The 1980’s saw more expansion and modernisation at Mt Buller.

With the Grimus Chairlift was installed in 1979, three more chairlifts were installed over the next three years, with Burnt Hut Spur, then Federation followed by Horse Hill (Northside) in 1982.

Over the rest of the decade, quad detachable chairs on Bourke St and Baldy (the Blue Bullets), the Summit Chair, Howqua Chair, Bull Run Chair, the upgrading of Northside to a quad detachable and another chair from Helicopter Flat up Baldy were all installed, and the Spurs restaurant was built in 1988.

And the big news for all Buller skiers, patrollers included was in 1985, when the two lift companies, Orange and Blue (the color their lift towers were painted), were finally combined.

For the Ski Patrol, a purpose-built Ski Patrol Base was opened in 1983, (now named for the late Sandy Jeffcoat, Resort Manager form 1982-2005), and with the formation of the Alpine Resorts Commission in 1984 the paid and volunteer patrollers were finally in one uniform from 1986, the same year the Ski Patrol started its first overseas exchange with Palisades at Tahoe in the US.

Snowmobiles, or skidoos, were also becoming more reliable and capable during the 1980’s and were starting to be used for patient transport where possible, to reduce transport times for patients back to the Medical Centre.

And with the introduction of the Police Airwing Air Ambulance helicopter, by the mid 80’s, time critical patients requiring urgent care in Melbourne, could now be flown to a major hospital in under an hour.

The late 80’s also saw the first snowboarders on the mountain in any numbers and although some of the steeper black runs on the south faces were briefly closed to snowboarders for a few weeks as 1989 the season got underway, the safety of the new sport and equipment was assessed and the whole mountain opened up for this new, though soon to be growing part of the industry.