SAM Magazine—Australia, Aug. 17, 2023—Warm temperatures in July and into August have put a damper on snow conditions at Australian ski areas, but snow earlier this week and cold weather forecasted for the coming days have operators looking optimistically at a strong finish to the season. Hotham Mountain  

“The whole of Australia experienced one of the warmest Julys on record, with rain, minimal natural snowfall, and very limited snowmaking opportunities,” said Colin Hackworth, CEO of the Australian Ski Areas Association. 

Lower altitude resorts, Hackworth added, have been most heavily impacted. “Higher altitude resorts, and resorts with snowmaking have managed the situation somewhat better than those without,” he said.

All Resorts Below Average

Right now, snow depths are well below average for all areas. Despite the challenging conditions, Hackworth said resorts were able to capture solid visitation during the important July school holidays. 

Vail Resorts reported that its Australian areas—Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek—have experienced some weather-related challenges, including wind events and “variable conditions.”

The challenges are illustrated in snowfall tallies and number of lifts running—both below average at the three areas. 

Perisher is nearly 100 percent open with 42 of 48 lifts running and a base ranging from 24 inches at its 5,688-foot base area to 39 inches at its 6,541-foot summit, down from its average 76 inches per season. 

Mt. Hotham, with averages 61 inches a season, reports seven of 13 lifts operating, 19 inches at its 4,757-foot base and 29 inches at the 6,106-foot summit. According to the resort’s website, though, things may be looking up, with “another massive night of snowmaking” on the morning of Aug. 17 and snow predicted later in the day. 

Falls Creek, which sits at a slightly lower elevation, has only three of 16 lifts running on 17 inches at its base (4,593 feet) and a 26-inch summit (5,840 feet). It averages 57 inches of snow a season. 

Regardless, “Our teams have worked hard to provide a great guest experience,” said a spokesperson for Vail. “And there’s still plenty of time left in the season, with natural snowfall and our continued commitment to snowmaking working in tandem to provide plenty of skiing and boarding opportunities.”  

Other Australian ski resorts have fared similarly to Vail’s. Victoria’s largest ski area, Mt. Buller, opened on June 9, with a full run and lift-serviced skiing. It currently has nine of 22 lifts running, a 7-inch base at its 4,511-foot base and 26 inches of “hardpack” at its 5,922-foot summit. “Much less snow than recent seasons, which were great,” says Rhylla Morgan, Buller’s communications manager.

“We reported one of our thinnest days of August snow cover last week (for that exact date) in 45 years of records, so that tells part of the story, but our investment in snowmaking has paid off,” added Morgan, who said that cold conditions in recent days have allowed the resort to make snow, keeping runs open, events on the calendar, and “guests still booking and coming.”  

Meanwhile Thredbo, in neighboring New South Wales, has reported about 6 inches this past week alone, and was able to fire up its 173 snowmaking guns several evenings, reporting “another good night” of snowmaking on Aug. 17.

“We’ve had a total snowfall of about 76 inches so far this winter, lower than last season, which was a particularly strong season,” said Sophie Leicester, content marketing executive. “Despite this, we’ve been able to continually offer great skiing and snowboarding conditions throughout the season, which has ensured that visitation numbers and our guest experience have remained high.”

Thredbo is nearly 100 percent open with 13 of 14 lifts running and a 39-inch base at its 6,683-foot summit—on par with its average of 39 inches a season. 

Late August More Promising

If the last few days are any indication, things may be looking up. Australian Ski Areas Associations’ Hackworth said conditions for mid- to late-August look more promising resort-wide, with more natural snow in the forecast and cooler temperatures to allow for increased snowmaking.  

“Australian ski resorts are well-adapted to difficult snow years,” said Hackworth. “We’ve had a remarkable run of excellent snow seasons in recent years, and it is not unusual, nor unexpected, that a relatively poor snow season should come along. That said, the Australian season will continue well into September, with most resorts [closing] as scheduled.”

While visitation for this season remains strong, added Hackworth, it is not expected to surpass the record 2022 season, “Australia’s ‘COVID recovery’ season.”

Victoria ski areas Falls Creek, Mt. Buller, and Mt. Hotham all list Oct. 1 as closing day, while New South Wales areas Thredbo and Perisher list closing dates as Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, respectively.