Snow Report 24 September 2015 - Australia & New Zealand

Falls Creek 20.09.15 [Source: Falls FB page]

Hi everyone! There are still a few weeks of skiing available on both sides of the Tasman.

AUSTRALIA

A warm weekend again gave way to a cold snap. It didn't bring that much snow, however, but enough to make things fun for the final few days of the season.

Hotham 23.09.15 [Source: Hotham FB page]

Closing dates:

Mt Buller - 27 September

Mt Hotham - 27 September

Falls Creek - 27 September

Perisher - 5 October

Thredbo - 5 October

Perisher 23.09.15 [Source: Perisher FB page]

NEW ZEALAND

Snow on the weekend across the South Island. There was a nice dump at Mt Hutt and Porters. Clearing for a fine start to the week. A little rain/snow in Canterbury but fine elsewhere.

Rainbow 22.09.15 [Source: Rainbow FB page]

This weekend looks like being mainly fine with a chance of some snow showers on Saturday, then clearing.

If you have time, check out this fascinating story about Mount Dobson.

Mt Dobson 22.09.15 [Source: Mt Dobson FB page]

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow - 11 October
Hanmer Springs - Closed
Mt Lyford - Closed

Mt Hutt 20.09.15 [Source: Mt Hutt FB page]

Canterbury

Mt Hutt - 4 October
Porters - 4 October

The Mackenzie

Ohau - 4 October
Roundhill - 4 October
Mt Dobson - 4 October

Cardrona 22.09.15 [Source: Cardrona FB page]

Wanaka

Treble Cone - 27 September

Cardrona - 11 October

Treble Cone 20.09.15 [Source: Treble Cone FB page]

Queenstown

Coronet Peak - 4 October

The Remarkables - 27 September

* Note actual closing dates can be changed if there is still good snow, which there is this year.

Remarks 22.09.15 [Source: Remarks FB page]

Snow Report 17 September 2015 - Australia & New Zealand

School holidays begin this weekend for Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The ski resorts will want to stay open for the 2-week holidays if they can, although some have set an earlier closing date.

In New Zealand, holidays begin a week later and also run for two weeks. Lots of ski fields will be open through this period.

AUSTRALIA

A warm and sunny weekend came and went, with strong winds contributing to the snow melt. Mount Hotham recorded maximum temperatures of 12.5c and 15.3c at the summit on Saturday and Sunday!

Perisher 17.09.15 [Source: Perisher website]

On Tuesday it became a little cooler but this started out with rain. This turned to a snow showers or two before drying up. The weekend is looking mostly fine with a chance of a last few days of snow next week.

Mt Buller has nine lifts running with the Grimus, Boggy Creek, Bonza, South Side and Bull Run areas now out of action. Mt Hotham still have Heavenly Valley, the Village loop and Summit areas open. Falls Creek has good coverage in Sun Valley and Ruined Castle. Perisher has 29 of its 46 lifts running for the weekend. At Thredbo, all 14 lifts are operating.


NEW ZEALAND

It has been a bit windy as the prevailing spring northwesterly winds dominate. There is some fresh snow in the forecast through the weekend and conditions are still excellent at many fields.

North Canterbury and Nelson

Rainbow is closed today but has good cover. Hanmer Springs and Mt Lyford are closed for the season.

Canterbury

Mt Hutt is closed today in the strong spring northwesterlies but has good cover to keep going well into October. Porters has lost a bit of snow in the warmer weather, but has good cover up the top.

Remarkables 16.09.15 [Source: Remarks FB page]

The Mackenzie

Ohau has great cover for the time of year. Roundhill is closed for the season. Mt Dobson is closed today in the wind but will reopen.

Wanaka

Treble Cone and Cardrona both have some of the best coverage I have seen at this time of year.

Queenstown

Coronet Peak and The Remarkables also both have great cover with all lifts and runs open.

Snow Report 11 September 2015 - Australia & New Zealand

Hi everyone. We've just returned from beautiful Wanaka in the New Zealand South Island's Southern Lakes.

Conditions have been fantastic on the ski fields after a run of snow-bearing fronts over the past week or two has refreshed and spruced them up nicely ... and brought a few good powder days.

After the snow of 2 September, a sunny spell delivered some fun spring skiing on softening tracked snow at Coronet Peak:

Coronet Peak 03.09.15

Snow fell again during the night into the 4 September, with about 10cm reported at all the ski fields around Queenstown and Wanaka. The snow stopped and the clouds cleared just as lifts were opening ... making for a great day!

We headed for Coronet Peak again. The powder was smooth, silky and easy over at Rocky Gully, and pretty quiet for powder laps. Everywhere around the mountain was skiable, including some great terrain off Greengates lift and the usual good stuff at Exchange Drop.

Coronet Peak 04,09.15

Another follow-up front brought low-level snow on Saturday 5th September, including 15cm at Remarks, 10cm at Treble Cone and 5cm at Coronet Peak and Cardrona.

Winds caused some problems for the skifields, however and persisted into Sunday with some closures.

Monday was still windy and cold in the southwesterly, but the sun was out and the snow was in great condition. We headed up to Treble Cone:

Treble Cone 07.09.15

The Home Basin has lots of snow for this time of year, but the Saddle was where the action was. Dry winter snow made the whole basin skiable apart from a few groomed runs where the snow had scoured in the wind the day before.

The new coffee hut at Treble Cone was a bit exposed when we were there, so we didn't make use of it.

Two sunny days at Cardrona rounded off the trip. Conditions were brilliant with chalky winter snow on most of the mountain above the bottom of Whitestar.

Great cover across Captain's Basin:

Cardrona 08.09.15

The whole mountain was skiable over the two days, including the off-piste runs on Valley View alongside the creek, the Arcadia Chutes, and off-piste above Captain's.

Cardrona 08.09.15

The skifields around Queenstown and Wanaka are looking good for a good month or so yet, rounding off one of the best seasons I can remember.

Snow Report 2 September 2015 - Australia & New Zealand

Hello from Queenstown, New Zealand, where it has finally returned to winter conditions after a run of springy weather. The view from the balcony this morning, with fresh snow on The Remarkables:

The Remarkables 02.09.15

Snow has returned to the South Island after a run of sunny northerlies and northwesterlies were followed by a weird easterly storm. But despite its unusual weirdness, this storm has brought the goods with snow down to 800m across the South Island.

Snow looks to continue through the next few days and into the weekend, with the snow level dropping even lower to 400m.

Coronet Peak and Treble Cone have reported 15cm overnight, Ohau 30cm, The Remarkables 7cm, and Cardrona 10cm.

The weather system spun down from the North Island yesterday bringing easterly winds over the last few days. That's set to change over the next few days as we move back to a more traditionally westerly run.

This is the first snow for the South Island since 25th August. We were at Porters that day as the weather cleared, allowing good off-piste skiing from the top T-bar. Bluff Face opened that day, but there was not enough snow on Big Mama.

The following day saw some great conditions at Mount Hutt, with pistes groomed beautifully for a fast and sunny day on the new snow. Low cloud came in one day, but the mountain remained above them:

Mt Hutt 26.08.15

 You can see where a new blue run has been cut from the end of Virgin Mile, allowing return to the base on a groomed trail. Conditions were pretty thin at the bottom of International.

Since then, a run of sunny days has seen the lower slopes soften and off-piste begin to get solid.

We skied Mount Dobson on 27th August. There was still some nice snow around but also quite a few rocks. Stunning day though:

On 30th August we were at Ohau. It was very firm to start but softening by midday. There was quite good cover off-piste across the ski field:

Arriving in Queenstown, we checked out Coronet Peak on Monday. When the easterly clouds cleared a bit the solid snow turned softer and opened up some fun off-piste. It then became quite slushy in the warm temperatures.

The next week looks excellent with the new snow, and more to come ...