Ski Week (Ruapehu)

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SKI WEEK. This is a sonowhat crroncous doscription of what happened, or better still, what cen happen to you if you dare to venture on a ski-wook trip to Ruapohu. Or Frilay night a conbinod party of wockendors and ski-wookors net at tho usual placo and full of high spirits (and othors too!) wO clinbod aboard the truck and wore off. Thore was n thing unusual about the trip oxcopt for the occasional yarn trated with groat guffaws of laughtor an? the noans of sone poor unfortunato who hepponod to bo in the road of that playful 16 stone body who just likos stonn-rolling, Noxt norning at tho Chatoau the wockendors wore away bright and carly as tine was procious but as we woro staying a weok WO had to hang around the Chateau and procuro cur ski tickots, boots and nocossary paraphornalia. Fortunatoly whon our prrty arrivel broakfest had boon nado and of course thore was a groat brow. Noxt iton on tho progranme for nost of us was the groat trok up to the Hutt Valloy hut will all the provisions, but as it was in tho hoat of tho da two of us docidod to carry our sharo towards dusk whon tho ski-ing dey was over and the air a little coolor. That night was vury hot with 0 bods in tho hut and plonty of privato groans about that sore postorior and othor spots! Songs and othor curicus dittics woro sung woll on int the snall hours whon one by ono ovoryono crawlod into thoir sacks, Sunlay was anothor glorious day without a cloud in the sky and by this tino joints and linbs wore a lot more supplo honce loss groans and moro snilos. Aftor lunch tho wookon.ers loft and also loft a horrible nountain of dishos, you would have thought you wore in the kitchon at tho Chatoau. Boing lazy and tired of linb, WO dcilod the lishos would loola.ore attractive whon the ski-tow stoppod at 4.30p.1. Evidontly ovoryone was cunning because at 5 o'clock thoro was still noboly noar the hut, in fact thoy all must have hiling sonowhoro b_on hoping that whon thoy cot back thorc would bo no lishos to do. Bill Rico boing loador prouptly Orlored undordogs to procood with tho choros. Diano Toster and Margarot Jack wore handod tea towcls and dishcloth, Brion Rushton and Morrie Pellott wore sten'ing by whilo Jack Loitch grabbed tho korosone lanp, whothor to provido us with light or to croate an explosion Jack Whi+sitt and I didn't wait to soc. Wo scootoa off down the hill to load up the slod with the rost of tho provisions. Scott of tho Anterctic had nothing on us, pushing and pulling thot slod up to the hut. Wo did it in rocord tino, about two hours, consoquontly thero was vory littlo work loft to do that night aftor our roturn. Brian can be croditod with cooking a high class noal that night, in fact, he took all tho cooking dutics on his shouldors and a groat job ho nade of it too. Doing rather tirou we turnod in carly so 23 to be in training for the norrow. Luckily once noro the Monday turned out to bo anothor boautiful day although a little icy in the norning. Wo soon got usod to it and tho slogan was "Thrash that Tow". Our hired

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ski wore a notloy solection anl Brian brko onc of his on tho first Cay, but with "Porcyis porsonality" horot anothor froo of chargo. Jack Whitsett anazod voryono, ospociily tho inst,uctors, with his now "tako it strant" stylo of skiwungo Have you evor seon a non sitting in an invisible chair drivios an invisible car? Woll if you havo you've soon "Snow Plow Toko IL Straight Whitsott". I've hoard of stop christios but Jack is tlo only cno who can do a snow plow stop-Christic and oxecute it with (reat Irish procision. Boing a noonlight nirht Jack and I, as a bit of a liversion, decidd to do a littlo eledring. Aftor trying it out a fow tinos WO conxed Diana out and took the slod half way up the Yankoo Slalon. With Jack in front thon Di-na an! mysolf wO procoodod to carcor lown tho cully at torrific spood. Th scroans brought pooplu running out of Tararua Hut to soe what all tho conmotion was about. Thoy nust have thought we were nad to honr us scroaning on tho way down thon laughing as it was all ovor at the botton. Tuusay was poor fron tho ski-inn anglo en: not nany Vonturoa out as it was very nisty anl tho snow very soft. Vory fow Po plo cane up fron tho Chatoau anl the tow wasn't working vory ofton. Bill wont Cown to the ski lut with no to holp porsuado the attondants to swep ny skis which were to be ny unloing. Lato that aftornoon Bill, Snow Plow Jack anl Morric wore having thcir last mun lown tho ridgo whon following tho I nuarly skittlor Jack and roally had a crash tonring tho musclos in ny log. Out cano the roscuo party ond towod no back to the hut on the sloc whore a lot of hot run was Cishod out to tho pationt, anid groans it wOS (ulpoi down, but Cespito all my ploas th.ro was no noro run, That ni ht Johnny Robinson an two of his worknatos cano up for linner bringing us sono frosh nilk and broad, iftor dinnor foats of strongth woro Cisplayoc by pross-ups an? iravorsing tho table anid loughter as the contostants grinecod in thoir conquosts. Wodnosdey's woathor a.s just anothor ropotition of Tuoslay and nost of the day was spont in Cigring for brickottos Cunpod by tho Hutt Valloy's. Thoy vore undor at loast 6ft. of snow an? if it hern't boon for Johnny Robinson knowing rourhly whore thoy were we would nuv or havo found thon. Thursday was a little brightor but it was very windy and icy but nevortholoss the hardy skiers wore out again this tire the slogan being "Thrash that tow back". That norning Diana end Marrerot cleanod up the hut and turnel it into a beauty parlour for whon WO cane back. Morgaret wont down to tho Chatoau at lunch tino to sond E tologran and whon sho diin't roturn by 7p.1o uvoryone was cotting worried. About 7.45p.n. a tired and weary body coull be scon staggoring up the slopc. It appoars that she rissod the last truck up at 4p.n. and had to walk all the way back. Trying to tako a short cut across tho bonds in the road sho cano upon a sort of canyon, (anc it is runoured that the oaths she lot fly echood roun! tho nountain for deys)!!! That aftornoon Diann was out ski-ing on hor own an as I hnl the book "How to Ski in six casy loss ns" I went to do a little bit of coaching but all I not for ny pains was a clout undor tho car with hor skis. Sho told no the wind nust havo blown thon off hor shonllor. Who'l bolicvo that! That nirht Diana anl hur assistent cOO U a beautiful lolicious peach pio ant extreon"innrily enourh i UrO were crys for noreo Eorlior in tho day E..1 lec his party i the nountain to the Staircase and it was casy 3 pick out cur CienT gang in the tow queue by the notloy assortneut of flash ski nts and jackots. Brian and Bill were outstanding in their notsiylo soatloss pants. Thoy toll nc thoy were unintontionnlly air conditionoc Tho funnicst thin of the whole trip was whon Snow Plow Jack got into a couple of frozon sli tracks and hc roally a1 tako tho Staircaso strairht cn? also up the othor sido of tho hial, Ho was travolling at a Cangerous spcod and had anyono got in his way it would havo boon curtains, Trying to got out of tho ruts ho lookol liko a non trying to rull tho stooring whool roui on a 30 ton truck - but to no aveil. Thursday nirht was Boauty Night so we all had to shavo and wa.sh, but whore nost of us rebollod was whon we had to havo our hair washod and all blackhunds ronovel. Piana was rushing round with a packot of shanpoo guarent od to put noonbcans in your hair. Onc by ono WO all succunb a to tho washing excopt for Bill who wasn't having it at any price. As a spocial noward for having our hair (lone Morric was given a coiffure by Ma gie and Diana was spocialising in Bangs. Jack Whitsott was noarly assasinated for pulling a irty old hat on tr koop his hoad warn just aftor hc had his hair washed. Friday was another windy, icy day but nobody was koon to venturo out so a rostfil lay waS hail by all, rea ing and othor oda jobs. That aftornoon Jack tock ne clinbing up tho bnck of the yonkoe Slalon and we wure noarly blown off the faco of tho slopo. Jack knew I had a bottle of brandy in ny parka so he kopt complainin: of the cold till it was all Cono. We decided to practiso boloying lown anothor slope which was a little stoop and full of confidonce in Jack I went firsto Looking up I noarly had a fit - hore was Jack payin out tho line as thourh there was a fish on it while Cazing at the sconery without a care in the world. Whon WO got back to tho hut WO found that Bill hal finally boon overpowored and hac bcon civon a hair-do, nuch to his Cisust. Owing to 100n.poh. rusts of win tho roof dociled to cone off the ski roon at approxo 10.15. Whon all had to go outsice to try anc hannor tho sheots of Lluniniun back on. Tho win! was so strong that it lifted Brian an? Jack right into tho air while thoy worc trying to hold cno shoot lown. Ono bic rust blow Morric who was holl'ing tho laddor, right roun" the cornor of the hut out of sighto It was close to nidnight boforo WO had finishod and it was roodl to get back insido the hut whoro it was warn. Tho girls hal a brow on for us but it wasn't until woll had soveral rounds of run that WO began to warn up, in noro ways than onol Being our last nirht we sang songs, told yarns and playe gancs till noarly 5a.ne whon Brian sans us to sloop with a lullaby. At six o'clock WO wore again as WC had to clean up and cloar out for tho Hutt Valloy's who vore already beginning to arrive. Bofore WO loft Morrie showod us how to skid on a shovel. It is quito a novol idoa to sit on the stcol an: uso your foot as a guido while hanging onto the henllo. Whon you roach the botton you go into an acroplane spin which is vory oxhilinrating, but of course it's bottor to watch thon to tryo Going (lown to the Chatcau on Satur ay norning WO felt rathor dojoctod at havinr to loave such a lot of nonorios bohind; that aftornoon WG scroungod aftornoon toa off the Chatoau in the lounge and we wore arrayed : in the best loungu chairs. We wore givun rathor iscainful looks whon WO all stanpol into tho cocktail bar for a. little spot before dinnor. Our tramping boots and clothos didn't natch vory woll with tho gupstes! ovoning dross and bow tios. Jack surprised a fow nore guosts whon ho lonnod across the billiard table showing his patched soat. He was vory brave to pley his first gan of billiaris on a table that said "Exporicnced Playors Only". That night thore was a dance on in the Staif Hall and ovoryone thoroughly onjoyod thomsolves till it was tine to catch tho bus for National Park. Onco aboard the train WO all slupt liko logs and woke up back in 011 Windy Wollington, So concluled a very cnjoyable weck of ski-ing. Roy Hollond.