Some of the biggest names in the world skiing scene, and rising stars, are hitting the slopes of Ohau Snow Fields. Rebecca Ryan finds out why the US Ski Team chose North Otago's Lake Ohau Lodge and Ohau Snow Fields as a training base and what Ohau has done to prepare for their visit.
Far from the giant commercial ski operations found in Europe, America or even elsewhere in New Zealand, skiing at Ohau Snow Fields is an intimate affair.
Seven of the US Ski Team's alpine athletes stand at the top of Craig's Way in pristine snow, with stunning views of Lake Ohau and surrounding mountains, as they prepare to drop into a giant slalom training course.
It is not a challenging slope for some of the rising stars in US skiing, but Ohau's terrain is varied, there is no need to plot a course to avoid other skiers, snowboarders and unpredictable learners and most importantly, they have control over the snow, US Ski Team head coach Sasha Rearick says.
''That's the most important thing for us, being able to put water down, mix the water and snow to make it really hard so that we can do the same thing that they do at the Olympics,'' Rearick says.
New Zealand holds the competitive advantage during the northern hemisphere's summer when the world's elite skiers and snowboarders need somewhere to train and compete.
Until the end of August, all but one of the US Ski Team's seven men's teams will spend time training at Ohau Snow Fields and staying at Lake Ohau Lodge.
Next week, the big names arrive as Ohau hosts the US Ski Team's World Cup team, featuring Tim Jitloff, Bode Miller and 2006 and 2014 Olympic gold medallist and five-time World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety.
This week, the Europa Cup Squad, made up of seven alpine athletes, was richly rewarded with new snow and cloudless skies at Ohau.
The Europa Cup Squad features rising stars such as Bryce Bennett, Mark Engel, AJ Ginnis, Kieffer Christianson, Tanner Farrow, Wylie Maple and Sam DuPratt.
Their chilled demeanors and love for the sport are apparent for all to see and Ohau, priding itself on its friendliness and community feel, seems the perfect fit for them.
The athletes and staff wander around Ohau with relative anonymity, chatting candidly to other skiers in the cafe and on the slopes - it's a nice change from the corporate culture they know so well.
''[Ohau] is sick and they actually care about their customers - they don't just see the money, it's about the relationships ... I love places like this,'' says Bennett, who holds the overall season title for downhill on the North American Cup Tour, guaranteeing him a starting position in every World Cup downhill this season.
Rearick says Ohau has been a superb training ground for the athletes so far and they would all love to come back again.
For many of the athletes, Ohau has become their favourite little training spot that no-one knows about and in a tough year for snow nationally, Ohau has produced the goods.
A relationship between the US Ski Team and Ohau was established about three years ago when Rearick first visited the field and discussed the possibility of developments to suit their training with owners Mike and Louise Neilson.
Mr and Mrs Neilson have owned the operation, which combines the Ohau Snow Fields and the Lake Ohau Lodge, for almost 25 years.
It is a labour of love for them and they have made improvements to the Lodge and Field over the years, installing a chairlift and snow mat, establishing the Avalunch Cafeteria and, since 2008, investing nearly $4 million into snowmaking systems.
Installing TechnoAlpin snowmaking was ambitious for a field of Ohau's size.
''This [snowmaking] development here has been way ahead of any commercial skifield our size. It's outrageous, really,'' Mr Neilson says.
Ohau had already benefited from a $3.5 million snowmaking investment in 2008, which put 23 lances at the skifield covering the learner areas and runs from the top of the chairlift to the bottom of the platter lift, Mr Neilson says.
Stage two, a $500,000 investment, was completed last summer, adding about 900m of trench, covering the intermediate trail, to the existing 3km.
A snowmaking system requires compressed air and pressurised water reticulated to the snowguns and lances.
There is almost 4km of 1.5m-deep trench on the mountain containing not only large water and air pipes, but also electricity and communications cables.
The TechnoAlpin system is fully automated and Snow Field manager Craig Ovenden can operate it from his computer at the field, or from home in the Lake Ohau Village.
A 10,000cu m reservoir of water on the field, a vital part of the snowmaking systems, sits at 1700m above sea level and is believed to be the highest man-made reservoir in the country.
The stage two developments came earlier than planned because of the interest from the US.
''In putting in snowmaking, and a really big snowmaking system top to bottom, one of the aims was to secure race team business,'' Mr Neilson says.
Attracting training teams means business for Ohau, with the US Ski Team athletes, trainers and support staff expected to take up 600 guest nights at the lodge during August.
As well as attracting international teams, snowmaking has extended Ohau's season by reducing vulnerability to weather and ensuring they can open for the busy July school holiday market.
Mr Neilson admits that without snowmaking, Ohau would have been struggling this season.
''Typically, we had a two-month season - now we plan to open last week of June or first week of July, depending on the school holidays, and we have a three-month season - and it's a reliable three-month season,'' Mr Neilson says.
A more definitive season has also seen the staff return rate grow to about 60%.
In the winter season, Ohau employs about 50 people between the Lodge and the Field.
Ohau Snow Field's first operational season was in 1953, and skiing took place on a small scale for several winters.
A day hut was built at the bottom of the field in 1955, the road to the skifield was completed in 1956, and an official opening was staged in September 1959.
To get there, guests were taken in the back of series 1 Land Rovers up the switchback access road.
The popularity of the Lodge and Fields with the family-friendly atmosphere grew rapidly, encouraging the purchase of a T Bar, doubling the previous vertical length of the ski run to 427m.
It became the longest T bar in New Zealand, running for 1.1km, with two changes in direction.
In 1985, the skifield was purchased by a group of businessmen/ski enthusiasts, including Mr Neilson, but the skifield had been suffering after a series of poor seasons, and the future of the Lodge below seemed uncertain after a series of managers, employed by an absentee owner, had proved less than ideal.
In early 1990, Mr Neilson was Ohau Ski Holdings company chairman.
He had planned to introduce a new manager to take over the running of the Lodge, but the arrangement fell through.
He rang his wife Louise, who was at home in Christchurch with two children and a third on the way, and they agreed to run the Lodge themselves in a last-ditch effort to rescue Ohau.
The Ski company then oversaw both the Lodge and the skifield, but by that point, the Lodge had hit rock bottom.
Very slowly, they encouraged business to return.
It has not been an easy road for Mr and Mrs Neilson, but they have dedicated their lives to Ohau.
Their passion for the Lake Ohau area and its unique surrounds, as well as the business itself, has seen them continue as hosts and proprietors.
And, they have not stopped dreaming.
As time goes on, they will acquire more fan guns and snowmaking will cover more ground.
''Ultimately, I'd love to build a gondola from the Lodge up to the very top of the mountain, have a big restaurant, built in Swiss style, with gorgeous views of Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, over to the West Coast and everything - I haven't stopped dreaming.''
But when he discusses developments with avid Ohau followers, he often hears: ''No Mike, don't do it - you'll get all these people here and they'll crowd us out.''
So it is a double-edged sword for the Neilsons who have to keep attracting business, but want to make sure Ohau, with its spectacular landscape and special weather conditions, remains ''a special place with such special people''.
Ohau facts
• Length of season: June 28-October 5, 2014 (subject to change).
• Terrain grading: Beginner 20%, intermediate 50%, advanced 30%.
• Altitudes: Mt Sutton 2000m, ridge 1925m, highest lift 1825m.
• Snowmaking: There are four TechnoAlpin snowguns (two T40s, one T60 and a TF10) and 23 A30 lances fixed low-energy guns. The snowmaking covers two main top-to-bottom runs, via Top Flat, Boulevard and the Towers, Shirt Front and both learner slopes.
