Snow Report 31 July 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

AUSTRALIA

It was a mild and slightly damp weekend in the Australian Alps, however the unwelcome, clear watery precipitation that fell was thankfully light and not much damage was done to the deep snow cover ... at first. The warm weather affecting the whole of southern Australia continued into the week, however.

Strong winds during the working week put a lot of the ski lifts on hold at some resorts. Wild, wet and windy weather continued through the week with some significant snow loss in the lower areas of all the ski resorts.

Hotham 26.07.14

But snow and very cold weather is arriving today and should continue into Friday - its just a question of how much snow we will get and whether it will make up for all the cover that has been lost this warm, windy week. The storm will clear through quickly with the weekend becoming fine.

We were up at Mt Hotham on the weekend where it rained on and off overnight from Friday into Saturday. Only the summit of the resort got some wet snow, but this was only a few centimetres by the morning.

The snow at Hotham was still in very good condition early on Saturday. All the Heavenly Valley runs were skiing well early in the morning despite the wetness making them a little heavy (or nice and forgiving when its your first weekend of the season!).

The Blue Ribbon area had a lot of cover for such a low area of the resort, maybe 40cms or so at the bottom and only a few rocks and shrubs peeking out, compared to the rock garden and shrubbery that is usually there. Perhaps that has changed through this week ...

The steeper runs of Heavenly and Village, like Twilight Zone and Lower Playground were best as the pistes softened and became heavier during the day as the rain arrived again during the afternoon.

The wet snow froze overnight Sunday making for some solid conditions early, quickly softening as the sun came out.

Timing was everything, as the runs that did soften up went from solid to wet and heavy in a short period.

Hotham 27.07.14

It was bright in the morning though, but with a cold wind blowing across the Hotham Summit and the top of Keogh's. Certainly a mixed day when you need to know where to get the most out of the conditions.

In the last week Hotham (123/102cms) has lost about 35cms from its upper slopes, while Falls (171/123cms) says it has lost about 25cms.

We'll be checking out Mt Buller (104/85cms) this weekend, which is hopefully due a top-up after suffering in the rain and wind all this week. It is likely to do the best out of Friday's snow.

NEW ZEALAND

It was a mostly fine and sunny weekend in the South Island of New Zealand. The week has been mixed, however, with sun, wind, a little snow, lightning ... and all sorts of excitement on the mountains! The storms affected some lift operations during the middle of the week, and today there are very few skifields open across the South Island.

The snow conditions are looking a lot better in the south around Queenstown and Wanaka, while the skiing in Canterbury is still quite limited due to lack of snow.

The wind issues could hang around for a while with strong northwesterlies forecast to continue across the South Island well into the weekend before a cold change arrives. Here's hoping for not too much rain before the cooler weather comes - Canterbury looks more likely to escape the wet at the moment.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Hanmer Springs (10cms) has had to close again until more snow falls. Mt Lyford (50cms) was closed today. Rainbow (26cms) opened with limited skiing on snowmaking runs.

Canterbury

Porters (50/30cms) received 10cms of snow overnight, but is closed today. Mt Hutt (63/48cms) has struggled to open this week with the very strong winds across Canterbury.

The Mackenzie

Mt Dobson (30cms) has struggled in the winds this week. Roundhill (40cms) has main trails open, while Ohau (70/40cms) got a lot of snow on Thursday and will be great to ski when the winds die down.

Wanaka

Cardrona (75/50cms) received a fantastic 20cms of snow overnight into Thursday morning, but had to close today due to very strong winds. Treble Cone (69cms) has received some good snowfalls this week, with around 10cm into Tuesday, a little more the next day, and then another 20cms on the upper slopes into Thursday morning. All the snow has been up high so far. Unfortunately lightning
in the storms meant Treble Cone is yet to open after the new snow but should open on Friday.

Queenstown

At Coronet Peak (65/30cms) a little snow midweek freshened things up after some wild weather impacted operations. Nearby at The Remarkables (105/55cms) a few light snowfalls in the week, then a good fall of 13cms overnight into Thursday have kept things looking good across the ski area.

Snow Report 23 July 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

AUSTRALIA

After snowy weeks and a little further snow on the weekend, the weather in southeast Australia has finally calmed down under a high pressure system arriving early this week. It has remained very cold overnight allowing for some more snowmaking on key runs in all the ski resorts.

It has been five days since the last snowfall. But there could be a chance of snow at the end of this week, with a mainly fine and mild weekend on the cards. But for now its sunny and clear and nobody is complaining with more than 1.5m of snowpack and light winds!

Falls Creek 23.07.14 [Source: Falls Creek FB page]

We'll be checking out Mt Hotham this weekend. Snowdepth is currently sitting at 154/137cms and all lifts running. Falls Creek (171/148cms) is looking great and uncrowded with full cover. Mt Buller (122/105cms) has all runs open save for some lower sections like the bottom of Summit Slide.

At Perisher there is extensive terrain with 47 lifts running for access to 96 runs today. While at Thredbo there is skiing back to the village and all lifts and runs were open.

NEW ZEALAND

The South Island of New Zealand saw some consistent snowfalls, particularly in the south, from Sunday with around 5-10cms accumulation each day until Tuesday. Not quite as much snow fell in the Canterbury region west of Christchurch.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like there will be further snowfalls in Canterbury for a while with fine, cold days forecast through to the weekend. Light snow showers will clear in Otago and the Southern Lakes as the weekend arrives.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow (40/7cms) is closed today. Hanmer Springs (10cms) has now opened up, but only with its Learner's rope tow lift running until more snow falls. Mt Lyford (50cms) opened on 18th July. With another 10cms of snow falling into Wednesday, the North Canterbury ski resort opened with powder conditions, including in the fun area served by the Cloudy T-bar.

Roundhill 20.07.14 [Source: Roundhill FB page]

Canterbury

Mt Hutt (63/48cms) has fine on-trail skiing on its wonderfully groomed runs. Porters (50/30cms) is open, but needs more snow to open the upper two lifts as the rocks need a certain amount of snow to get covered.

The Mackenzie

Ohau (70/40cms) has been skiing well. Roundhill (40cms) has main trails open but the Heritage rope tow lift to the advanced areas of the resort needs more snow. Mt Dobson (30cms) has opened for the first time this season with the T-bar only - other lifts have been on hold.

Wanaka

At Treble Cone (43/2cms) the lower parts of both of the basins are only really skiing on trail. Needs more snow to really get going. Cardrona (45/25cms) still has a similar base to last week.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak (50/35cms) saw a few top-ups early in the week. All lifts at the Peak are now running again. Mostly on-piste skiing only still. The Remarkables (100/45cms) had good snowfalls earlier this week, including 15cms on Monday. Off-piste skiing is still a little limited.

Snow Report 15 July 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

AUSTRALIA

If you haven't been up to the snow yet this year then you should definitely get your skis and boards waxed and get moving! The snow conditions are great across the Australian Alps, with well over a metre of snow on the upper slopes.

Mt Hotham 14.07.14 [Source: Mt Hotham webcam]

After a nice fine spell in recent days with picture perfect conditions, the high cloud came in today ahead of a new front. There is a good chance of some snow today and into tomorrow, but the main storm will arrive Thursday and Friday. This should make for a great top-up of fresh snow just in time for the weekend.

Enjoy!

Mt Hotham

Mt Hotham ski resort opened its final unopened lift, The Orchard, on 1st July. Interestingly this was Hotham's earliest opening of all lifts since the year 2000. A storm late last week has seen Hotham reach up to 125cms snowdepth.

Falls Creek

Falls Creek 14.07.14 [Source: Falls Creek webcam]

Falls Creek now has up to 141cms of snow on its upper slopes and all runs and lifts open across the resort. Its great to be at Falls with everything open and the only decision to make is whether to ski the Summit and The Maze first up, or head over to Ruined Castle first!

Mt Buller

Mt Buller also has all of its 22 lifts open and up to 103cms snowdepth. A great result for Buller, Melbourne's closest ski resort, which suffered in the conditions last year.

Perisher

A massive 44 lifts and all areas open at Perisher makes for days of cruising around all the different areas of Australia's biggest ski resort.

Thredbo

Thredbo 14.07.14 [Source: Thredbo webcam]

There is top to bottom cover across the Thredbo ski resort, with the groomed runs the pick until the new snow falls.

NEW ZEALAND

Last week didn't really deliver for the South Island ski resorts, so many are still to open. Those that have opened have been tried by inclement weather conditions and big crowds on limited trails. To add to the difficulties, heavy rain on Friday closed many skifields on Saturday. Thankfully a cooler change arrived on Sunday bringing colder conditions and some good skiing.

A bit of snow is in the forecast for the next few days in Canterbury, but it should be fine right through to the weekend elsewhere, including around Queenstown and Wanaka. New Zealand will be hoping for a good August and September to get its season back on track.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow (40/7cms) has done a great job to open for the school holidays. Little Hanmer Springs is yet to open. Near Kaikoura in North Canterbury, Mt Lyford is still waiting for enough snow to open after the last front didn't bring quite enough to start the lifts.

Mt Hutt 15.07.14 [Source: Mt Hutt FB page]

Canterbury

Mt Hutt (50/30cms) scored 15cms of fresh snow yesterday, making the mountain white again and improving the skiing immensely. The Summit and Triple Chairs are both open making for a great vertical drop. Porters (30/10cms) opened on 6th July and is still open thanks to its new snowmaking system. There is limited skiing on the first T-bar only.

The Mackenzie

About 15cms snow fell at Ohau (60/30cms) on Sunday night, making for good conditions across the ski area. Little Roundhill (30cms) has opened some groomed runs for the school holidays thanks to its extensive snowmaking system. Mt Dobson is yet to open but says one more snow fall should get things going.

Wanaka

Treble Cone (49/8cms) has struggled to open, but is now in business after some snow fell on Sunday. Snow cover is very thin at the bottom so skiing and boarding is still limited. Cardrona (45/25cms) received 10-15cms of fresh snow on Sunday helping get all lifts operating. With Treble Cone closed and the school holidays, the resort has been very busy and even had to turn away people when the car parks got full.

Queenstown

At Coronet Peak (45/30cms), thelifts are turning again and snowmaking will be firing with the cooler temperatures across the mountain. The Remarkables (90/40cms) has skiing mainly on the groomed trails with all lifts now open after the snowfall Sunday.

Snow Report 3 July 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

AUSTRALIA

Let the good times roll and slide! Its all happening in Australia as the ski season kicked off in spectacular fashion. Even more snow fell last weekend as a new follow-up storm arrived on Friday night bringing strong winds across the Alps.

The snow began to fall heavily in the early hours of Saturday, and by Sunday morning 40-60cms had fallen across the mountains. Another 20-30cms fell on Sunday as the storm brought more snow showers.

Snow showers continued into Monday with a few top-ups across the resorts. By Tuesday the northern ski resorts (Perisher, Thredbo, Falls Creek, and Mt Hotham) had around a metre snowdepth and most of their lifts running.

Fine conditions emerged in the middle of the week bringing some great skiing and clearer conditions for the lucky people not at work! It has been the best snowy start to school holidays in a number of years and you can bet everyone up there is enjoying it to the max.

Mt Hotham 01.07.14 [Source: Hotham FB page]

More snow is forecast for this weekend, and there may be a quick follow-up snowfall next week also. Incredible! By then, all terrain and lifts should be fully open across the main resorts and skiing right through to September. Go skiing!

Mt Hotham

About a metre on the ground now at Mt Hotham after snowfalls of around 20-30cms each of Saturday and Sunday. The wonderful Heavenly Valley opened in time for the weekend. Then the snowfalls on Saturday and Sunday saw the Gotcha and Blue Ribbon lifts opened. By Wednesday, all lifts at Hotham were open including The Orchard.

Falls Creek

Falls Creek opened Scotts and Ruined Castle on Saturday, opening up the whole of the back intermediate area of the resort. With another 40cms falling on Saturday, Summit opened on Sunday, as the resort topped a metre of snowdepth. The International lift opened on Tuesday, giving access to The Maze, usually the last area to open. Fully open at Falls now with almost all lifts running.

Mt Buller

Mt Buller opened the Summit and the Lydia Lassila chairlifts on the weekend. A snowfall of 22cms on Saturday was followed by the same again on Sunday. By Monday Howqua, Koflers and Southside were

Perisher 30.06.14 [Source: Perisher FB page]

also running. Bull Run lift started on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mt Buller announced all lifts would be open this coming weekend.

Perisher

Lots more snow at Perisher on the weekend saw it become one of the first ski resorts in Australia to open most of its terrain this season, and on Monday it opened its Freedom Quad chairlfit at Guthega for the first time. A milestone event.

Thredbo

Most lifts were open at Thredbo by Tuesday, and by Wednesday Karels opened to complete the set. Top-to-bottom skiing at Thredbo!

NEW ZEALAND

A fine and mild start to the weekend in New Zealand made for some pleasant skiing at the ski resorts that were open. Not the snow that was expected, but not too much rain either fortunately. Not that there would have been much snow to wash away anyway.

Look, it has clearly been unseasonably warm across the South Island of New Zealand, but finally the weather patterns have changed and patience will be rewarded! It started to snow on Monday evening as the cooler air arrived. No great falls however, and limited to Otago initially rather than Canterbury.

But the changed conditions are here now and there should be some more snow this weekend as it remains very cold and some snow showers come through, especially down around Queenstown and Wanaka. A couple of falls of 20cms or so will do wonders!

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow is still due to open on the 5th July. Hanmer Springs has delayed opening further to the 10th July, but its begun snowing up there. Still waiting at Mt Lyford.

Canterbury

Mt Hutt (48/33cms) missed out on the snow further south earlier in the week but got a good little fall, about 20cms or so, on Wednesday. A nice present. Porters is due to open when conditions allow.

Treble Cone 01.07.14 [Source: Treble Cone FB page]

The Mackenzie


Ohau got 15cms earlier in the week and is due to open today, Thursday. Roundhill needs a bit more snow, as does Mt Dobson which was due to get going on 4th July.

Wanaka

Treble Cone got more than 20cms up on its highest slopes, and a little bit down low. It will open on Friday 4th July. Cardrona got 15cms Monday into Tuesday morning and is doing pretty well.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak (30/20cms) got a bit of snow overnight into Tuesday and snowmaking will be firing this weekend across the mountain. The Remarkables got 10cms into Tuesday and is opening today, Thursday, for the first time this season. An exciting time with the new chairlift ready to roll!

Snow Report 26 June 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

AUSTRALIA

Wow! What an incredible week of weather and what a difference a week makes in the mountains! A wild, wet and windy front crossed Victoria on Monday. Snow began falling in the morning, and then it continued through to Tuesday afternoon as a cyclone moved across Victoria and New South Wales bringing damaging winds, but masses of snow. Up to a metre in 36 hours in the highest spots on the Main Range.

The storm eased up a little on Wednesday and Thursday, but another similar weather system is due to arrive on Friday night bringing more blizzards and snow across the Alps.

The first storm was a season-starter; the second system should ensure most of the lifts are open with a good, deep snowpack across the Australian ski resorts. The middle of the coming week looks like bringing fantastic skiing and some clearer, less windy conditions. This weekend will be windy on Saturday and Sunday with lots of snow again!

Mt Hotham

The weather arrived in spectacular fashion at the beginning of the week, temperatures dropped and snow started to fall late on Monday morning with 60cms by Tuesday afternoon. This allowed Hotham to open a few lifts on Tuesday and by Wednesday Big D, the Summit, Road Runner and Village were all operating. Expect Heavenly Valley lift to be a chance this weekend.

Falls Creek

Falls Creek now has around 60cms on the ground, enough to open most of the back part of the ski resort. Snow started late on Monday morning into Tuesday afternoon. Nothing was open on Tuesday, but four lifts were opened on Wednesday including Towers chairlift, with Drovers Dream opened today. More ski lifts should open on the weekend.

Mt Buller

Mt Buller had 23cms of snow fall by Tuesday morning, then another 18cms by Wednesday morning. Unfortunately a bit of rain on Wednesday night into Thursday spoiled the good times. Nevertheless, six lifts are open at Buller including Wombat and Shakey Knees already. Good job!

Perisher 25 June [Source: Perisher FB page]

Perisher

The snow started falling at Perisher on Monday afternoon and by Wednesday morning the ski resort was white all over and claiming over a metre of snow had fallen. Perisher had already done so well to open without hardly any snow, remember. By Tuesday, 12 lifts were turning, and by today there were 32 lifts ...a brilliant result!

Thredbo

Snow also started falling at Thredbo on Monday afternoon with up to 90cms by Wednesday morning at the top and about 30cms in the village. The ski resorts opened the Cruiser Area and Friday Flat to start, then 5 lifts were running on Wednesday and six today. About one metre snowdepth up high and less in the village.

NEW ZEALAND

In New Zealand meanwhile, the ski resorts look on enviously at the snow falling in Australia. There was a run of sunny days in the South Island on the weekend which meant some nice conditions for the few open skifields.

And then ... heavy rain on Tuesday spoiled the party. A combination of rain and high winds on Wednesday closed most open ski resorts across the South Island, causing others who hadn't opened yet to delay their opening days.

Unfortunately it looks like more rain this weekend except for the highest peaks. Early next week looks far more promising with some cooler temperatures and an end to the warm northerly winds. New Zealand usually starts a little later than Australia and July is when things really get going.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow is still due to open on the 5th July. Hanmer Springs has delayed opening also until Saturday 5th July due to lack of snow. Mt Lyford says it will open "when the snow comes".

Canterbury

Cardrona 26 June [Source: Cardrona FB page]

Mt Hutt (30/15cms) suffered a lot of rain damage on Tuesday and had to close on Wednesday and Thursday due to high winds. Porters is due to open when conditions allow.

The Mackenzie

Ohau looks unlikely to open this weekend after the rains, and Roundhill announced a delay to its planned opening day on Saturday. Meanwhile Mt Dobson gets going on 4th July.

Wanaka

Treble Cone was sunny then the rain came on Tuesday. The ski resort has announced it will delay its opening day, with no news on when it will open. Cardrona has managed to open the Captains Basin with limited trails, a pretty impressive job given the lack of natural snow and helped by snowmaking. The lift started spinning on Monday. Unfortunately the resort had to close on Wednesday due to rain the day before
and wind. But Cardrona reopened on Thursday for skiing.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak (30/25cms) saw huge rainfalls on Tuesday which caused it to close to drain out. The Peak managed to reopen again on Thursday with solid conditions up top to mush down the bottom. The Remarkables has postponed its opening one week.

Snow Report 21 June 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

Its the first day of winter today as we welcome the winter solstice for the southern hemisphere. And the good news is that the big snows are coming ...and they're about to hit Australia and New Zealand in spectacular fashion!

AUSTRALIA

A skiff of snow last weekend that fluttered around the mountains into Monday has made the top peaks of the Great Dividing Range white and has led to a few Australian ski lifts turning for beginners.

The rest of this week has seen mainly fine weather in the mountains, with some colder temperatures arriving. This has allowed for some fairly limited overnight snowmaking across Australia.

All this tinkering about the edges is about to change. Early on Monday a big storm will bring large amounts of snow to all Australian ski areas and the good news is the snow will persist into Wednesday. There are early indications another front will follow up with more snow before next weekend. The result could be close to a metre of snow on the ground and great skiing across the Alps by next weekend.

Perisher 18.06.14 [Source: Perisher FB page]

Perisher

Perisher has done really well to build on snowfalls last weekend with some super snowmaking. This enabled Australia's biggest ski area to fire up the Front Valley ski lift for skiing and Blue Cow later on in the week.

Thredbo

Thredbo had learners getting their skis on at Merritts early this week and has since made snow across the top sections of the mountain.

NEW ZEALAND

This week started warm and wet in Queenstown, and warm, wet and windy in Canterbury. Probably not the best combination if you're a snowsports enthusiast!

On Wednesday, a southerly change cooled things down and a little bit of snow fell. Temperatures improved allowing for overnight snowmaking to keep the pistes open at Mt Hutt and Coronet Peak.

Similar to Australia, next week looks more promising as fronts could bring some snow from Tuesday. Not as much snow as is forecast for Australia right now ... but enough to get all the ski resorts open and the lifts turning.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow is due to open on the 5th July. Hanmer Springs is aiming for 28th June. Mt Lyford is now looking to open on 23rd June.

Canterbury

Mt Hutt (30/15cms) was completely closed on both Monday and Tuesday as the wild weather played havoc. Poor conditions followed on Wednesday after the rain. But it was great to see the skifield managed to open the Summit Six lift after colder temperatures allowed lots of snowmaking. Porters meanwhile postponed their opening day to the 27th June.

Cardrona 18.06.14 [Source: Cardrona webcams]

The Mackenzie

Ohau and Roundhill are still due to open on 28th June, while Mt Dobson gets going on 4th July.

Wanaka

Treble Cone plans to open on 26th June, but currently has no snow at the base of the resort, and only a little in the Saddle Basin.

Cardrona got washed out early in the week but bounced back strongly opening on Friday. The skifield debuted with limited lift facilities: only the McDougall’s chairlift was open, but it was open in glorious sunny conditions and looked pretty as a picture.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak (30/25cms) ensured the pistes M1, Million Dollar and Wall Street were all open for skiing despite a lot of rain on Monday. Cooler temperatures during the week helped keep the runs going. The Remarkables had no snow to speak of at the beginning of the week and has postponed its opening one week.

Snow Report 14 June 2014 - Australia & New Zealand

Welcome all to the middle of June which should herald some consistent wintery weather arriving in both Australia and New Zealand. This means the snows are not too far away!

AUSTRALIA

There has been no snow to speak of in Australia yet. The merry month of May usually sees a big snowfall (that later melts) to get people excited about the coming winter, but we missed out on that this year. This week saw warm temperatures again and some rain in the Alps.

The good news is that it will start snowing this weekend up high on the peaks. Next week looks a bit colder but another fine spell will emerge meaning there won't be much skiing to speak of until later in the month.

Mt Hutt 14.06.14 [Source: Mt Hutt Webcam]

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand has fared better with a few snowfalls in recent weeks, mixed with rain and sun. Two skifields on the South Island are already open for skiing, with the others due to open over the next four weeks.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow is due to open on the 5th July. Hanmer Springs is aiming for 28th June. Mt Lyford is looking to open next Friday for the first runs of the season.

Canterbury

Mt Hutt (45/35cms) opened yesterday with about 40cms after a snowfall on Wednesday helped get the mountain ready. The Triple Chair is not yet running. Porters will open on 20th June.

The Mackenzie

Ohau and Roundhill are due to open on 28th June, while Mt Dobson gets going on 4th July.

Coronet Peak 14.06.14 [Source: Coronet Peak webcam]

Wanaka

Treble Cone plans to open on 26th June, while Cardrona expects to get going one week earlier.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak (30/25cms) was the first New Zealand skifield to open when the lifts began spinning last weekend. Just the main trails off Coronet Express and the beginners areas are open at the moment with conditions not looking that super on the webcams. The Remarkables is looking to open on the 21st June.

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