A first trip ‘round the world, part 47

In terms of my favorite Mt. Buller ski runs, I might have left another good one for last; namely, Federation, which in those days was part of the competition's Orange Lift Network. 

We got there because they’d let us, as I assume there was some kind of reciprocity between the Blue and Orange Lifts to let ski instructors ride all lifts, free of charge. 

From a skiing standpoint, Federation’s skiing was, almost like Bull Run’s, no as large an area for sure, but the second best ski bowl available after Bull Run that was steep and had good snow quality when there was sufficient coverage to ski on the whole mountain. 

Remember that in those days Mt. Buller had no snow-making and the bottom of the southern ski runs were too close to the typical snow line. With a vertical drop of only 625 ft, Federation’s bowl was significantly shorter than Bull Run’s. 

The particularity of Federation was its “bluff”, a small rounded cliff that was running across the top from side to side and transitioning the slope from gentle to very steep. Compared to Bull Run slopes Federation’s were much more wooded, adding to the challenge as no one wants to hug a gum tree! 

This place was another favorite of mine, that I loved to escape to when I was able to get there for some free skiing. The terrain was seemingly rougher than that of Bull Run, but was varied enough to justifying skiing the place every now and then.

The old T-bar made by GAM, an Australian company, that we used to ride on, was upgraded to a triple, fixed-grip Doppelmayr chair with a much increased vertical drop going to 1,000 ft just in time for the 1981 season.

 I don’t know where the extra 375 ft. of vertical were found, most likely by moving the top station much higher towards the flat top and by moving the bottom station further down the hill.

Let’s go back and compare the two lifts, plus all the new ones, as soon as we get a chance!