FALLS Creek has completed a major snowmaking upgrade on Drovers Dream ahead of the 2025 winter season, bolstering snow reliability on one of the resort’s most important beginner and progression zones.

The upgrade includes the installation of new TechnoAlpin automated snow guns, significantly improving the resort’s ability to deliver consistent early and late-season cover.

The new infrastructure will service Drovers Dream and adjacent runs including Main Street and Wombat’s Ramble, which together form the spine of Falls Creek’s beginner and intermediate terrain.

“This expansion allows us to open key terrain earlier and hold it longer into the season,” said Richard Phillips, vice president and general manager at Falls Creek.

“Drovers Dream is a favourite for beginners and park riders alike, and this upgrade supports a better experience for both.”

Drovers Dream itself is a wide, meandering green run that links the upper mountain with the Village Bowl.

Its location beside two terrain parks also makes it a popular thoroughfare for families and younger riders moving between ski school and freestyle zones.

From a teaching perspective, it’s one of the resort’s most flexible spaces; gentle enough for first-timers, yet long enough to support skill progression over time.

The improved snowmaking capabilities are expected to help the resort open this section of the mountain earlier in the season and maintain coverage further into spring.

This is particularly important for Falls Creek, just as it is for all Australian resorts, where natural snowfall is often unreliable.

In 2024, unusually warm conditions led to an early snow season closure, underscoring the critical role snowmaking now plays in delivering a consistent winter experience.

Terrain parks at Falls Creek, especially those positioned near Drovers Dream, also stand to benefit.

Reliable early-season snow cover gives the resort’s park crew the ability to shape and maintain features sooner, which in turn supports events, clinics and freestyle progression throughout the season.

The project forms part of a wider infrastructure program led by Vail Resorts, which has invested in snowmaking, grooming and snow fencing upgrades across the resort over the past six years.

These upgrades are designed to improve operational resilience and deliver a more consistent experience for guests, regardless of snowfall.

“The benefit of these investments were felt all season long in 2024 and will continue to positively impact the guest experience into the future here at the resort”, Mr Phillips said.