It had planned to open for the season last weekend and had sold out the ski area, and Kriek now hoped to open on August 7. His priority was to get his staff off the mountain first, before looking at “more substantial repair” options. The stranded staff were in “good spirits”, with plenty of resources as the ski field was stocked in preparation for opening. However, longer-term repairs would not be possible as a club alone, he said. Supplied About 50m of the Craigieburn Valley Ski Area access road has been washed away in the rain that battered parts of the South Island over the weekend.