Fast forwarding nearly four decades, legs (and other stuff) are still being broken.
The one-doctor town now has a multi-purpose health center, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, while injuries on the ski slopes around the Queenstown Lakes region during the winter school holidays of the year The latter alone accounted for 705 Accident Compensation Corporation claims – and it has been a quiet Covid year.
But that’s not the subject of this story – it’s a time to remember for locals on Thursday night when Lake Wanaka Tourism kicked off this year’s ski season with the premiere of a new documentary film À the search for Koura Ma: the history of skiing in Wanaka.
Back-to-back repeat screenings were held at the Ruby Cinema, downstairs from the new Cardrona-Treble Cone base camp at 50 Cardrona Valley Rd, during the annual “Welcome to Winter†night at the ski slopes.
Hundreds of people crowded into Cardrona-Treble Cone’s new offices, stores and licensed premises to celebrate the onset of winter, prompting CEO Bridget Legnavsky to suggest “I think the whole town has arrived.”
Noel Williams said the new ski area office and bar concept next to the town’s Basecamp climbing wall was a “great use of the facilityâ€.
David Varney said it was “fantastic”, while Paul Parker was convinced “it will work”.
The film produced by Hugh Barnard of Wanaka proved to be popular. Narrated by Hank Bilous and featuring a galaxy of snow sports identities from Wanaka including Jossi Wells, Whitney Thurlow and Sam Lee, it drew wide smiles and a thumbs up from ski entrepreneur John Lee ( 85).
The Lake Wanaka Tourism film takes viewers back to the humble roots of skiing and snowboarding in Wanaka and delves into the stories of the intrepid locals who pioneered the city’s mountain culture.
Koura Ma translates to “white gold,†a term used to describe the best snow on the mountain.
The film combines interviews with contemporary and archival footage and has been covered with animation.
Gizelle Regan, Marketing and Communications Manager for Lake Wanaka Tourism, said this provided deeper context to Wanaka’s story.
“It truly is a quest to learn more about our rich history and why this small New Zealand mountain town has become a hotspot for international skiing and snowboarding, producing world champions and attracting skiers and snowboarders from across the country. the world, â€Ms. Regan said. .
Ms. Legnavsky said the film was “a fun throwback to the past, with remarkable stories from those who led the way.”
– By Marjorie Cook
