Snow conditions throughout Australia have been the best in 25 years this year. This snowboarder in Perisher Blue enjoys a nice packed powder run.

Australia’s leading ski areas are currently being dumped on and are reporting the best August snowfalls for more than two decades.  Much of the snow has been falling in the past couple of weeks. Continue reading ‘Australia’s ski areas experience best August snowfall in 25 years’

Mt. Hotham kicks off top ski season in a decade.

Australia’s Mt Hotham ski resort reported their opening weekend was the first in ten years where snow cover so early in the season was good enough for runs to open beneath the Great Alpine Road.

Continue reading ‘Hotham reports best season kick-off in a decade’

Big snow at Treble Cone in New Zealand as resort officially kicks off 2010 season

With good snowfall conditions in most of the southern hemisphere, the 2010 ski season officially kicked off last weekend with Coronet Peak New Zealand reporting a 50cm (20 inch) base including 15cm (six inches) of new snow.  Thousands of Queenslanders hit the piste to celebrate.

Continue reading ‘And they’rrreee off: Southern Hemisphere’s 2010 ski season underway’

The introduction of a new snowmaking system will increase capacity at Mt. Hotham

With global warming taking on unprecedented turns everywhere,  Australia’s Hotham ski area has invested $1.7 M to increase snowmaking capacity by 50 per cent for the upcoming season.

The resort has installed 22 new TechnoAlpin fan snowguns hthroughout the Heavenly Valley snowmaking system. Two of these M-18 guns are mounted on arms providing further reach and hang time (for the snowflakes to fall to the ground) and even less intrusion onto the ski slope.

So long as temperatures are low enough, the snowmaking allows the resort to produce a solid and consistent snow base for a longer period and particularly at the start and end of ski season 2010.

• Mt. Hotham: Follow more news from this resort  here
• Resorts: Follow all resort news here

Fresh snow has hit Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile in the past week, according to snow reporting agency skiinfo.com. As a result, virtually all of the southern hemisphere’s ski areas, are now open.
In Australia, the Heavenly Valley chair started turning for the first time this season after over half a metre (20 inches) of snow dumped on Hotham ski area over 48 hours. Excited skiers and boarders grabbed first tracks at 7:30am on Hotham’s signature terrain, in what is arguably some of Australia’s best black diamond terrain.

Continue reading ‘Across the board, southern hemisphere snowpack is awesome for skiing’

Australian ski hills enjoyed larger than expected snowfalls last week, continuing a good start to the 2009 season.
Mt Hotham was bombarded with 68 cm (27 in) of fresh snow between Thursday and Saturday, allowing the resort to open more lifts. The Victoria ski hill currently has eight of thirteen lifts running.
Over the border into New South Wales, Perisher reported 70 cm (27in) of snowfall over seven days ending last Thursday. Conditions are reportedly beautiful, with wind-drifts, powder stashes, and smooth groomed runs.
The snow has allowed Perisher to open 42 of the 49 lifts spread out over its four resort areas.
Several other ski areas in Australia and New Zealand also recently reported healthy snowfalls. All of New Zealand’s ski Areas are open for the season, with Lake Wanaka reporting the best opening conditions in a decade.

• Ski Resorts: Read more ski resort news by clicking here.