Winter Storm Strands NZ Skiers

More than 1,000 people were stranded on New Zealand's Mount Hutt overnight after extreme winds, gusting up to 200km/h, closed the Canterbury ski-field yesterday lunchtime.
Skiers and snowboarders, including 300 schoolchildren, along 120 staff members, were stranded after the mountain access road was closed by snowdrifts forcing all to cram into the resorts cafe, 1,600 metres up the mountain
The access road has reopened to downhill traffic this morning but the ski-field will remains closed for the day.
NZSki Chief Eexecutive James Coddington said the quick arrival of the bad weather, which was not expected until today, had surprised staff.
The 2010 winter season has season four deaths on the mountain. Three people have died while skiing or snowboarding while a man died after his car veered off the mountain's access road.