Snowmaking on Ben Lomond has been discussed for 30 years, but the announcement of a feasibility study into the technology's viability has tourism operators on the mountain buzzing.
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While there are snow cannons on the mountain, which Ben Lomond Snow Sports own, Parks and Wildlife regulate their use.
Strict conditions are in place to allow their use, which means they have only been sporadically rolled out in the past.
Ben Lomond Ski Lifts managing director and part-owner Ben Mock said the announcement of the feasibility study could mean snow making could operate all season round if the feasibility study proves its viability.
Tourism operators on the mountain have called for snow making capability for more than 20 years and recently renewed their calls for more investment in the mountain.
"Is snow making [on Ben Lomond] viable? Yes, it is. What it is, is an insurance policy. It's supporting Mother Nature," Mr Mock said.
The lack of snow making on the mountain was made starkly apparent for Mr Mock and his co-owner Stewart Hosken for their first year on the mountain last year, after rains cut short the season.
"We were open for 15 days out of a possible 21, but unfortunately got a lot of rain near the end," he said.
A recreational skier at Ben Lomond before becoming a tourist operator, Mr Mock said the potential of the peak was something that had always brought him back to the slope.
"The appeal of Ben Lomond is really what it's potential is, I have always been able to see what it could be," he said.
Mr Mock said the technology for snow making had really advanced in the past 30 years and was already used across Australia.
"In the past you have been able to make snow when the conditions were right, we say that you can make snow when the temperature is minus two wet bulb," he said.
"The nozzle technology in the fan guns has evolved to the point where you can make snow in more moderate conditions."
Ben Lomond committee president Adrian Beswick said news of the feasibility study was a welcome sign from the government.
"One thing that is clear is that we need to have access to more water, to make snow you need to have water," he said. However, overall, he welcomed the study's news as part of the state government's $2.8 million investment into the mountain.
Mr Beswick said he dreamed of the day that snowmaking could operate without restriction on Ben Lomond.
"If we could make snow, we could easily go from we maybe will start in June to we definitely will start in June, and the season could extend to mid-September every year," he said.
"We would like to see some broader commitments for Ben Lomond, in a similar vein to what we have seen at Cradle Mountain."
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