TEAGAN Atherstone (23), a firefighter from Bright, swapped fire for ice this season taking on a role at Falls Creek as a snowmaker.
“I’d planned to be a lift operator, but then this role came up and I jumped at the chance,” said Teagan, who is one of the two female snowmakers on the seven-crew team. “Both my summer and winter jobs are weather dependent and are also similar in that every day (or night) are different.”
Teagan's day starts around 5.30pm when she will wake up and have breakfast just as her flatmates return from their day jobs ready to settle in for dinner.
If the weather is good, she’ll set her alarm earlier, around 2pm, to get out for a ski.
Work begins around 8pm and will finish at 4am if the conditions are not right for snowmaking when the team will do maintenance around the mountain instead, or around 8am when they’re able to get the snowguns firing.
“I’ve been surprised at the diversity in the role – there’s so much more than just turning on the snowguns,” said Teagan.
“We might be on the tools, problem-solving, setting sled trail markers or repairing padding on the hill.”
Teagan said both roles also involve being out in extreme weather – either the heat or the cold, and that she’s learnt how to look after herself with the clothing she chooses and her team has shown her how to layer to keep warm.
“There’s a real sense of camaraderie and everyone has a laugh as well as sharing all their knowledge,” said Teagan.
“There’s not a lot of people to turn to for help in the middle of the night, so you become close.”
If there is ever a mistake and it requires another team member’s help, they have to buy the team a packet of Assorted Creams biscuits and the local shop always keeps plenty on hand.
Lunch is in the middle of night, which is when Teagan will make a cheese toastie and soup and share time with her team while they warm up, pop their gloves on the heater to dry out and change their socks to a nice dry pair.
Her family are enjoying all the photos she shares with them on her phone, such as beautiful clear nights with lots of stars visible, or spectacular mountain sunrises.
“It’s so gorgeous and quiet over the back of Falls Creek in the middle of the night,” said Teagan.
“It’s so peaceful and there’s the solitude; it’s really special.”
Teagan was a cross country skier growing up, enjoying being “a long way away and where you can’t see anyone; just being in nature”.
Her favourite spot on the mountain these days is at the top of Drover’s as the sun comes up and the dam starts to glow.
She said conditions for snowmaking depend on many different factors – for example, if it’s foggy or snowing that can make a difference and the general rule of thumb is that it should be cooler if there’s higher humidities but can be warmer if there are lower humidities for the best snowmaking.
There’s also a difference to the type of snow they will want to make at different times during the night, for example, early on they want to make a good base so it’s important for the snow not to be too wet because it could turn icy.
“We want snow that sticks together a bit more early in our shift and then from 6am we want to make that dry snow that everyone loves to ski on,” said Teagan, who has enjoyed learning all the technical details about her job.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up and now I am.
"This is my perfect winter job to back that up – I love that it lets me be outdoors and to learn from people of all generations.”
For others wanting to follow in Teagan's footsteps, she says: “It’s not as daunting as it seems, everyone is really friendly and is willing to help. I thought it might be hard working in the dark, but it’s nice to know that you’ve got a friendly crew waiting for you – work is somewhere I look forward to going.”
Expressions of Interest to work at Falls Creek Ski Lifts are now open - go to https://bit.ly/3Y2Hl9f
