Australian Ski Resorts Preparing for Snow 'Dump of the Season'

The land down unda' is known for kangaroos, crocs, and beaches, but a detour to Australia's southern reaches presents mountains, snow, and ski resorts.

Mt. Hotham, one of the country's largest resorts, is celebrating this weekend as natural snowfall has finally arrived. The resort has recorded 31 cm (12 inches) of new snow in the last seven days and 50cm (19.7 inches) in the forecast.

Mt. Hotham is warning travelers from Melbourne that road closures could occur as "extreme weather" is expected with high winds and "blizzard conditions".

Further to the Northeast lies Australia's largest ski resort, Perisher. With seven peaks, 45 lifts, over 3,000 acres of terrain and expansive snowmaking capabilities, its a bonafide mega resort located just a few hours between Sydney and Melbourne.

Perisher is reporting eight inches (20cm) of new snow with 15-31 inches (40-80cm) in the forecast on Saturday, July 20th, 2024.

Similar to Mt. Hotham, Perisher is warning skiers that the storm is expected to bring strong winds that could lead to aerial lift closures, but they have a fairly unique trick up their sleeve with an astounding 21 T-bar/surface lifts scattered across the resort.

"We are expecting snowfall later tonight, and with the snowfall comes strong winds. The strong winds will continue to pick up throughout the day. Make the most of our large fleet of T-Bars today as we expect wind hold on some of our chairlifts."

It's a similar story for Thredbo Resort, another popular ski resort in Australia's New South Wales. MountainWatch is forecasting upwards of 27 inches (70cm) through the end of the weekend in what they're dubbing Australia's 'Biggest Dump of the Season' .

Australia's ski resorts aren't known for deep snowfall (most resorts average 70-150 inches of snow throughout the season), meaning this weekend's storm is certainly worth celebrating.

At the time of publishing this article, it's 2 AM in Australia on Saturday, July 20th. Just think about it- there are likely thousands of Aussie skiers dreaming of the powder turns and laughs with friends in their near future.

I hope that gives you solace as we trudge on through the warmest days of summer. Winter is coming, but let's live vicariously through our Aussie friends in the meantime.

Related: Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico Replacing Major Chairlift This Summer

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