AS the season winds down and we start dreaming of our northern winter escapes, I have been doing some dreaming of my own looking out over Hotham.
We have all spent chairlift rides musing about potential infrastructure projects, armchair experts looking out at the resort and proposing chairlifts into untapped terrain and massive commercial redevelopments of Hotham Central.
I'm here to guide you on a journey ranking my personal favourite Hotham fever-dream-style chairlift-chat infrastructure project ideas.
These are ranked according to my own interest in discussing them.
These are not based on potential viability, existing planning or anything more than frivolous fancy.
But image if…
9. Chairlift replacing Australia Drift T Bar down to the valley
This one has been discussed since before time began.
Classic arguments against it are ‘patrol would be constantly rescuing people from out of there’, but what’s life without a little adventure?
It would bring some of Hotham’s best side country terrain into the resort, and we could run a freeride comp in there that would leave some hearts in mouths.
Probably not this lifetime unfortunately, and while it’s a fun concept, its chat value is reasonably played out hence the low ranking.
8. Tokyo Style underground complex below day carpark.
Really bold project, I'm thinking underground carpark, a floor of retail and rentals and a few dive bars.
Redirect the highway behind the Snowbird and create a hedonistic central town square with all the trimmings to rival Rome under Caligula.
Snowflake's chance in hell.
7. Connecting lift over Higginbotham from the Big D to the Day Carpark
There are perks to this project, its main detriment is it inspires no joy, no love.
Yes, you open up some more beginner terrain.
Yes, you connect the main heart of the town to the beginner area.
Yes, you can bring the squalling mass of kids club children into the warm embrace of the summit without the tedium of riding the bus.
I care about this only because of its functionality.
6. Detachable hooded six-seater chairs.
An outlandish idea that has been implemented by nearly all other resorts in the world.
Heated seats of course - useful for mountain biking which could tap into the existing thriving biking community in the valley.
5. Terrain Park on the skiers left of the Drift T bar.
Build a jump and a rail line down the skiers left of Australia Drift.
Leave the other side to the public and Team Hotham to arc turns.
Perfectly symbiotic, when it’s firm the park will be quieter and the racers will be going for it, when its soft people can lap the park with a fast turn-around.
4. Park Poma on the summit.
Doubles the speed of park laps and takes an enormous amount of traffic off the Summit Chair, allowing beginners to get more laps in. Everybody wins.
3. Lift over the Back of Heavenly Valley.
This one is fun, open a fun new area for exploring and some pretty cool terrain down there.
I think we could also add a European style après deck to that new public guest shelter up at the Loch car park.
We could look out on Feathertop, drink schnapps and listen to German techno, a Hotham experience of a lifetime.
2. Late night kebab stand outside the General Store.
This is the most viable project, and in a utilitarian sense brings the most benefit to the most people.
Imagine rolling out of apres and into shredded lamb in warm bread.
Profits from this we could use to fully fund the gondola you're about to read about.
1. Harrietville-Feathertop-Hotham gondola.
Hear me out. I have asked ChatGPT to do a feasibility study for this project and they believe for a measly $100 million we can connect our pristine mountain village to Australia's Alp, and back down the Bungalow Spur to Harrietville.
That feels like a steal at twice the price.
Think of all the problems we are going to solve.
The road traffic would drop significantly and people wouldn't lose their BMW's without chains off the side of Little Baldy.
Closure of the road would also become a non-issue.
We could open the terrain on Feathertop which would be appropriate level of challenge for about 100 people, and a near-death, life affirming experience for everybody else.
We could install beacons like Lord of the Rings when Gondor calls for aid and light them each morning when the Gondola spins.
Loading our gondola out behind the Orchard would bring a whole new flavour to the constant annual refrain of 'is the Orchard open?'.
