Grim sign ahead of Aussie ski season
Ski resorts in Australia are turning to making their own snow ahead of this year’s ski season due to lack of heavy snowfalls.
The ski season starts on June 8 this year, running alongside the King’s Birthday long weekend.
However, according to Weatherzone there has only been light snowfalls, which quickly melt away with no big snow events forecasted anytime soon.
Manufactured snow happens by combining pressurised air and water through a ‘snow gun’ that gets blasted out into the air. The most ideal time to do this is on clear nights with low humidity, as the higher the humidity the colder it needs to be to make snow.
Photos taken from ski.com.au’s snow cams showed barely any sign of snow at multiple sites.
There were similar scenes last year too.
“No significant snowfalls are on the horizon for the mainland Australian ski resorts before the official King’s Birthday Long Weekend season opening,” Weatherzone reports.
“Snow-making began on the weekend at several resorts and has continued into the working week in the cold dry, air in the wake of the cold front.”
According to WeatherZone, high-pressure systems, which have brought constant rain to the east coast recently, have been blocking the snowfall.
They also block snow-bearing cold fronts moving up from the south.
Despite this, Perisher’s Mountain Operations Director Michael Fearnshide is remaining optimistic for this years’ snowfall.
“Snowmaking occurs every year in May, it’s a standard practise for all Australian ski resorts at this time of year to be making snow. The fine autumn conditions we have experienced so far this year there are no indicator for what the season ahead may hold,” he said.
“We’re firing our snow guns at every opportunity and are preparing for when Mother Nature delivers: we’re ready to go and can’t wait to welcome our guests back to the slopes.”
It was just a month ago Australian ski resorts in NSW and Victoria saw the first snow of the season.
Thredbo and Perisher in NSW, as well as Hotham, Mount Baw Baw and Mount Buller in Victoria, reported a fresh dumping on April 9.
The early dumping gave holiday-makers hoping to hit the slopes this winter hope of a bumper season, however, that has now been thrown into doubt.
One of the best snowfalls in recent memory was the ‘Blizzard of Oz’s’ in 2017, where between August and September had resorts seeing 1 to 1400 metres of snow.
Other notable years include 2014, 2012, 2010, 2003, 2000 and mid to early 20th century.
The news comes as temperatures plunge across multiple states.
Sydneysiders will need to rug up this week as the mercury falls to a chilly 10C most days.
Melburnians will also be feeling the chill with a low of 6C expected on Sunday.
Newswire has reached out to Thredbo and the Bureau of Meterology for comment.
