This year marks 21 years of Subaru of New Zealand and Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ (RAL) partnership and 40 years of skiing at Turoa.
Subaru has been the Official Vehicle Supplier to RAL since 1998, initially with Turoa, and with both Whakapapa and Turoa since 2000 when RAL acquired Turoa.
“Our 21-year relationship with Subaru is a partnership we really value and is a great synergy with our brand. We love to get outdoors and the Subarus can take us pretty much anywhere,” Mt Ruapehu’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing Michelle Caldwell says.
“The RAL team love driving the Subaru SUVs up the mountain each day. It’s really clear to us why the Subaru Forester was named the New Zealand Car of the Year, with its EyeSight technology, great handling and powerful engine – it’s truly the best vehicle fit for the mountain conditions,” she adds.
Subaru’s across-the-range All-Wheel Drive (AWD) technology means they are the perfect vehicles for the conditions the RAL team face - delivering them safely to their mountain-based offices on a daily basis. Whether the RAL staff members are facing rain, snow or ice, Subaru’s AWD provides traction to all four wheels at the same time, giving them twice the grip that two-wheel-drive vehicles have. AWD sends traction to the wheels that slip, so they become the wheels that grip.
Turoa will also once again host the ever-popular Subaru Top Weekend. Drivers of any Subaru model be sure to mark the August 17 and 18 weekend in your calendars. Those arriving bright and early will enjoy the premium parking spaces reserved for Subaru drivers on a first-come, first-served basis on the Saturday and Sunday.
Subaru of New Zealand’s Marketing Manager Daile Stephens says the brand looks forward to Top Weekend every year.
“The Subaru Top Weekend is an annual event which has taken place since the early 2000s, where the first 200 Subaru drivers receive hot beverages and giveaways from our team on arrival. Every year we see a different range of Subaru makes and models turn up to park in those premium spots on the mountain, along with some die-hard regulars, who we enjoy catching up with at our yearly on-snow event. Make sure you check out our Subaru Facebook page for updates as we get closer to Top Weekend,” Mrs Stephens says.
Before Top Weekend, families and those learning to board or ski will have already been hitting the slopes on RAL’s other skifield Whakapapa, which opens its lower, fully self-contained learners slope Happy Valley this weekend, weather dependant of course.
This season, Turoa opens on June 29, with a week-long schedule of 40th anniversary commemoration events being held in October. RAL has created some special hashtags so you can join in the celebrations - #WeAreTuroa and #turoaturns40.”
The all-new Sky Waka – a highspeed sightseeing gondola is on track to be unveiled at the same time as Whakapapa’s upper mountain opens for skiing in late June.
The 50 Sky Waka gondola cabins will feature floor to ceiling glass for breath-taking views, internal ski racks, audio and lighting and individual leather seats offering business-class luxury to passengers befitting of the UNESCO Dual World Heritage status of Whakapapa Ski Area. Each cabin accommodates 10 passengers and even the tallest skiers will be able to stand upright in the cabin with more than 2m of internal clearance.
The Sky Waka will run from the top of the Bruce base area directly to the award-winning Knoll Ridge Café. It will transport 2,400 people per hour over the 1.8km in approximately 5 minutes.
If you’re keep to head up the mountain for Happy Valley’s season opening this weekend, be sure to keep an eye on Mt Ruapehu’s weather report here: https://www.mtruapehu.com/whakapapa/report
Follow the Subaru of New Zealand Facebook page to keep up to date with all the celebrations and latest information about the Subaru Top Weekend here: https://www.facebook.com/SubaruofNZ/
Find out more about Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive SUVs that the RAL team drive by visiting https://www.subaru.co.nz/suv
Catherine Pattison
Public Relations
Subaru of New Zealand
M +64 (0)27 44 55 389
E catherine.pattison@subaru.co.nz
subaru.co.nz