Ashburton Guardian, Monday, August 13, 2018

Page 1

Monday, August 13, 2018

Since Sept 27, 1879

Retail $1.80 Home delivered from $1.15

THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Smiles 4 Miles A convoy of trucks generated plenty of smiles for some special passengers, including Brody Spale, in Ashburton on Saturday.

FULL STORY

P4

Evacuated from chairlifts BY LINDA CLARKE

LINDA.C@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ

Finalsbound P24

Some skiers on Mt Hutt had a day to remember yesterday when a major power outage stopped chairlifts and sparked an evacuation. The skifield’s power connection at Blackford Road dropped out at 11.16am, stopping all lifts and electrical activity in the base lodge. The quad and triple chair were able to run on alternate power sources but skiers on the Summit Six lift to the top of the mountain were stuck, some for up to 90 minutes. Skifield manager James McKenzie said 65 guests on the Summit Six were lowered to the ground by mountain staff using a static line as technicians worked on

restoring full power to the skifield. He said ski patrollers kept the stranded skiers informed and prioritised evacuations as necessary. No guests had reported being distressed by the wait though some young skiers said they were comfortable but getting cold after sitting for 45 minutes. Evacuation procedures are practised by staff, who can unload 180 guests from the Summit Six in two hours under emergency situations. They took just 30 minutes to unload the 65 guests yesterday. McKenzie said the skifield had a usually stellar electrical supply from EA Networks and it was just unfortunate the outage was on a busy Sunday afternoon. In 11 years as manager, he could think

Hearing for life

Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe!

House of Hearing is here to help you reconnect with family, friends, music and life. You’ll also get peace of mind with our Total Care Package*. Purchase a pair of hearing aids and receive free follow up care, wax removal and servicing for up to six years . Phone to book a free hearing test and trial today. Ashburton 03 307 8949

Blenheim 03 579 5353

Fendalton 03 351 3535

of only a few other outages that had affected business. EA Networks network manager Brendan Quinn said a malfunction in a transformer at the bottom of the hill, on Blackford Road, was to blame. An oil surge in the transformer had caused it to trip, cutting electricity to the skifield. Staff were dispatched quickly and were able to restore electricity, allowing the mountain to return to business as usual. Technicians who inspected the transformer were planning to repair or replace the equipment overnight. The outage was unrelated to wind, he said. McKenzie said the skifield stayed open longer, to 5pm, yesterday to allow guests to make up for lost time.

Greymouth 03 768 5528

Halswell 03 322 4326

Rangiora 03 310 7355

$3,500 in follow up care for FREE! houseofhearing.co.nz * Terms and conditions apply.

www.guardianonline.co.nz


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Ashburton Guardian, Monday, August 13, 2018 by Ashburton Guardian - Issuu