EARLY in the morning you may hear the reverse beeping of a groomer, the clinking of bottles or the crunchy footsteps of a lone ski patroller gathering info for the daily snow report.
It’s a fact that Hotham does not sleep in winter and every hour of the day someone is doing something to keep the experience the best it can be for our guests.
From the garbos who start at stupid o’clock and then end up in the sorting shed to split the recyclables, food waste and other waste to minimise landfill to the groomers who put a few tunes on and go about crafting the snow in all sorts of conditions to improve the guest experience, these are only two of the key functions that we would be completely stuffed without.
As the day awakens, the resort is prepped for visitors with snow clearers jumping to action to check the road and clear it when required, then reporting into the resort so websites can be updated and our guests are informed.
These guys work 24/7 in winter to ensure the road is the safest it can be and on rare occasions (in conjunction with emergency services) close the road, much to people’s dismay, but remember safety is paramount and sometimes people need to be protected from themselves.
The guest services team awakens and are briefed on what is known (re: weather), expected visitation and the parking plan for the day, they assist you to park and also respond to the myriads of questions that guests have.
The lifts open after terrain is assessed and lifts de-iced and checked for safety before guests jump on in.
There are ski patrollers dotted throughout the mountain responding to mishaps and working in with the dedicated ambo’s and medical centre staff as well as distance help when required.
This is a well oiled machine and many lives have been saved in years gone by.
Then we have our hospitality legends who have been up since the wee hours prepping the days food and drink offerings, some from breakfast onwards.
Some unique logistical challenges exist in regards to getting goods in and out of snowbound venues.
We also need to give kudos to our ski hire and retail outlets who expertly fit you out with gear and also ensure (where possible) you have correctly fitted chains should the need arise to fit them.
There is also a lot of other crew such as mechanics, water supply, sewage, gas and maintenance people that just do what they need to again to ensure the guest experience is good not forgetting we are in a sensitive alpine environment that often needs special procedures to do even simple things.
The higher you get, the harder it is to do things, but when things go pear shaped, our community bands together for the common good.
It takes a highly dedicated skilled team to run this place.
Worth pondering as you drive up or are sitting on chairlift this season.
Spring is knocking on the door - are we ready to let it in?
Cheers from up here!
