FALLS Creek’s Curtis Hogarth has been grooming snow for more than two decades (coming up to season 28 overall and season 17 at Falls Creek) and admits it helps to be an introvert in his choice of career.
“There’s too much noise in the world,” says Curtis, who also works with Falls Creek in building maintenance over summer.
“The silence on the mountains during the night is gold.”
He says the job is basically pushing snow back up the hill after skiers and snowboarders push it downhill doing fun laps of the mountain all day but admits it’s definitely not easy – if it was, he wouldn’t have stayed with it for so long.
“Working a 12-way blade on the grooming machine becomes ‘muscle memory’ after a while,” says Curtis.
He says it’s critical to only carry as much snow as required, and this is achieved “by changing the attitude (angle) of the blade to the surface as it presents”.
Even though you only need a car licence to drive one of the snow cat grooming machines, Curtis says grooming snow is a skill you will never master.
“The constant learning is what keeps me interested,” he says.
In his time working away from Falls Creek, Curtis has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of pre-season training lanes for World Cup downhill and cross country teams.
He has also spent time at a vehicle testing facility preparing handling tracks, snow flats and ice pads.
He says it’s not just about the machine you’re driving, it’s also about the snow, which is in a constant state of metamorphosis.
“We look for diamonds – you can tell the snow is setting up and freezing when you can see it glitter,” says Curtis.
He enjoys seeing the fruits of his labour the next morning when the resort is open and says it’s special that he can make a positive impact on people with the work he does.
“That’s really cool,” says Curtis.
“You can make or break their time here and I really like seeing the first timers on Mouse Trap enjoying themselves and learning to love snowsports.”
Working through the night, there’s an element of fatigue management and Curtis says you need to always be “on your game” when you’re snow grooming.
Sometimes, he’ll see an owl or spot Pygmy possums in the snow cat’s headlights, which reminds him of the amazing natural environment he’s able to work in – a far cry from growing up in Cronulla as a boy.
At age 65, he says he still doesn’t know what he’ll do when he grows up but loves the people he meets being a snow groomer, admitting you have to be a particular kind of person to stay in the game.
If you’re thinking of following in his footsteps, he says the qualities you will need are humility and respect, as well as the ability to rely on yourself.
“They are the qualities that stand out,” says Curtis.
“Most of us are quiet and unassuming - definitely not 'pub groomers' who talk things up.
"Although if you put us all in a room we’ll talk nothing but grooming snow – there’s a passion involved in this profession.”
Some of his favourite nights are during storms when it’s snowing so hard you can’t see out of the windows very well and feel like you’re in a “snow crusted bubble”.
“I love that!” says Curtis.
“If you don’t like storms as a snow groomer then you’re in the wrong job!
"When snowflakes are coming at you, reflected in the lights, it feels like Star Wars.”
The nights pass by quickly and he is always feeling a rush to the finish.
“Time is really critical and there’s only a certain amount of darkness to play with," he says.
What does he find most surprising about being a snow groomer?
“That I’m still here!”
Find out more about mountain operations at Falls Creek at: Falls Creek - YouTube
