BE AWARE: Any money you donate to change.org during this petition process does not go to the Save Falls Creek XC campaign.

Next year Falls Creek Resort Management are planning to clear the Bogong High Plains Road over winter from Windy Corner to enable car access to the proposed redeveloped ANARE shed and new carpark. 

This plan is going to destroy the main artery of our cross country (XC) ski trail network at Falls Creek and the sheltered skiing and trail connections it offers will be lost forever.  Proper consideration has not been given to safety of XC skiers, pedestrians, and vehicles.

The winter use of the ANARE shed development is not strategically aligned with the Falls Creek Master Plan (2016) where it states that the Lakeside Precinct is to be developed for non-winter activation.  

Consultation by Falls Creek Resort Management (FCRM) at the first round of community engagement sessions outlined that we are required to accept winter car parking and road clearing as the only option available.  In these sessions it was outlined that there is 

• no budget for extra XC trails to replace the lost terrain
• no consideration of how community, FIS races and the Kangaroo Hoppet can be run effectively
• no clear plan of how xc skiers based at Windy Corner will access the XC skiing network
• no plan to keep sightseers off the XC trails that will now be even more accessible

Various XC skiers and locals in the community have also raised concerns directly with Falls Creek Resort Management and below is an extract from a response by Falls Creek Resort Management:

"Long term, the resort envisages more parking at Lakeside. Given the forecast trajectory for climate change the north facing slopes will see considerable deterioration in the ability to hold snow, making the sustainability of the Maze particularly challenging as a ski area. As such, the southern facing slopes will become increasingly important to the long term viability of the resort. This will similarly necessitate a requirement to provide day parking in this vicinity and the potential for new lifting infrastructure in this area”.

XC skiing represents the only widely affordable skiing within the economic reach of most people and families. As such, XC skiing is at the very heart of equitable opportunities in our alpine areas.

The road clearing proposed by FCRM impacts the usability for the xc skiing community and will create a catastrophic level of risk for all road users. In short, the proposal significantly marginalises and threatens the only alpine sport that is widely attainable. 

Falls Creek Resort Management’s focus on winter use of the ANARE shed, without proper consideration of requirements of current winter users, does not represent the appropriate values of a government managed agency who already have an endorsed strategic master plan in place that is designed to support all users of the resort.

Please sign this petition and then share the link with other people passionate about cross country skiing!  

(No need to chip in money to change.org as it does not go directly to the Save Falls Creek XC campaign.) 

#SaveFallsCreekXC