How will the new snowmaking guns help?
New automated and energy efficient modern snowmaking guns will replace older technology, meaning we can maximise snow production opportunities as the temperature drops, allowing our team to efficiently operate our snowmaking system, without the lost time associated with older technology and infrastructure.
The project will include partial realignment and placement of the new snow guns along Drovers Dream to provide improved skiing and boarding terrain in this area.
Safeguarding our seasons
Over the past six years, Vail Resorts has invested heavily into the guest experience, with a focus on our snowmaking system and grooming fleet as well as our snow fences across the resort. These are all important functions to ensure we can make snow, move snow and catch snow all season long, ensuring our guests experience the best possible snow conditions.
“The benefit of these investments have been felt all season long and will continue to positively impact the guest experience into the future here at the resort,” said Richard Phillips, VP & GM at Falls Creek. “With this significant investment in Drovers Dream we can’t wait to welcome our guests and winter team back next year for an even better season thanks to these improvements.”
Other recent investment projects at Falls Creek include:
- Replacing snowmaking compressors with new machines in our central pumphouse located at the base of Towers chairlift, improving efficiency and reliability.
- Adding six new automated snowmaking guns across the resort and two modern, energy efficient Pistenbully snow grooming cats to our extensive fleet.
- Replacing all snowmaking on Main Street with a modern automated system to maximize snowmaking opportunities, allowing the run to open earlier and close later each season.
- Adding additional automated snowmaking on Wombat’s Ramble, improving efficiency and output.
- Replacing snowmaking pipes at the base of the Ruined Castle chairlift, allowing for increased water flow and maximized efficiency of our snow guns in this area.
Snowmaking is an extremely important part of our business, and we continue to see the impact of advanced snowmaking capabilities on the duration of our winters and the experience of our guests. Thanks to our snowmaking investments, Falls Creek was the last resort to close in Victoria in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Michelle Lovell, the Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce President, has said “Snowmaking during the 2024 winter was exceptional at Falls Creek and provided great skiing on all key terrain when Mother Nature didn’t deliver. The Falls Creek community, our businesses, and our guests are excited to see another round of investment that will create a reliability second to none in Victoria and further lifts our skiing experience.”
Falls Creek’s Snowsports School Senior Manager Danny Foster is excited about the upgrades, saying: “This project will provide incredible teaching terrain from very early in the season and our instructors will be over the moon to return to Falls Creek in 2025 with this enhanced terrain offering to deliver amazing lessons to skiers and boarders of all ages and abilities.”