Ruapehu Episode: Hutt Valley Hut (The Snorer's Paradise)

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RUAPEHU EPISODE HUTT VALIEY HUT (Or - the Snorer's Paradise) Saturday September 23rd. dawned brightly on a truckload of recumbent bodies drawn in at National Park township. The usual call was made at the Chateau for boots, the would be skiers having a long and wearisome wait, whilst the non and fully equipped skiers trundled on to the end of the road. Packing up the provisions for the week and week end parties was a tiring business in the heat and soft snow which had the consistency of porridge. After the advance guard had breakfasted they set out to relay another load up and to relieve the rearguard who had queued for boots for over an hour. At this stage the breakfastless ones were nearly passing out under their loads in the intense heat. It was mid-day by the time they had been fed and had recuperated sufficiently to take to their skis. The experienced skiers then hied away to the heights and the learners proceeded to try out their boards on the gentle slopes round Hutt Valley Hut. The would be climbers found the snow too soft for any serious climbing so spent a most entertaining afternoon watching the antics of the learner-skiers. After a considerable amount of floundering around they all progressed sufficiently to take runs without too many forced landings. Whilst their stance left much to be desired, they were, no doubt, geeting the feel of it and enjoying themselves thoroughly. One reckless young man who took to the slopes like a veteran ( the first time on skis), made a spectacular landing with his skis upright in the form of a cross from which he hobbled away with a badly wrenched, if not broken, ankle. The weather was glorious all Saturday, with clear visibility for miles - Egmont - a perfect cone in the south-west - immediately below the brown lifeless Plateau and further away the rolling bush clad hills of the King Country and to our right Ngaruhoe intermittently shooting up little puffs of stean, A tired, sun burnt, but well satisfied band retired to the hut at sundown. Dinner was a masterpiece of impromptu organisation I a three course meal of soup, roast hogget, potatoes, pumpkin, frozen peas ( boiled ofcourse) and fruit salad and custard. It took half a dozen people at least to cook, serve, carve and pass the plates to the hungry multitudes. Someone remarked that it looked like an orphanage but any resemblance ended with the large quantity and quality of food placed before each person. After this 'gorge" some of the party indulged in two sets of cut-throat 500 - a hardy T & M institution, whilst others repaired to "Siberia" and had a very gay time, judging by the constant bursts of laughter and by the glowing faces which emerged every so often. Bed time came all too soon and the partv was lulled to sleep with the best imitation of "Iaughing Gas" off the record. Slumber for a few was somewhat disturbed firstly by a termendous crash: Pete Davis falling off his bunk! He had only spent the evening playing 500 so do not get any wrong ideas, any by the muted and not so immuted cacophony of snorers.

I think that it was Shakespeare who said 11 snoring made the night hideous" he certainly had something there. The T.& M's. proved themselves champions in this direction that week end - special mention going to Phil Barton ( orchestral leader), Don Jeffo (double bass), and Joe Barnao(leading violist)and we must not omit the chorus which nobly played their part in various pitches, semitones and quavers. I would humbly suggest the committee investigating the possibility of alleviating cruelty to non snorers by requesting all members to take courses in deep breathing. Sunday was misty and somewhat cooler. The hardy skiers ventured out a gain, Cyril sustaining a broken board in having to stop suddenly to avoid a body which sucdenly loomed up in the mist. Some of the learners thrashed the slopes again and got very damp in the process. Lunch was more or less conjured out of thin air and the downward trek was commenced well ahead of time in order to sledge the casualty down whilst the gleeful onlookers not wishing to miss this epic rescue in the snows, trooped along too. By this time it had begun to rain in real earnest and the party was glad to get away on the return journey. I must record our sincere thanks to Trevor Walsh for his very able organisation of the week-end party and of the food, before drawing down the veil on this episode - "The Snorer's Paradise". E.M.R