Lack of Snow at Start of Australia Ski Season
8th June 2023
Last modified on June 9th, 2023
The resorts were due to open this weekend, but the weather has not been kind. There has been a last minute dusting with at least 3 resorts offering limited skiing. Things are looking better in New Zealand with the first resort set to open on Saturday. UPDATED
There has been heavy rain and some snow just before the resorts were due to open.
The resorts usually open this weekend as it is the monarch’s official birthday and a national holiday.
Sometime years there is great snow and sometimes there is not.
This year it is the latter situation.
Though some are now able to open a few slopes.
Perisher:
Falls Creek:
There was some snowfall in May across the resorts in Australia with hopes raised for a good start to the season we reported at the time.
However the snow stopped falling and the temperatures rose.
“Mother nature is a little late to the party this year. Unfortunately there will be no skiing or snowboarding this weekend due to a lack of snow,” said the resort of Thredbo in New South Wales.
It is offering a credit for all lift passes, rentals and lessons pre-purchased for 10th-12th June 2023.
My Hotham is also not opening.
Mt Hotham:
Last year, Australian ski resorts had some impressive early season snowfall after a polar front brought cold weather and snow.
Many major ski resorts such as Perisher opened early on June 4th.
This year a new weather system is due early next week but it doesn’t look like it will bring much snow according to the forecasts.
Mt Buller in Victoria has said it will open on Saturday with all the skiing and snowboarding on artificial snow made by the snow guns.
In New Zealand it is not a stellar start, but it is better than Australia.
Mt Hutt is first out of the blocks and will be firing up some lifts this Saturday.
One man has been braving below-zero temperatures, spending the night on a Mount Hutt ski lift to get the first tracks of the season.
He arrived at the mountain in the afternoon two nights ago, wrapping himself in blankets while waiting for the ski lift to start moving.
He’s had very little sleep in the last 12 hours and is “freezing” on the chair but says it’s all worth it.
“It’s mostly for the glory,” he told the programme Breakfast on a local television station.
“We plan to open with the Summit 6, Nor’west Express and both carpets, we hope to have Learners areas, HW72, Broadway and Hoods Hollow groomed on the mid mountain and Morning Glory and Chair Bowl on the upper mountain,” said Mt Hutt.
“Every where else will be very limited off-piste skiing (with many unmarked hazards), we are running on a very thin snowpack at the moment so please be extra careful when riding and remember it’s the first weekend of the season so don’t push yourself too hard.. there will be plenty of great riding in the coming few months!”
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