AT the beginning of every snow season, Buller News prints an article about what’s new on the mountain and what new investment Buller Ski Lifts is unveiling to improve the experience for skiers, snowboarders, and all guests in the resort.
It’s safe to assume there will be new snowmaking infrastructure, an updated lift, or new technology to improve snow reliability, and for good reason – there almost always is.
“Our guests commit their valued time and money to make memories here each snow season, and Buller Ski Lifts strives to make the experience that bit better every time.
It’s a big, diverse, and challenging business, however, I am inspired every day by our team and our owners with the commitment everyone has to care for this place and do things smarter and better each season,” explains General Manager Noel Landry.
The recent Chamber of Commerce trip to North America highlighted to the BSL team the importance of remaining leaders in snow management, which is a combination of having the right people, the right equipment, and increasingly the latest technology.
“The change in how we do business is dramatic when you look back to standard resort operations even a few decades ago,” Landry adds.
“The grooming team smoothing and ‘farming’ the snow pack each evening maybe had a radio, in contrast to today where cat drivers use SnowSat GPS satellite technology to precisely measure the snow beneath their machines down to the nearest centimetre with screens and data integral to their nightly work to reshape and maintain the ski area cover.”
Mt Buller has been using the SnowSat technology for several years, and it enables the team to build ‘highways’ to ensure snow linkages are maintained in early and late season when cover can be reduced.
The precise information of exactly how much snow is on the ground in key locations and where snow can be stored or moved translates to more ski days each season and better use of the snow available to maintain runs, build parks, and deliver race courses and training areas for athletes and events.
The changes in snowmaking are striking since those first experiments in the 70s created the first ‘manmade’ snow by spraying water into cold air on the Enzian ski run.
The principles are the same 54 years later, but the sophistication of Buller Ski Lifts’ network of over 300 guns and 5 all-weather Snow Factories covering over 80 hectares of terrain is stark.
Most of the guns are fully automated, and recent investments in ATASS operating software allow the snowmakers to quickly seize opportunities to make snow in tight weather windows.
Head snowmaker Paul Richmond explains, “The temperature and humidity can change suddenly on Mt Buller, and this technology is a game changer to make the most of conditions and turn on snowmaking in minutes thanks to sensors and automation feeding real-time data to our control centre.
Back in the day, we were driving around in the dark to turn guns on and off and missing valuable windows of optimal snow production.”
The data capture and analysis of the new system streamlines the process and is building critical insights to improve production, predictions, and strategy each season.
Another important aspect of smarter snowmaking is underway as BSL trials some new low-energy snow guns that produce between 2 and 10 times the snow of older models.
“It’s all about efficient energy use and using the least resources to produce the best snow we can,” says Assets & Engineering Manager Tim Meier.
“Our goal is to produce as much snow as possible while steadily reducing our environmental impact and achieve a win/win.
We are mapping a detailed snowmaking master plan for the next ten years that will support our planning and investments into the 2030s and beyond.”
Off the snow, there are big changes taking place to ensure Buller Ski Lifts is at the forefront of technology.
“The broad sweep of services, operations, and sales Buller Ski Lifts provides is bigger than it’s ever been, and our IT team has an exciting role to play in capturing vast amounts of data and creating reporting that supports our operation and ultimately ensures we can better care for our customers and guests,” says Landry.
Buller Ski Lifts has invested in a new business-wide data analytics platform that helps the organisation draw on real-time data from across all areas, including mountain operations, retail, ticketing, accommodation, hospitality, and more to inform decisions and adapt within days rather than next season.
Group IT Manager Palo Galko observes, “We are working in partnership with all our business units to help them capture data and access it in practical reports like they’ve never been able to before so they can pivot and tweak operations for better guest experiences and business efficiency.
It’s helping us anticipate staffing needs in real time and manage everything from food ordering to energy use.
As we work in machine learning and AI, there are exciting opportunities to build predictive models and continue to work smarter.”
“Mt Buller has always been a pioneer in the ski industry, and as our community marks 100 years of skiing and looks back on so many achievements, it’s a reminder that being a small ski resort in Australia doesn’t mean we can’t be one of the best in the world.”
