Mt Buller Mt Stirling general manager, Alan Arthur is pleased to see the snow falling as he looks out the window of his office in Alpine Central.
It was a rarer sight during his first season in the job as general manager of the resorts in 2024.
But 2025 has been a very different winter, with regular snow falls and visitation up more than 20 per cent.
“I was thrilled to join Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) in 2024, but it was disappointing that the natural snow levels were so low last season,” he said.
“Those challenging conditions gave me the chance to really understand how the resorts operate. It was also an opportunity to work with our stakeholders to understand the issues that were most important to them.”
As he approaches 18 months in the job, Alan said his second winter had presented new challenges with the resort experiencing yet another weekend of blizzard conditions.
This one saw him driving the Buller Road at 12.30am to check for fallen trees and landslides.
“They told me snow fixes everything,” he said with a laugh. “But it definately brings its own challenges!
“Fortunately, I work with an amazing team of people who are out there in all weather, doing whatever needs to get done to make the guest experience as positive as possible. It’s a tough environment to work in, but I’m constantly impressed by the commitment from the crew,” Alan said.
After a couple of tough back-to-back seasons, Alan hopes the resort’s stakeholders are enjoying a more successful year.
“It’s been fantastic to see so many visitors taking advantage of the great early snow to visit our resorts. With the forecast looking great into August, it’s shaping up to be busy month as we host the Victorian Interschools Snowsport Championships from 18-24 August and the Australian Interschools from 2-7 September.”
While winter brings the highest visitation to Mt Buller, the green season is also a busy time for the team at ARV with asset maintenance and upgrades, preparation for the next winter and a growing calendar of summer events.
Last summer was particularly busy with the resort having to drain its Boggy Creek Reservoir to complete repairs to the dam’s liner.
“Security of water supply year-round is my highest priority,” Alan said. “My team and I spend more time working on, and talking about, water than any other area of responsibility.
“Upgrades to the water extraction system were completed over summer to ensure we can extract maximum water from the catchment in all conditions. This is already reaping benefits with additional water available for snowmaking this winter.”
The 2024-25 green season saw visitation rise by 15 per cent thanks to an expanding calendar of summer events that included the National Mountain Biking Championships and the first Buller Billycart Bash.
This summer promises to be even bigger with the resort about to start work on five new mountain biking trails, thanks to a grant from the Victorian Government.
The $1.1 million project will see the resort add 9.8km to its existing 60km mountain biking trail network. This includes Corn Hill access to the Delatite River Trail, the Woollybutt extension and beginner, intermediate and advanced trails from ABOM to the Plough Shed.
“This completes our vision for a network of modern trails that appeal to both cross-country and gravity mountain bike disciplines,” Alan said.
“We’re confident the new trails will provide additional reasons for people to visit and stay on Mt Buller. This will provide an economic benefit not only for our summer operators but for Mansfield and the surrounding region, while cementing our position as a world-class mountain bike location.
“It’s really exciting.”
