Driving one of the buses for the ski company is actually one of the most coveted and revered jobs you can have during the winter season here. And they don't drive just any buses, the buses they drive are super expensive, four-wheel-drive monstrosities that can handle the steep, snowy, icy and unpaved roads that lead up to the ski fields. Many times the weather is so bad that the drivers have to pull over and put chains on all the tires - a huge task that most of them can do in about 10 minutes.
Since half my day is working with transport, I am getting to know the crew quite well and am finding them to be a lot of fun. Many of the drivers have told me that they like the job because of the ego boost and adrenaline high that they get from it along with the challenge of driving in the mountains. They also tend to be extremely "Kiwi" in that they are very outgoing, sarcastic, confident and love to joke around. They also tend to be very big and manly (some are ex-rugby players) and all have nicknames used on the radio like Hoover, Lofty, Brownie and T-Bone.
The road up to the Remarkables is especially treacherous and many people choose to take the bus instead of driving themselves (a wise choice). The road is 13.5 km of dirt, snow and ice with sheer drop offs on one side and many steep curves and twists. The first time I drove up it I was amazed that they could actually transport hundreds of people up and down it safely every day. Last year, a You Tube video became popular when it caught one of the buses sliding on some ice on one of the trickiest parts in
the road. See for yourself:
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