By Jeff Hampton
Relief in hundreds of households tonight as 1200 skiers successfully got off Mt Hutt after a powerful storm forced them to stay overnight.
Winds of more than 200kmph hit the field, blowing out car windows and shaking the cafeteria where people sheltered.
But the storm abated as quickly as it had begun and just before lunch a convoy of skiers and snowboarders flowed off the mountain.
“I want to thank the Mt Hutt staff, they’ve done a great job,” says stranded skier Mark Williams.
“It was kind of scary because you could literally see the wind flying past,” says stranded skier Oscar Halliwell.
The strong winds forced overnighters to use a rope to get to the toilet, the pressure breaking windows on some vehicles.
“I do wonder why they opened the mountain yesterday,” says stranded skier Steve Brown.
“If they told us a bit earlier we could have gone and it would have saved everyone a lot of grief.”
But management says the storm came much earlier than expected.
“At 6am there was a light breeze at base, the forecast was for it to pick up later in the afternoon – as in about 5 or 6 o’clock – then to come in hard over night,” says James Coddington of NZski.com.
“That came in much faster.”
One of several schools unexpectedly overnighting was Rangi Ruru Intermediate – parents were delighted to see the busload of 85 arrive home.
“We were quite relaxed until this morning,” says Nadine Conway, mother of one of the stranded skiers.
“Hearing it on the news as the lead story, I could a bit worried.”
“It was uncomfortable, it was good though,” says student Evie Burton.
“We entertained ourselves by doing hand games and stuff. But it was cold on the floor.”
However, the unexpected guests were well-fed.
“We commandeered all the other departments, so ski teachers became kitchen hands and patrol car drivers became cleaners,” says Food and Beverage Manager Phillip Nordt.
Mountain Manager Dave Wilson was last off the mountain today.
“I don’t think we’ve had an overnight with 1200,” he said. “It’s probably one of the biggest B&B’s around.”
After the mass exodus this afternoon the mountain closed so staff could rest. It may reopen tomorrow – weather permitting.
3 News