Industry News
Australian ski resorts have tested their snow cannons and have started making the first snow to get ready for opening weekend on June 8. Most Australian ski resorts typically open on the King’s Birthday Long Weekend which is celebrated in Australia on the second weekend in June each year.
The snow factories at Mount Buller in Victoria have started production. Buller typically gets, at minimum, a small strip of snow ready for opening weekend on Bourke Street. This year, the resort has added another Snow Factory, a Techno Alpin SF 220, to its stable, adding 200 cubic meters of snow-making daily to Victoria’s most prominent resort. “We are extremely pleased to have another Factory operational just one month before the season begins. It guarantees skiing and snow for our valued guests,” stated Noel Landry, General Manager of Buller Ski Lifts. Buller has been purchasing Snow Factories since 2017. These state-of-the-art snow cannons can make snow irrespective of air temperature, unlike other devices that require below freezing air temperatures. The newest Snow Factory will be situated at the top of the Bonza and Northside Chairlifts, improving the snow coverage and enabling more opportunities for skiing in the beginner area and sightseeing near Spurs restaurant.
Meanwhile in nearby Falls Creek the snow cannons have had their first trial run and production is looking excellent. Falls Creek has also added to its snow making infrastructure, purchasing several new Techno Alpin snow cannons. While the snow that was made did not survive the last few sunny days, temperatures are expected to drop this weekend so the new snow cannons can be put to the real test on Friday and Saturday night.
Perisher in New South Wales has also been testing its snow cannons ahead of the cold front sweeping in from the Southern Ocean. Perisher has added several new snow cannons but has particularly rolled out snow making in the Smiggin Holes are of the resort.
The cold front sweeping in will see temperatures in the mountains dropping to below freezing and bring snow fall to the Australian Alps. A cold front over the Southern Ocean is expected to bring a strong southerly change to southeast Australia during Friday. It is expected to reach the far north coast of New South Wales by Saturday afternoon and a trough of low pressure is forecast to develop over the Tasman Sea. The southerly airstream between the high and the trough over the Tasman is expected to be maintained through to next week. Snow is expected to fall from around 1,300-1,400 meters (4,265-4,593 feet) on Friday and Saturday.
While the natural snowfall will not be significant, the drop in night time temperatures will enable resorts to make snow in time for the long weekend which is just a bit more than three weeks away now.
