Knoll Ridge recovery is complete

By Liz Brooker

With the finishing touches to the Knoll Ridge Café now completed, staff at Whakapapa are celebrating the chance to start looking forward.

A soul-destroying fire in February 2009 ravaged the former restaurant building and a groomer shed, causing well over $10 million in damage.

Out of the ashes was born a determination to rebuild a structure ski fields around the world would envy.

For Whakapapa area manager Steve McGill the finished structure more than achieved the vision of a design that is not only customer friendly but maximises the sun while taking in views of the Pinnacles, Te Heu Heu Valley all while linking inside and outside spaces with extensive decks.

"The arson attack was devastating but there was a chance for something good to come out of it.

"That morning we were standing there watching it burn but within an hour we were planning what we were going to do next.

"It's been a hard build but it's been a great project and we now have awesome building.

"It's over.

"It's been a hard couple of years for a lot of us but now we can start looking forward to new projects."

During the summer a huge rock wall has been erected in front of the main deck that will become covered in snow.

While putting the finishing to the café was a high priority, a large amount of improvement work has also been completed.

The area behind the Waterfall chair return has been opened up to twice the original size and a formal trail from the Valley exit down to the Knoll Ridge Café has been constructed in an effort to ease any congestion.

The ground in and around the old cat shed area has been reinstated to its natural state and the area has been tidied up including laying all the surface cables and water lines and put them into one trench.

Lower down the mountain, a 100-metre Sun Kid carpet lift has been installed in Happy Valley, replacing the platter which used to run towards Meads Wall.

 Ruapehu Snow Bulletin June 2011

Photo by Jedski 25 June