Latest news with #Cardrona
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Three lynx rescued in Highlands named by local primary school and charity
The animals were rescued in January after being illegally released into the Highlands. Three lynx rescued after being abandoned in the Scottish Highlands earlier this year have been named. The three animals were saved by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. As reported by the Daily Record, the three lynx were captured in January after they were illegally released in the Scottish Highlands. In May, they were relocated to Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie. Having settled in at their new home, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland gave Scottish schools and donors the chance to name the three girls. The charity has revealed the names are Caledonia, Cardrona, and Bluebell. Carnivore team leader at Highland Wildlife Park Judith Bowman commented: "It has been wonderful to care for the three girls here at the park over the past month. We are already seeing their playful and curious personalities flourish. "Thank you to Kinlochleven Primary P3-4, who chose Bluebell's name, and submitted an amazing competition entry on their commitment to protecting nature. "Caledonia was named by our prize draw winner and Cardrona by the Weir Charitable Trust. Without support from kind people like this our wildlife conservation charity wouldn't be able to continue its vital work." Visitors to Highland Wildlife Park can now spot Caledonia, Cardrona, and Bluebell. They can also learn more about the species and the conservation challenges they face. See below for images of the three lynx. More information can be found on the Highland Wildlife Park website. More On Animals Wildlife
Daily Record
16 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Runaway lynx rescued after illegal release in Highlands named by local kids
Children from a local primary school chose the named of the wild cats. Three lynx rescued after being illegally released in the Scottish Highlands have been named Caledonia, Cardrona and Bluebell by children from a local primary school. The animals were caught in January after the alarm was raised and were found with signs of starvation while roaming the Cairngorms. A fourth lynx sadly died following capture. They are currently under the care of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) at Highland Wildlife Park after initially being taken in by Edinburgh Zoo for a period of quarantine. Judith Bowman, carnivore team leader, said, "It has been wonderful to care for the three girls here at the park over the past month. "We are already seeing their playful and curious personalities flourish. "Thank you to Kinlochleven Primary P3-4, who chose Bluebell's name, and submitted an amazing competition entry on their commitment to protecting nature. "Caledonia was named by our prize draw winner and Cardrona by the Weir Charitable Trust. "Without support from kind people like this our wildlife conservation charity wouldn't be able to continue its vital work." The cats were confirmed in January as being Eurasian lynx – the largest of four species of the animals. Zoo chiefs revealed in February the trio are all female, and are believed to be less than a year old. The lynx have been given temporary names 'A', 'B' and 'C'. The lynx that died in captivity was a male estimated to be the same age as the females. In February, RZSS chief executive David Field said: 'Illegally releasing these cats into the wild was highly irresponsible and it is likely they would have died had they not been rescued." Lynx were driven to extinction on British shores hundreds of years ago despite still present throughout much of Europe and Asia. RZSS officials said the animals were showing signs of starvation when they were found. Campaigns to reintroduce the apex predators to areas of the UK, such as in the Scottish highlands, have met opposition from some sheep farmers who fear for the safety of their own animals. Scotland's National Lynx Discussion found that sheep and other livestock, especially those near wooded areas, are more vulnerable to such predation. Experts say en effective management system could include paying farmers for losses and co-existence, with relocation or lethal control as "necessary components" of any framework to manage the issue. The report also revealed that lynx could have a "significant" impact on game birds in places where the species come into contact, though they are unlikely to play a major part in the animals ' diet at a national level. But it was also found there is 'sufficient' space in the country to support the introduction of the animals into the eco-system. Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life and a member of the stakeholder group, said: "We met 12 times for over 50 hours in total. Deep and extensive discussions allowed us to learn lessons from lynx reintroductions in Europe, assess possible impacts if lynx are returned to Scotland, and recommend key actions to avoid or manage potential problems. "While not everyone who took part supports the return of lynx, we now have a clear understanding of what needs to be put in place if a reintroduction is to happen.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Soho Basin at Cardrona not ready yet due to lack of snow
Part of the Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka which was due to open on Saturday. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd A major expansion at Cardrona Alpine Resort will not open as hoped on Saturday as the wait continues for more snow. The Soho Basin boosts Cardrona's total footprint by a quarter with a new high speed lift, making it the biggest ski area in the country. The new terrain was meant to be officially opened on Saturday - the first day of the school holidays, but the ceremony has been postponed until Sunday due to a weather front. The ceremony would involve a lift blessing, formal welcome from Kāi Tahu, speeches, ribbon cutting and kapa haka performance before live music at Cardrona's base. Cardrona Alpine Resort said skiers and snowboarders unfortunately would not be able to test the slopes after the ceremony as they needed to wait a bit longer for Mother Nature to do her thing. Cardrona's main slopes opened earlier this month. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Major Cardrona Alpine Resort expansion almost ready to open
Shimmering high on the Queenstown horizon, an expansive off-map ski basin that, for years, existed only in whispers and long-term plans is finally ready to be revealed. Skiers and snowboards were praying the snow gods delivered in time for Cardrona Alpine Resort's planned opening of Soho Basin on 28 June, marking the culmination of years of painstaking planning and tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. Cardrona and Treble Cone chief mountains officer Laura Hedley said the project had involved technical backcountry building work, helicopter missions and meticulous tussock replanting. "We don't often get to open up new terrain in New Zealand, so we are so excited about being able to open this up to our guests, let them explore a bit more of these beautiful mountains," she said. Chief mountains officer for Cardrona and Treble Cone Laura Hedley. Photo: Supplied The basin was tucked over the ridge from Cardrona's main slopes, high on the Queenstown horizon on a south-facing aspect. Punctuated by rocks and ridgelines, Soho Basin expanded Cardrona's total footprint by a quarter, making it the biggest ski area in the country. Hedley said it would mostly cater to intermediate and advanced riders. "It's really rolly and playful," she said. "We tried to keep it as natural as possible, because the terrain itself is amazing. "People will have this experience where they go basin to basin. You can get from Soho Basin to Captain's Basin, then across to the main basin. "You'll be able to ski in different places, eat in different places - it's going to feel like a whole different resort." Soho Basin's new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2 km chairlift. Photo: Supplied Planning for Soho Basin began in 2015, followed by a 2018 agreement to use land owned by Land Information New Zealand. A new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2km chairlift called Soho Express took two years to build, with towers brought in by a Black Hawk helicopter, because there was no road access. As the area was landscaped, Hedley said staff tried to leave the smallest possible mark on the environment. "We made sure that every time we took out a tussock, we replanted it," she said. Soho Basin's new high-speed, six-seater, 1.2 km chairlift. Photo: Supplied The project had driven development across the rest of the mountain, including a new T-bar ski lift, retail store and noodle bar, Hedley said. "We needed to make sure we had enough carparks, enough food and beverage seating, that our rentals [facility] was upgraded, that our infrastructure was upgraded," she said. "We've had some challenges. We didn't get every consent we wanted in time and that's okay. "It's a multi-year project, so things like the water reservoir for snowmaking, we'll do next year, but we do have the infrastructure in place already and we do have snow guns on. "We haven't quite finished yet, but this is definitely the big one." Cardrona's main slopes opened on 14 June. Photo: Supplied Along with snow guns, signage and a new ski patrol hut, staff had settled on eight names for new runs, including Sunny Side, Snow Farmer and Showtime. Ski patroller Shane Adams said staff started preparing the area for public access last year. "The snow safety specialists got to come in, and did quite a lot of work to look for avalanche paths and build their avalanche atlas, and all those sorts of things, which is really cool," he said. Adams said he recalled a lot of talk about the ski area one day expanding over the mountain, when he worked at Cardrona in 2015. "To be back here again and actually have that happen is pretty cool. I'm pretty excited," he said. Soho Basin could open at the start of school holidays, if snow coverage improved. Skier Sam Redwood was already eyeing up the possibilities. "I don't want to give away too many secrets, but I know some spots," he said. "My mate's been scoping out some really good lines down it and I'm really keen to hit those." Long-time Cardrona skier Will Murrell was also looking forward to trying out Soho's slopes. "The thought of a bunch of new stuff here is just awesome," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Olympic freeski champion Nico Porteous changes career direction
Nico Porteous has won Olympic, X Games and world championship titles. Photo: AFP Olympic champion Nico Porteous will never stop pushing the boundaries on the slopes, but the competitive streak has waned and he is stepping away from freeski halfpipe in a natural career change . Porteous, 23, is New Zealand's most successful male snowsports athlete and one of the most decorated halfpipe athletes in history. At times in his competitive career, he has felt the pressure of expectation, but now he skis for the fun of it. He has Olympic, X Games and world championship titles, and World Cup medals, but in his words, he has nothing left to achieve as a competitive athlete. "That's why I felt so free to make the decision that I have made," Porteous said. "I achieved everything that I wanted to and I'm really proud of that." Porteous spent more than half his life chasing success on the snow. He started as a 10-year-old, following older brother Miguel, as he chased back-to-back winters, training and competing at Breckenridge in the USA and Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand, balancing sports commitments with schoolwork. A lot has changed. "Your thinking changes, the way you look at life changes and I have followed that natural progression," Porteous said of his decision to move on from wearing silver fern on the international stage. "In the later stages there, I just lost that competitive drive and competitive passion, and found other areas of skiing that I really enjoyed." At 14, Porteous became the first New Zealander and youngest person in the world to land a triple cork 1440. Two years later, he was an Olympic bronze-medallist and a junior world champion. The following season, he claimed the first World Cup medal of his career - a silver. He then won a bronze medal at X Games Aspen and finished in second on the 2018-19 freeski halfpipe World Cup tour rankings - the best ever result at the time for a New Zealand male in the FIS Freeski rankings. Zoe Sadowski-Synnott and Nico Porteous show off their 2018 Winter Olympics bronze medals. Photo: PHOTOSPORT At the 2021 X Games Aspen, Porteous won New Zealand's first gold medal in freeski superpipe, with a run he had worked on for 18 months that contained a trick and a trick combo - a right 1620 combined with the left 1620 - that had never been landed in competition before. He continued his success during that 2021 season to become the freeski halfpipe world champion, the first time a New Zealander had held this title. In 2022, he won X Games freeski superpipe gold and followed that up with an freeski halfpipe gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Last year, he claimed silver at the 2024 Aspen X Games, after taking a break from competing in 2023. Porteous' success as a teenager opened New Zealanders' eyes to what was possible from his generation of snowsports athletes, but it also took over his life. "It takes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of everything," he said. "It just consumes you and and it's all you think about 24/7. "I definitely was feeling pressure. Everything that I do, I want to do my best at it and give it my all, and having that expectation can sometimes lead to some pretty stressful environments." Porteous put his head down and tried to drown out the external noise. "I think there definitely was some external pressure, but also internal pressure as well, throughout the whole time." Another Winter Olympics was not on Porteous' mind, when he announced he was leaving competitive freeskiing eight months out from the next Games at Milan. "It was just when I felt like it was right," he said. "It was on my own terms." Porteous is taking note of the up-and-coming New Zealand talent that will hopefully have success similar to his. "The success that we've seen in the past season has been crazy," he said. "All credit to those guys, they're incredible and I think it's really exciting the new era that we're coming into." With his competitive days now behind him, Porteous said he was in good shape and was not slowing down. From now on, Nico Porteous will move into different forms of skiing. Photo: PhotoSport "I'm still pushing myself every single day and skiing at the highest level I can. There's been a couple injuries along the way, but everybody goes through injuries, and I'm lucky that I'm still young and my body feels good. "By no means am I done pushing the limit skiing." Over the past couple of years, Porteous has moved into a different area of skiing - one that involves showing off his skills for the camera. "Working with videographers and producing films of me skiing, I've really enjoyed that side of skiing and it's something that, we're lucky in our sport, it can be another career path." He has also managed and produced some events, and worked on product development with some of the sponsors he built relationships with while competing. Porteous still spends a lot of time in skis. "I just go skiing for fun," he said. "It's what I love to do. "It's my passion and it's my hobby as well, just as much as it's my career. "I go out skiing, more often than not, just for fun." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
