Plans are afoot to turn the Rainbow Ski Area into the “best small ski field in the country”.

A quiet revolution has begun at the Nelson Lakes-based snow sports amenity, which has been in operation since the early 1980s.

After years of being administered solely by a very-able volunteer committee, the new-look Rainbow Sports Club has a fresh approach, led by a newly-appointed fulltime general manager and new-look operations team.

“[The club] are going through a massive change,” said Lesley McIntosh, Sport Tasman manager community sport (Nelson) who has been assisting them with some of their transition.

“Rainbow has been run by a management committee for the last decade and they have done an amazing job. I don’t think people understand how much work and passion that committee has put in to have Rainbow open every season.

“But they have decided to take a step back and go into a governance board environment and employ a general manager.”

That person is 58-year-old James Lazor, a former alpine director for Snow Sports NZ, who joined the Rainbow set-up in mid-February.

Lazor, who immigrated to New Zealand nearly 12 years ago, has also directed ski operations in Ontario, Canada and Vermont, USA.

He has some far-reaching plans for the ski field, but is keen on a softly-softly approach during his first season at the helm.

“We will be patient this winter, get a feel for it.

“There has been some fantastic support in the region, between the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough areas … and a lot of passion from the people that have been involved as well as the members of the club and the public.

“We just want to be able to respect and work with all of them to create whatever the next level is.”

Andrew Smith, acting chairman of the Rainbow Sports Club, said the club had several strategic goals, including becoming the top winter attraction in the Nelson-Marlborough region.

“It would be fantastic if we could do that,” agreed Lazor.

“A big part will be to make the field easily accessible. It’s crucial we do a good job on our road and that we do the best job we possibly can on the snow surfaces, whether natural or man-made. Those are the big things on my plate … plus customer service and reminding people in the Nelson/Marlborough region that we are only 90 minutes away.”

Lazor said becoming the best small ski field in the country was certainly a goal, and a possibility.

“We would need to make sure we are respected by our peers in the industry, and also our customers, to be recognised like that … we are a hidden-away gem that nobody really knows about, so hopefully people will find us and come up to ski and to ride.”

He described his first impressions of the ski area as “breath-taking”. “It’s amazing how gorgeous it is up there … it’s unbelievable. In our industry we are semi-dependent on the weather … but with the terrain up there the field’s potential is enormous.”

McIntosh agreed.

“Rainbow is one of a kind in the Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough region … their catchment area goes all the way to the West Coast – they have over 15,000 users (members and day users) a year.

“It is used for school groups, various ski and novelty races, family fun days, toboggan hire and by those who just enjoy walking in the snow.

It is really a recreational environment as well as for those keen snow sports enthusiasts. They have a pretty unique proposition compared to other codes in the area.”

Lazor is immensely grateful for the help offered by Sport Tasman in the transition process and beyond.

“It was a great move by the committee [to seek assistance from Sport Tasman] … everything we need we have at our fingertips.”

McIntosh is glad to be involved, providing independent guidance and advice.

“Last year I saw an opportunity to have a chat with them and see if they would like any assistance from Sport Tasman … in terms of guidance around operations or governance. We began our partnership by conducting an independent survey of their membership and staff … that was the start of our journey with them.

“From there we helped with the recruitment of their general manager and worked with them to appoint a new administrator [Marika Kingan] and another key role, based on the mountain.

 “With the number of foot traffic that goes through there it is a really good area to assist in … they have a huge reach throughout the community, from regular season pass holders to schoolkids who are going up there one-off.

“Any assistance we can provide Rainbow is a win for all of us as they look ahead.”

The skifield, which is expected to open for business this year on July 7, has had challenges in the past.

After its establishment in the early 1980s it became a thriving club field by the mid-1990s. However, after some lean seasons, the field was closed and the slopes were stripped, only two handle lifts remaining. Then a committee was formed to save the ski area and, with the help of various media, councils, grants and local businesses, Rainbow was re-opened on July 17, 2004.

Fourteen seasons later, it is poised to move to another level, according to McIntosh.

“Watch this space,” she added.