Southern Hemisphere Weekly Roundup #237

Tiffindell Up for Grabs: Southern Africa's Ski Scene Faces Uncertain Future

• Afriski in Lesotho plans its earliest opening on June 1st, marking its first full season since 2022.
• Tiffindell in South Africa remains dormant since 2019 and is currently up for sale, adding uncertainty to its future.
• Preseason snowfalls have been reported across most Southern Hemisphere ski areas, with some areas experiencing rapid melting.

REPORT

We’re about six weeks away from the likely start of the 2024 season in the Southern Hemisphere with Afriski in Lesotho announcing it plans to open on June 1st, the earliest planned opening date yet announced across the southern hemisphere. Other than a small area for “snow play” last winter it did not offer snowsports so this will be the centre’s first full season since 2022.

Its fellow southern African ski area, South Africa's Tiffindell, has not operated since 2019 and it is currently up for sale. Ski areas in Australia, New Zealand and South America won’t begin to open until a week or two later, although some years ski areas in these countries have opened in late May when there have been good early snowfalls, so it remains to be seen where will open first. However, The Happy Valley snow play and beginners area at Mt Ruapehu on New Zealand's North Island which has opened early in recent years thanks to an all-weather snowmaking machine, doesn't appear to be planning to do in 2024.

There have been preseason snowfalls at most southern hemisphere ski areas over the past 4-6 weeks, with New Zealand centres reporting their latest falls- down to resort level- in the latter half of last week. There was fresh snowfall reported on high slopes in South America too with a Refugio 3,000m up at the former ski area of Vallecitos in Patagonia posting a 10cm (4”) fall on Sunday, but it then reported fast melting the next day. Chile’s El Colorado reported then snow down to its 2,350m (7,709 feet) base level at the start of this week. Most other South American ski areas got a snow covering too.

FORECAST

Mostly dry and sunny weather is forecast across southern hemisphere ski slopes for the remainder of this week. Temperatures up at +10C in valleys but higher slopes will see the numbers dropping a degree or two below freezing overnight.