Ski resorts in Australia choose to ignore snowfall warnings for 2023 season

In Australia, many ski resorts are preparing to open this weekend, despite warnings from meteorologists that this could be one of the worst snow seasons on record.

The snow season could be over before it begins in Australia, according to weather experts, who predict below-average snowfall across many of the country’s major ski fields.

This would put a spanner in the works for thousands of travellers planning a winter holiday on the slopes.

Snow coverage will be inconsistent at the largest ski resorts in Victoria and New South Wales according to predictions but staff appear unconcerned or determined to make it work, news.com.au reports.

Looking ahead to the 2023 season, staff from Mount Hotham and Falls Creek in Victoria both said 2022 was the best season and had reason to believe this year would be similar.

“The fact there’s not a huge amount of difference shows there’s still the appetite to visit the snow,” Falls Creek Alpine Resort head of marketing Andrew Eckersley told news.com.au.

At the largest ski field in the Southern Hemisphere, Perisher Ski Resort, operations director Michael Fearnside said decades of experience in the industry gave him confidence.

Fearnside told the outlet it was his 38th winter in the industry as that often, a single snowfall is all it takes to turn a season around.

A spokesperson from Mt Buller Alpine Resort agreed, stating the resort’s two best seasons, in 1956 and 1981, did not start with natural snowfall.

Confidence could also come from the fact that Mt Buller and Perisher, like many others, do not rely on mother nature as much as they used to. Many ski resorts now have snow-making equipment, which isn’t as good as a powdery dump of snow but can ensure the season goes ahead.

Fortunately, things are looking sunnier (or in this case, snowier) in Aotearoa.

In 2022, operators struggled with a warm and watery season, which saw fields shut early and staff dismissed. However, over King’s Birthday weekend, fields such as Coronet Peak, Mount Hutt and the Remarkables welcomed 20cm of snow.

The change from La Niña into El Niño this year is another promising sign New Zealand will experience a much colder winter than previously.