Contents
· Resort Entry - what does it cover?
· Resort Entry payment system issues
· Tobogganing & snowplay
Resort Entry Fees - more than just parking
Resort Entry is not everyone’s favourite topic, and we have noticed some people are misunderstanding the purpose of charging resort entry fees. We would appreciate your assistance in helping guests understand how the revenue from resort entry is used.
Income from resort entry fees helps fund a range of important services including the Mt Hotham Ski Patrol, village snow clearing, free village transport, traffic and car parking services, cross country trail grooming, waste management and environmental management.
This is explained on the website and you can provide this link if you’re asked what the resort entry covers. You are also welcome to direct people to our Annual Report if they are interested in seeing a full breakdown of our revenue versus cost.
Resort Entry payment system issues
There have been some problems with the Alpine Easy Access system for people who have existing accounts. This has happened due to system changes made by the payment system provider to meet new security obligations. While we had no control over these changes, we are doing our best to help customers work around the problem.
We have inserted an information page on the Alpine Easy Access website to explain the problem and the solution to customers, and our Tourist Information Officers are spending a lot of time on the phone and in person helping customers through the process.
Essentially, customers have to reset their password once, then the issue is resolved. However we know that some customers have not yet visited therefore have not been exposed to the problem yet. If you are asked about the issue by visitors or guests, please refer them to the information page above or direct them to the RMB on 03 5759 3550.
Please note that this problem does not affect people who are setting up new Alpine Easy Access accounts.
Tobogganing & snowplay
If your visitors and guests are interested in tobogganing and snowplay, we now have a page on the website that shows the current designated location for these activities. We have included the bus stop number, as the Wire Plain bus stop number (now 12) has changed this year due to the addition of an extra bus stop at Slatey’s Shed.
We discourage tobogganing in areas other than the designated toboggan area for safety reasons. We would appreciate your support in ensuring that guests know where the designated toboggan area is located.
Davenport area guests can also use the smaller toboggan and snowplay site at the old tennis court site at Mount Little Higginbotham, where the new playground is located.
Please note that the location of tobogganing may change due to snow conditions; this information will be provided on the above page on the website.
· Bus service improvements
· The Summer website is coming
· Historical snow depth data
· Got a story?
Village bus issues and response
In 2018, Mt Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board (MHARMB) introduced a new provider for the free Village shuttle bus service. This was done to refresh the bus fleet with modern vehicles, enable the service to be wheelchair accessible, and to introduce a scheduling system that would respond to peak demand during busy periods.
The provider of the new service is Alpine Spirit Coaches, a local company with extensive expertise and experience in providing bus services in the challenging alpine environment.
The bus service is included as part of the suite of services funded by winter resort entry fees, and enables guests who are staying for more than one day to leave their cars safely in long term car-parking.
When introducing the new service, MHARMB was well aware there would be a settling in period while the new provider and their staff familiarised themselves with the mountain terrain and our unique requirements.
Thanks to feedback from guests and on-mountain operators and accommodation managers, we have been addressing issues that impact on guest experience including:
• Timing of bus services
• Reliability of the service (e.g. missing stops)
• Response to high demand periods during specific days (e.g. school holidays) and at specific times (e.g. lunchtime, when snowsports lessons finish and parents need to pick up children)
• Driver knowledge of Mt Hotham and services provided
The Summer website is coming!
Now that the new winter website is up and running, we are in the process of working on the summer website. The look and feel and branding of the summer website will be the same as the winter website, though the campaign collateral will feature ‘green season’ content including activities, events, photographs, and so on.
We expect the new website will be launched in August, but we will keep you posted. We are also continuing to refine and improve the winter website.
Historical snow depth on Data Vic website
Recently the links to the historical snow depth data for Mt Hotham on the Data Vic website have not been working.
We’re pleased to report that Data Vic have fixed these links, and the public now has access again to natural and snowmaking snow depths for every day of all seasons from 1993 to 2017.
We weren’t able to get the ‘Preview’ link to work, but select ‘Download’ instead and you will receive an Excel file with all the data. Excel whizzes will be able to chart and compare the data.
Click here to access the data.
Got a story to tell?
As part of our destination marketing program, we have been working hard to produce content that reflects the vibrant winter experience that guests can have at Mt Hotham during the snow season.
This content is mainly published on mthotham.com.au on our Latest News page (Discover / Connect with us / Latest News) and shared in the weekly Hotham Herald.
Recent examples are the Hotham Brewery profile and the ‘Hotham lingo’ story.
We’re always looking for good stories and content, and we are keen for locals to be involved, so if you know of a story that might interest people who might be considering visiting Hotham, please let us know. We are interested in people, groups, activities, history, experiences… all sorts of things! Drop us an email at media@mthotham.com.au
In addition, we love seeing your social media posts and the unique views of the mountain that you provide. Please remember to tag us in your posts!
Facebook: @mthotham.rmb
Instagram: @mt.hotham.resort
Twitter: @mthotham_rmb
