14 August,2010 08:12 AM IST | | AFP
More than 1,000 skiers were trapped for nearly 24 hours by high winds on New Zealand's Mt Hutt before they were able to make their way to safety yesterday, a ski field manager said.
The skiers, including 300 children, took refuge in two cafes on the slopes as winds of up to 200 kilometres (125 miles) per hour blasted the ski field and drifting snow made driving off the mountain too dangerous.
The access road to the popular ski field near Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island was closed about midday on Thursday when the weather deteriorated unexpectedly. It was reopened late yesterday morning.
Ski field staff were able to evacuate a Japanese man suffering from a sore head on Thursday night but another skier with a broken collarbone had to spend the night on the mountain, manager Dave Wilson said.
Many of the skiers packed into one cafe, 1,600 metres (5,250 feet) up the mountain, stayed in touch with the outside world by sending messages on Twitter, the Stuff website reported.
The stranding continued a series of mishaps this winter at Mt Hutt, which has claimed the lives of three skiers.
