The team at Ben Lomond Alpine Resort in Tasmania have some big plans to bring this little known ski hill near Launceston into the mainland minds.
They’ve launched a new website with the new Ben Lomond Alpine Resort name, a new trail map (see below) plus new ski and snowboard hire for 2023 and lift pass hire packages to suit. While infrastructure plans include snow making and new Ben Lomond base buildings for ski hire and more.
This coming season they’ve invested in four TechnoAlpin TR10 guns from Italy, ensuring a longer snow season and more time skiing and snowboarding. The guns can each produce an average of 15,000 cubic metres of snow each winter and will guarantee snow coverage on the summit and the Bass ski lift areas.
The snow making technology allows for large quantity snow making using natural water with no chemicals and produced at marginal temperatures.
“This project will bring Ben Lomond up to the standard of other ski areas in Australia, with guaranteed snow and for a full winter season length,” said Ben Lomond Alpine Resort Managing Director, Ben Mock.
“Snow made from a snow gun is 100% water only however the shape and structure of the ice crystal is such that it repells water far better than natural snow and therefore melts 40% slower. This along with the natural snow falls that Ben Lomond receives is a game changer for skiing at Ben Lomond.”
Ben Lomond recently purchased a snow grooming machine and this will also help push the man made snow around the 30 hectare resort accessed by seven ski lifts.
“Snow making is essentially the recycling of water resources as it picks up winter snow/ rain flows from the Ben Lomond ski slopes that would normally run downstream and into the Tamar River and stores that water on the ski slopes for the springtime runoff when people downstream need it for farming or household use,” says Mock of the sustainable nature of the snow making process.
“It is like a dam on the hill that releases all of the water progressively over the springtime rather than in one hit in winter.”
The plans for the new Ben Lomond base have been lodged and include two buildings that will house equipment hire, retail and a cafe restaurant. An on-site food van will also be commissioned to serve hot meals on the mountain.
This winter the resort will also be launching two new snow cams for live streaming conditions.
