Australian Ski Season Underway Following “Warmest Autumn on Record”

Australia’s 2018 ski season got underway today and almost all of the country’s ski areas will be opening this weekend, regardless of the snow conditions.

The country traditionally starts its ski season in early June for the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in the country.

Perisher (pictured top) was the first to open, but says snow isn’t great yet, but hopefully will be by this time next week.

“Although the start to this years snow season is rather damp and disappointing, it is an improving picture over the coming week. Skies will clear and temperatures will drop below zero over the next few nights, allowing for some good snow making conditions. From Tuesday, a succession of fronts will sweep across the Alps, leading to a more snowy landscape by next weekend, with at least 20cm of the white stuff expected to fall,” Perisher’s weather forecast reads. One slope is reported open.

Some years this is a snowy weekend, others it is not, and despite a big snowfall in mid-May and a dusting in recent days, 2018 looks to be tending towards the latter.

Over the past few years a number of Australian areas including Mt Buller and Mt Baw Baw have purchased all weather snowmaking systems so that they can open with limited snowsports regardless of the weather.  Mt Baw Baw say they have a pipe and other terrain elements ready for their opening tomorrow.

Others tend to find a high, cool shady slope where they can manage some conventional snowmaking if it is not too warm.

Ski areas are optimistic that the long range forecasts are good and hopeful for a repeat of  2017 when the season  ended with the snow still 2 metres deep at some places and the best stats for 16 years.