An Olympic snowboarding silver medallist appeared in Christchurch District Court yesterday, charged with carelessly driving a van on Cardrona’s ski slopes at Wanaka. American Danny Kass, 26, who won silver medals at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, four United States Open Championships and seven Winter X Games medals, was fined $400 and $130 court costs after entering a guilty plea.

The British Disabled Ski Team, currently in Queenstown for the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games, took time out of their racing schedule to play with gravity at the Shotover Canyon Swing. On Saturday (August 22) the team joined the exclusive swinging community when they experienced the pure adrenaline of a 60metre free fall before swinging through a giant arc at 150km/h, from the 109m platform (360ft) above Shotover River.

A decision on Cardrona Ski Resort Ltd’s appeal against its conviction and sentence of paying almost $60,000, relating to an incident on the skifield, was reserved by Justice Graham Pankhurst in the High Court at Invercargill this week. On May 25, Judge Paul Keller, of Dunedin, ordered the company to pay a fine of $43,000 and reparation of $16,555 to Australian resident Rosemary Berry, and court costs of $130, at the Queenstown District Court, The prosecution was for the company’s breach of the Health and Safety Act 1992.

New Zealand’s largest ski-field operator is not buying into the recession. A bumper start to the ski season is just icing on the mountain for NZSki, which is midway through a 10-year investment plan. The company has already spent $78 million and has no intention of slowing down, chief executive James Coddington said.

There are now four ski resorts in New Zealand following the opening of two new resorts in the North Island and Queenstown. Turoa ski area, on Mt Ruapehu in the central North Island, opened on the weekend with over 3000 skiers/riders hitting the slopes.

The cold southerlies making their way up the North Island will bring smiles to the faces of the hundreds of ski bunnies about to hit Turoa’s slopes for the start of its season. Ruapehu Alpine Lifts marketing manager Mike Smith said snowmaking facilities were working overtime for the 4,000 people expected.