrift from these bindings and a lot of time was wasted adjusting them. It was expensive and difficult to import skis so for many years people made their own.

 

From the Whakapapa huts (see history of Whakapapa and National Park Villages) to the skiing grounds it was a walk of about 6km up a bush track carrying ski gear and all the other needs for the day.

Skiing was mainly done on the gentle slopes of lower Scoria Flat. In those days there was usually plenty of snow at this level. Beyond here only the fit and the adventurous climbed with their skis.

In 1923 several Ruapehu Ski Club stalwarts built the club's first hut at 1770m. The tiny four bunk hut provided a base for climbing and ski touring high on Ruapehu. Today Glacier Hut, located in front of the large modern RSC building on Hut Flat, is preserved as a museum and is a memorial to early pioneering endeavours on the mountain.

As more skiers began to gather on the slopes thought turned to competition. In the early to mid 1920s competitors began together in what was called a "geschmozzle" start. Their idea of a ski race was to run straight down a gentle slope and this usually meant that the heaviest person won. During the winter of 1929 the Ruapehu Ski Club ran the first New Zealand Ski Championships.

In the Autumn of 1931 the Salt Memorial Hut was built overlooking the general skiing grounds on upper Scoria Flat. it was sited at 1550m; below where the lowest ski area buildings at the Top o' the Bruce are today. For 20 years Salt Hut was the only public shelter for skiers.

International influences, 1930s

In the 1930s visiting skiers from overseas demonstrated techniques not previously seen on the mountain. This international influence, initially from Australia and Europe, had a significant impact on Ruapehu skiing. The challenge of international ski racing gave added impetus to the revolution in skiing standards that was starting to take place. The role of ski racing, including international competition, continues to improve the standard of skiing in New Zealand today.

Australian ski champion Tom Mitchell won the 1932 national championships on Ruapehu. His high standard of skiing was an inspiration to the local skiers. Mitchell donated the Ngauruhoe Cup; a competition that still exists today. He was also responsible for inaugurating the inter-dominion contests between Australia and New Zealand. Atrocious weather during the first of these in 1936 meant that the long distance race was run on the Chateau golf course. Taranaki skiers dominated racing for many years as they could ski more frequently than most Ruapehu skiers who came to the mountain for only one week a year.

Olaf Pedersen, a Chateau guide in the 1930s, was a daring ski jumper. His favourite jumping place near the top of the original Rock Garden chairlift at Whakapapa is still called Olaf's Jump.

Despite the lack of formal instruction throughout most of the 1930s, the standard of skiing on Ruapehu improved all the time. More skiing was being done higher up on the steeper slopes above Scoria Flat where the snow lay on the ground for longer. In 1936 the Ruapehu Ski Club built a second hut on Hut Flat. About 12 tonnes of building material had to be carried 3 km from the road end up rugged terrain to the hut site. The hut had a stove and a sink and could comfortably accommodate 24. It was considered to be fairly luxurious and was given the nickname "Pansy Palace".

Austrian skier, Ernst Skardarasy was the first qualified instructor to teach on Ruapehu. During the winter of 1938 he taught the Arlberg technique - a systematic method of learning to ski which began with the snow plough and ran through to the pure Christiania.

Skardarasy trained O V ("Shorty") Clearkin, a greenkeeper in charge of the Chateau golf course, to teach beginners. Shorty worked as an instructor with the Chateau Ski School for many years and was renowned for his cheerful nature and endless patience.

Rope tows arrive, 1940s & 50s

The standard of skiing was gradually improving. With it came raised expectations: skiers were beginning to demand the maximum of downhill running without the effort of climbing.

The first ski tow in new Zealand was installed near Salt Hut in 1938 on a 5 degree slope. It was built by the Public Works Department at the request of the Tourist Department but it broke down after only a few hours and never worked again.

Only a limited amount of skiing continued on the mountain during the Second World War. The Chateau was taken over by the Health Depatment in 1942 and used to accommodate patients from the Porirua Psychiatric Institution which had been damaged by an earthquake. Other building in Whakapapa Village and Salt Hut were also placed under the jurisdiction of the department and were not available to skiers.

Ash eruptions from the active crater of Ruapehu between August and November 1945 ruined skiing that year. The heavy ash showers completely disrupted the Chateau's water supply and the patients were evacuated. Much to the dismay of skiers, the Chateau did not reopen to the public until 1948.

Meanwhile, Ted Pearse of the Tongariro Ski Club obtained plans for a tow called "The Sweden Freezer Portable Speed Rope Tow". He and his friend Sam Wathen built a kiwi prototype which was mounted on a sledge so it could be easily moved. Its trial in 1946, on Home Run at the back of the Ruapehu Ski Club Hut, was very successful.

Pearse obtained permission from the Tongariro National Park Board and the Tourist Department to operate two commercial rope tows. In June 1947 he built the Salt Run Tow which was the first fixed, operable ski tow int he country. It cost skiers 7s/6d a day to ride the 200m long tow.

The Tourist Depatment then employed Ted Pearse and Bill Hamilton (of jetboat fame) to build a tow on the slopes above the Ruapehu Ski Club Hut known as the staircase. The first Hamilton tow on Ruapehu was operational by August 1949. Skier's were each provided with a "nutcracker" and used this metal device to clamp onto the rope instead of gripping it with their hands.

At about the same time the Tourist Department began using ex-army trucks to transport park visitors to the ski grounds at Salt Hut. These four-wheel-drive vehicles later became known as "mountain goats", a name that has stuck despite the shuttles of today operating over a well-maintained sealed surface.

Two more Hamilton rope tows were installed in the 1950 season, one at Mead's Wall and a second up the Rockgarden. Ruapehu skiers were than able to spend more of their time skiing, rather than walking. Most ventured no higher than the top of the Staircase or the head of the Yankee Slalom and long runs were made down to Salt Hut for ski lessons.

The efficient ski patrol of today had its origins on Ruapehu in the 1950s when Bill Bridge of the Tararua Tramping Club intitiated a volunteer ski patrol service. Up until 1952 most skiing accidents had been attended by Chateau staff. The vounteer system remained a component of the Whakapapa ski patrol right up until 2001, with a growing group of full time professional patrollers joining the volunteers from 1980 onwards.

1960s

By the mid-1960s skiing had become very popular. Good access to the mountain, accommodation and the expanding lift system had allowed skiing to become a family sport. Instruction from qualified professionals was firmly established as the best way to learn to ski. It was the days of parallel christies and wedeln.

For a time during the 1960s and 70s tracked vehicles and helicopters carried skiers to the crater area. In the early 1960s the "Whakapapa Cat", a tracked vehicle designed and built by Tom and Jim Bates, carried skiers and sightseers from the topmost lift at Whakapapa to the col above Crater Lake. Nowadays Ruapehu's uppermost slopes are the preserve of those on foot or ski - a place apart from the hustle and bustle of the busy ski areas.

Hugh Girdlestone, a government surveyor, is believed to have been the first to swim across Ruapehu's Crater lake in about 1908 but it was in the 1960s that swimming in the warm waters was popular. At that time the water was less acidic, the waters warm and the access easy. This is no longer the case and swimming the lake is now actively discouraged.