Mt Ruapehu Life Passes Back Due To Demand

18 August 2006

Mt Ruapehu Life Passes Back Due To Demand

A lifetime of skiing for one great value price

Due to popular demand Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), operators of Mt Ruapehu Ski Areas, is re-opening sales on its limited edition Life Passes.

The Life Passes will be on sale for a finite period from Monday 21 August until Sunday 10 September, 2006.

As an extra incentive Mt Ruapehu is offering customers a full refund on the purchase price of any 2006 Season Pass. The refund can be offset against the purchase price of a Life Pass or the deposit if the pass is financed.

Life Passes are priced at $3,875 each and can be purchased by phoning 0508 Ruapehu (782 734). Information and application forms can also be found online at www.mtruapehu.com. Mt Ruapehu is also offering a Life Plus Pass for $4,995, which can be transferred to another person before 30 September, 2016. Finance options with 12, 24 or 36 month terms are also available.

During the most recent Life Pass sale, held from March to May 2006, Mt Ruapehu sold over 3000 Life Passes and raised more than $11 million towards new developments at the Whakapapa and Turoa skifields.

Mt Ruapehu marketing manager, Mike Smith, says that they are expecting the new sale of Life Passes to be similarly popular.

"Since the last sale of Life Passes closed in May we have had many enquiries and comments from people who were interested in purchasing a Life Pass but, for one reason or another, weren't able to at the time.

"We are having a fantastic snow season at Mt Ruapehu this year and we expect that there will be a huge amount of interest in the Life Pass sale, particularly from our 2006 Season Pass holders."

Mr Smith says the Life Pass is also a perfect gift for someone who's a keen skier or snowboarder, as they will then be able to ski for free at both Whakapapa, and Turoa ski areas, throughout their life.

"Purchasing a Life Pass for others really is giving someone the gift of a lifetime. There's no better present for someone that enjoys visiting the mountain," says Mr Smith.

All funds raised through the sale of Life Passes will go towards Ruapehu Alpine Lifts' $30 million development programme to upgrade on-mountain facilities.

The development programme will commence during the 2006/07 summer period at Turoa and will feature the installation of Australasia's biggest chairlift; the speed High Noon Express. The 1.4km, six-seat High Noon Express will be able to transport more than 3,200 people per hour and a have a top speed of five metres per second.

Other developments planned at Turoa for summer 2006/07 include a massive expansion of the snow making system and major redevelopment to the Alpine Café and Vertical retail store in the base area (subject to final consents being granted).

ENDS

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