Queenstown Winter Festival-goers Rejoice as Coronet Peak is Declared Open
Overriding all thrills, spills and celebrations today (Wednesday 29 June) at the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival was the announcement that Queenstown ski area Coronet Peak will open tomorrow.
A crowd of hundreds of festival-goers, holiday makers and locals cheered in reaction to the news which was broken by Festival Director Simon Green at the More FM Downtown Day this afternoon, shortly after NZSki officially made the announcement to staff.
The announcement means the Festival’s longest standing event, the Speights’s Dog Derby, will go ahead as scheduled at Coronet Peak tomorrow from 12 noon. The notorious mad-hat event attracts high country farmers from all over the Southern region each year to race downhill with their faithful hounds in a bid to cross the line first. 2011 will be the first year the Speight’s Dog Derby has run on Opening Day of Coronet Peak.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Speights’ Dog Derby will go ahead,” said Mr Green. “It’s the event that brings town and country together and showcases some very special aspects of Queenstown’s lifestyle. This event was created for locals by locals, and hails back to Festival’s roots.”
Earlier today, putting the ‘Queen’ into Queenstown were 11 local businessmen, who swapped their high power jobs for high heels and handbags at the More FM Downtown Day Drag Race at Earnslaw Park.
Stepping not so elegantly across the finish line first to be Crowned Drag Queen 2011 was Kawarau Bungy Centre’s Richard ‘Amanda Reckonwith’ Mackley. Destination Queenstown CEO Tony ‘Miso Horny’ Everitt was named Miss Photogenic while Mountain Scene’s Ryan ‘Queen@Scene’ Keen took Miss Friendly. Feast’s Scott ‘Wilma Ballsdrop’ Conway was named Miss Personality and Winter Festival’s Lindsay ‘Lady Gagger’ Woods named Miss Best Dressed.
Meanwhile, mountaineering fans took a lesson in mountain safety at the Speight’s Summit Mountain Safety Avalanche Awareness Seminar at the American Express Ice Box, helping raise money for the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council Avalanche Programme.
Tonight, festival-goers wielding magnifying glasses and fingerprint dusters will head up Queenstown’s Bob’s Peak to discover which 1980 Hollywood star shot who at the Skyline Murder Mystery Night ‘Murder at the Emmy’s.’ Over at the American Express Ice Box Jeremy Corbett, Jeremy Elwood, Paul Ego and Michelle A’Court, hosted by Brendhan Lovegrove are set to wrap up Festival’s hilarious trio of comedy satire nights.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Friday’s on-mountain programmed events, the American Honey Coronet Concert featuring Mercury Crowe and Mile High has been re-scheduled to take place from 1-4pm. The American Honey Night Ski will not take place.
On Saturday, the Air New Zealand Mountain Mayhem is all go from 11am onwards, featuring the infamous Suitcase Race and Dash for Cash alongside Musical Chairs and Snow Dig.
To see the full programme line up and individual event details check out the complete American Express Queenstown Winter Festival calendar online at www.winterfestival.co.nz or pick up a programme at information outlets throughout the region.
Tickets for all events can be bought from TicketDirect online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz, by phone 0800 224 224 (03 450 9110), or in person at the Queenstown Events Centre or Queenstown i-Site (corner of Shotover and Camp streets)*.