After working an extended season lasting nearly two decades, the majority of them at the Remarkables but with a few shifts at Coronet Peak in the early days, Mr Curnow has prepared snow equipment for thousands of people.
The Remarkables' rentals head of department finished his last shift at the skifield this week, ready to start an adult building apprenticeship on Tuesday - still based in Queenstown.
His colleagues had beckoned him back every year, with everyone like-minded and ''here for the snow'', he said.
But what got him into the ski industry was actually the idea that working at either the Remarkables or Coronet Peak, which were owned by Air New Zealand back then, could result in a foot in the plane in a flight attendant's uniform.
That was when he was 20 years old and since then he had developed a passion for tuning skis.
Since his arrival from his hometown of Manurewa in South Auckland he had seen many changes.
One was ''definitely the type of people we have working up here''.
''The culture has changed - we used to hire anyone ... now we are looking for a more customer-service-based type of person.''
''Over the years the facilities, grooming machinery and chairlifts have all got better since Trojan [NZSki's major shareholder] took over.''
The types of people visiting the Remarkables skifield had not changed - it still mainly attracted locals, young families and ''young'uns wanting to learn freestyle'', he said.
The Remarkables is due to close tomorrow, after the skifield took the closing date of Coronet Peak, NZSki's other Queenstown skifield.
