Formation of RAL
In 1949 Bryan Todd, who had first skied on Ruapehu in 1930, met Swiss ski instructor Walter Haensli in America. It was a meeting that was to have important consequences as Todd persuaded Haensli to come to new Zealand and then convinced the Tourist Department to employ him at Ruapehu. Haensli, recognised as one of the advanced skiers of the time, ran the Chateau Ski School for several years and immediately improved the standard of skiing on Ruapehu. But Haensli is remembered primarily for the role he played in bringing chairlifts to Ruapehu.
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Walter Haensli believed the mountain had the potential to be one of the world's finest ski grounds. After careful research he applied for a licence to operate chairlifts and associated services at Whakapapa. In 1952 Haensli was granted a licence by the Tongariro National Park Board for 21 years with a right of renewal for a further 21 years.
Financing the development was a problem. Bryan Todd suggested skiers provide the capital to pay for chairlift development. And soon in 1953 Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Ltd (RAL), a public company, was formed. Any profits made by the company were to be put back into improving facilities at Whakapapa.
RAL had its first major setback when the government decided not to put money into the proposed development. The new company had to raise £63,000. This was eventually achieved through subscriptions from interested people, mainly skiers, who bought shares and debentures in the company.
The first chairlift
The Swiss firm of Mueller Engineering was contracted to supply and erect the first chairlift and T-bar at Whakapapa. The equipment arrived in Auckland in May 1954 and was installed and operating in time for that season - a tremendous achievement. The Rock Garden single chairlift was opened by Sir Edmund Hillary on a cold blustery day in 1954. It was the first chairlift in New Zealand and opened up the mountain world to sightseers and others who came to play in the snow. Daytrippers continue to make up a high proportion of visitors to Ruapehu.
Lift evolution
The number of lifts increased during the 1950s and 60s and their method of construction and operation evolved quickly. However the provision and development of lift facilities at Whakapapa were not without mishaps. The climate was mainly responsible for this.
Fritz Schmutz was RAL's chief engineer from 1954-60. Lorenz Rieser (for whom Lorenz's Cafe at the Top o' the Bruce is named) became chief engineer from 1961 and oversaw the installation of many of the lift facilities at Whakapapa.
The second of RAL's lifts, the Staircase T-Bar, opened in 1955. In the early 1960s the 'n' shaped pylons originally used were replaced with towers the could be adjusted to sope with the differences in snow depth Ruapehu experiences from season to season.
Also in 1955, RAL opened its No.2 chairlift. Almost 2km long, it extended from the foot of the staircase to the top of Knoll Ridge and promised exciting new skiing opportunities. The 1956 season however, was a year of catastrophe for the company and of frustration for skiers. The chairs and cables iced up frequently and the drive, mid-station and bull wheel were continually snowed in. During one blizzard an estimated half a tonne of ice formed on some chairs and in places the cable and chairs sagged to the ground. The Swiss engineers who were used to dry, cold conditions had never seen anything like it.
Too much snow was a serious problem facing RAL in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Deep trenches had to be excavated regularly near the No.2 drive station before the chairlift could operate. The problem of snow build-up around the bottom of No.2 chairlift, which was situated in a depression at the base of the Staircase slopes, was solved by building a new drive station to the rear of the old one.
"This lift had been a pioneering venture, the first major structure in New Zealand this high on a mountain and, being the first, we learned the hard way!"
Peter Scott, RAL Deputy Chairman 1956-72
In 1957 the No.2 chairlift was cut in half to end at the top of the Waterfall and in 1958 the Knoll Ridge section of the original No.2 chairlift was converted into a separate chairlift. The new third chairlift was also plagued by icing problems and in 1963 was wrecked by a blizzard.
The second decade of RAL operation at Whakapapa saw the introduction of a new type of lift, the Pomagalski drag lift. Four pomas were installed - in Te Heuheu Valley, on Knoll Ridge, the National Downhill and the Rockgarden.
Skiing expands
By the mid-1960s good access to the mountain, accommodation and the expanding lift system had allowed skiing to become a family sport and skiing had become very popular. It was estimated that participation in winter sports at Whakapapa had increased by 700% since the first chairlift was built. Visitor numbers for the 1966 season reached a record 170,000. Skifield amenities could not keep up with this phenomenal growth.
On weekends and school holidays during the 1960s skiers could sometimes wait up to an hour in lift queues. This put pressure on RAL's queue privilege system, which allowed company shareholders more rides. Queue privileges were stopped in 1976.
