Ready to fight fire with snowmaking

It’s fire season and Mt Buller resort is preparing for summer with a smart, high-tech way to protect the mountain.

Mt Buller has more than 300 snowmaking guns positioned around the ski area, which Buller Ski Lifts is able to use to protect the resort, buildings, chairlifts and precious alpine habitat in the case of a bushfire.

In addition to the snowguns, Buller Ski Lifts has placed permanent sprinklers on top of key infrastructure including buildings and lifts to protect these assets in the event of a fire threat.

The snowguns spray water under high pressure – which is used to make snow in the winter months – and in summer can work as a giant sprinkler system pumping water across the mountain to prevent the spread of fire.

The snowguns can be turned on automatically from the pump control room or remotely using tablets, ensuring water can be pumped quickly and efficiently to where it’s needed, keeping people out of dangerous areas. The guns pump water from the Sun Valley snowmaking dam, which is full and ready if it is needed.

Buller Ski Lifts’ General Manager, Noel Landry explains, “This system allows us to pump around 1 megalitre of water each hour across the resort area if we are faced with the threat of a fire.

“We’ve worked closely with our suppliers and adapted the snowmaking system so it can do this important job for our community and the mountain each fire season, as well as delivering essential snow cover in our winter months.

“I’d like to acknowledge the great work of our snowmaking and mountain operations teams for preparing the mountain ahead of summer and being ready to defend our community and environment if the need arises. Mt Buller’s continual investment in snowmaking infrastructure, shared by BSL and Alpine Resorts Victoria, underpins viable resort operations year round and is a priority for everyone in our community.”

Mt Buller’s ARV General Manager, Alan Arthur, said the snowmaking system also worked to protect some of Mt Buller’s most endangered residents.

“In addition to protecting key buildings and infrastructure, the snowmaking guns will help the resort spread resources to protect critical habitat such as protected plants and our Mountain Pygmy-Possum colony,” he said.