For Rachel and Stuart Wadsworth, Mt Buller has never been just a mountain.
It has been their second home for decades, a place where their family has grown up, built a business, and found a community that continues to shape their lives.
Stuart first started working on Buller more than 30 years ago, while Rachel’s own love affair with the snow began nearly three decades ago. Today, the couple manage Breathtaker Hotel & Spa, one of the village’s longest-standing hotels, where their daughter Mia now also works. Their younger daughter Addison has grown up skiing on the mountain she adores, with the help of Disabled Wintersport Australia (DWA) and the Multiclass Sports Association, both of which have opened the slopes to people of all abilities.
“Addison just lights up when she’s skiing, and lives her best life,” Rachel said. “It’s her happy place, and seeing her out there reminds us why inclusion on the mountain is so important. Buller should always be a place for everyone.” (And last week Addison won her Division 1 Girls Alpine Multiclass)
That belief has led Rachel to join the boards of both DWA and the Multiclass Sports Association, helping to strengthen programs that provide pathways for adaptive and multiclass athletes. For the Wadsworths, inclusion isn’t just a value – it’s a lived experience.
Yet, as much as their love for the mountain is unwavering, the couple have watched Buller change over the years. They remember a time when bookings were made with a person to answer questions, when people stopped to chat in the village, and when lodges with character and community spirit were the backbone of the mountain. Today, they say, much of that personal connection feels harder to find.
“So much of the mountain is run through apps now – booking a shuttle, making a dinner reservation, even planning your ski day,” Rachel explained. “For a lot of people it feels complicated, and some just give up on the process altogether. It can make the mountain seem less welcoming than it used to be.”
Stuart agrees, adding that the shift towards uniformity has also been noticeable. “Many of the outlets feel the same now, without the individuality and personality that once made Buller so vibrant. We risk losing some of the mountain’s character if everything becomes too similar.”
It’s why, at Breathtaker, the Wadsworths have remained committed to offering something different – a more personal, beginning-to-end experience that takes away the stress and puts the focus back on enjoying the snow.
From thoughtful touches like their Breakfast & Bathe experience to simple gestures of care, the hotel has built a reputation for making the mountain easier to navigate, while still holding onto that human connection.
“Hospitality at its best is about people, not just systems,” Rachel said. “When guests feel cared for, when they feel included, they not only enjoy the mountain more, they want to return.”
For the Wadsworths, the future at Buller is all about holding onto that sense of belonging – for their family, for their guests, and for the wider community. Mia is now part of the Breathtaker team, Stuart continues his long service to the mountain, and Addison is out on the slopes most days, carving her own path with a smile that says it all.
And while the systems and structures of the mountain may evolve, the Wadsworths believe the heart of Buller will always come down to people.
“If we remember to be kind, to be inclusive, and to celebrate what makes this place unique, then Buller will always be the mountain we fell in love with,” Rachel said.
