Mt Buller ski area in Australia has taken delivery of its fifth SnowFactory all-weather snowmaking machine, believed to be the most in action simultaneously anywhere in the world.
SnowFactories produce a snowlike mix of crushed ice, creating the snow within their refrigerated interiors at about -9C ready to spray out on to the slopes whatever the temperature.
Four of Scotland's five ski centres have now been operating either one or two SnowFactories each, allowing them to offer beginner lessons, create terrain park features, short runs or, in Glencoe's case a sledging slope, even when mother nature does not deliver natural snowfall or consistently cold temperatures for conventional snowmaking.
The machines are labour and energy intensive and the snow produced needs replenishing as it thaws and do not produce as much snow or cover as big areas as conventional machines, but it does mean that ski areas can be confident that they can offer snow and book ski school classes and similar through the ski season.
Mt Buller's world-leading all-weather snowmaking arsenal means it can now cover an ever larger area its main run with snow whatever the weather. With just over three weeks to go to the start of Australia's 2024 season and temperatures still in double figures above freezing in the afternoons, it may prove another wise investment.