NZSki has been given the green light to proceed with a plan
that will see the skiable area at The Remarkables increase by
15%.
The Department of Conservation and the Otago Conservation
Board approved consents after a four-year planning and
research process, Mountain Scene reported today.
The consents also allow NZSki to draw an additional 310,000
cubic metres of water from Lake Alta for snow-making.
The development plan includes a 1.3km chairlift from from the
bottom of the two existing car parks at 1600m to almost the
top of the mountain at 1900m.
That would increase the skiable area by 15%.
NZSki told Mountain Scene the project would be
undertaken over several years as commercial circumstances
allowed.
"It's not for this season because we didn't know the consents
were going to come through in February," chief executive
James Coddington said.
"Even if we did we still couldn't have put in a chairlift
before opening in two months' time - it's not realistic."
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