NZsnowboard.com

The race is now on for two skifields to complete gondola projects in Wanaka after the Snow Farm yesterday announced it was ready to seek resource consent for its $15 million gondola.

The Snow Farm owners, the Lee family, confirmed they would lodge a resource consent application for their proposal in a fortnight for a 4km gondola, whichwould have the capacity to transport 1000 people an hour from the Cardrona Valley floor to the new Snow Park village.

Mountain manager Sam Lee said it could be a race between the snow park and Treble Cone to build the first alpine gondola in the Southern Hemisphere.

In New Zealand only two skifields have proposed to build gondolas to transport people up to the fields, instead of using roads, and both of them are near Wanaka.

The Lee family has stressed in the past that access to the Snow Park and Waiorau Snow Farm was crucial to its future, but expected the gondola project would be controversial.

"I sit on one side of the fence but there will be a lot of people on the other," Mr Lee said.

"But if we want ski resorts as part of our future we have to provide a safe, secure transportation method."

He said the gondola would also be built with new developments in mind, including access to the proposed Roaring Meg Resort, servicing both ski areas, and an additional ski area marketed at learner and intermediate levels with 100 percent snowmaking.

"We need to get more people up here. The Snow P ark ticks along ... just. But we need a gondola because there is only so many people that can go up the road," he said.

The gondola could also be used all year round for mountainbiking, which started at the Snow Park last summer.

Mr Lee expected it would take at least one to four years before a gondola could be built, "but it depends what sort of battle we are up against".

However, Mr Lee said he was confident the visual effects of the Cardrona Valley proposal would not be as significant, as the gondola planned for Treble Cone.

"We're in an area with no signage and a lot of their (Treble Cone) buildings are on the base," he said.

Wanaka Community Board chairman Bill Gordon agreed.

"The area is not as sensitive as Treble Cone because of the existing development there, so they might get away with it," he said.

"The Lees are never backward at coming forward at being innovative and pushing the boundaries," he added.

Snowline Holdings Ltd was the first company to put forward a gondola proposal for Treble Cone.

Commissioners involved in that hearing in November were not satisfied with the Treble Cone proposal because of where the base facilities would be located.

SOURCE: - THE SOUTHLAND TIMES
ARTICLE: By AIMEE WILSON