New Remarkables chairlift gets DOC approval, construction to start

The Remarkables skis country has been fixed DOC support for a caller chairlift that volition unfastened 47ha of caller terrain adjacent year.

NZSki applied past twelvemonth to regenerate the existing 33-year-old Shadow Basin chairlift with a faster and larger chairlift that would terminate higher connected the mountain, adjacent Queenstown.

A determination signed by Department of Conservation Southern South Island Region manager of operations Aaron Fleming confirmed the concession has been granted.

However, it has lone allowed a concession word of 30 years.

NZSki had sought a 40-year play but aboriginal reduced that aft absorption from several parties including Ngāi Tahu.

NZSki main enforcement Paul Anderson said the institution had present applied for a assets consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council covering earthworks and vegetation clearance.

He did not expect immoderate issues would beryllium raised, and the institution was readying to adjacent the existing Shadow Basin chairlift from the week of September 25, earlier afloat decommissioning from October 9.

The caller chairlift would beryllium operational successful clip for the 2024 season, helium said.

It was breathtaking to get the task nether way.

“Building caller lifts and opening caller terrain is 1 of the much rewarding things we bash due to the fact that radical conscionable emotion it,” helium said.

“This chairlift is going to marque entree successful Shadow Basin truthful overmuch easier, summation capableness and shorten the thrust time.”

The caller chairlift was a six-seater, replacing the 33-year-old four-seat chairlift, and would question five-times faster, reducing question clip from 8.20 minutes to 3.30 minutes.

The terminal would beryllium 50m higher than the existent presumption and connected a ridge to its left, providing entree to 47ha of caller skiable terrain, helium said.

NZSki has separately applied to the section for a 40-year concession to run the Remarkables skis area, including doubling the size of the basal building.

The bulk of the skifield​ operator’s operating concessions expired successful February 2022, but it is understood it was legally entitled to proceed operating arsenic applications for a caller concession were lodged successful November 2021.