Thredbo Parks: The Feature Preparation Battle

Every year Thredbo Parks’ soldiers don the overalls to prepare our fleet of features for the winter war.

After a winter of use and a summer of storage, the features are pretty beat up… some serious TLC is required! Rust is removed, welds repaired, panels replaced and fresh coats of paint applied. On the snow the features take a split second to slide and seem small. In fact they are massive. It’s a logistical challenge just manoeuvring them around the workshop to give them the love they need.

On top of rejuvenating existing features, the fleet is kept fresh by adding a series of new recruits. Designs are sketched up with careful consideration to critical factors. An incorrect angle or measurement can completely change the ride-ability of a feature. The basic fabrication takes place off site and the framework is transported to Thredbo. The frothy crew applies the finishing touches to the feature whilst claiming the tricks they’ll be stomping on it in the winter.

Fabrication ain’t cheap so creative re-use of resources or “upcycling” is a required skill in the crew. Corrugated drainage tubes, old snowmaking pipes and even hydrant covers have all been re-purposed adding to the Thredbo Parks arsenal. Eventually feature rejuvenation may not be possible and old war horses have to be retired from service. Even then all hope is not lost. With some creativity a smaller feature or two can be constructed from the old feature before the scraps reach the junkyard.

The armoury is stocked, the preparation battle is won, but the winter war will continue to rage in Thredbo Parks. See you on the mountain and in Thredbo Parks.