NZSki Coronet Peak manager Hamish McCrostie is leaving the
company after 32 years.
Mr McCrostie, who will finish on December 21, said while he
had mixed emotions, he felt it was the right time to leave.
He was looking at what he would do now, but he would be
staying in Queenstown.
His first role in the ski industry was as a patroller at the
Tekapo skifield in 1979. After that, he was employed by the
Mt Cook Company, which formerly owned the Coronet Peak and
Remarkables skifields, as a patroller.
Throughout his ski career he has been head of the patrol
department at the Remarkables Ski Area, patrol manager for
both Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, ski area manager at
both the Remarkables and Coronet Peak and has held roles with
the Mountain Safety Council and Snow Sports New Zealand.
He remembers his first year as a patroller: "my backpack was
my radio".
"There's been some tremendous changes; the biggest one has
been the technology. Now the radio fits like a glove in my
pocket."
Despite all the continual ski area improvements and new
technology, the aim has remained the same - to get from the
top of the slope to the bottom.
Mr McCrostie lists some of his top memories as the powder
(fresh snow) days, but another highlight was the people.
"There's so many great moments it's hard to pinpoint one."
NZSki chief executive James Coddington said the news of
McCrostie's departure was "still very fresh" and a search for
a new Coronet Peak manager had not yet begun.
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