Methven, New Zealand – A raging snowstorm left hundreds stranded at Mt. Hutt ski area in New Zealand on Wednesday night as patrollers mitigated the avalanche risk created by the blizzard.

More than 300 guests were trapped at Mt. Hutt for most of last night as employees worked to make the access road safe to descend. Those trapped included 260 grade 7-12 students of Mt. Hutt College in Methven.

Following more than 20 cm (eight inches) of new snow, accompanied by heavy winds that caused the new snow to drift, ski area officials closed the access road at around noon on Wednesday. Patrollers detonated explosives on the cliffs above the access road in an attempt to intentionally trigger avalanches.

Mt. Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie said while ski area management had been aware of an approaching front and a poor forecast for Wednesday, the situation deteriorated “pretty quickly.”

“We made a decision to close the mountain at 11:30 (Wednesday) morning and a number of people made it safely down the road,” he said. “However, at midday a combination of new snow blowing around everywhere and wind gusts of up to 45 kph, especially around the Saddles, meant visibility along the upper section of the access road deteriorated to the extent we closed the road completely.”

The ski area provided food and drink for those trapped, who passed the time by playing cards and finding other activities to occupy their time.  Ski area officials reopened the road at around 2 a.m. local time Thursday morning and guests were finally allowed to leave. Buses transporting Mt. Hutt College students led the parade down the mountain, followed by guests in private vehicles and finally Mt. Hutt staff.

The ski area remained closed on Thursday, allowing staffers to recover from their unplanned overnight stay on the mountain. Officials hope to reopen the mountain on Friday, weather permitting.