Australia's Ski Season is Coming to an Early End

Warm temperatures and low snowfall have forced ski resorts across Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park to slow or suspend winter operations. Selwyn Snow Resort closed yesterday, August 25th, 2024 citing “snow conditions.”

Abi Spackman, assistant manager at Selwyn Snow Resort, told ABC News that the resort hopes to reopen if more snow falls. For now, though, skiing isn’t an option. “It's just not worthwhile for the guests to come here at the moment with the little snow that we do have,” Spackman said.

She also noted that portions of the ski season have seen significant snowfalls. Some advanced runs opened for the first time in five years. Selwyn shared on Instagram that any guests with lift ticket products purchased for the rest of the season will be contacted.

Perisher Resort, another ski area in Kosciuszko National Park, announced yesterday that it would begin winding down operations soon, with the upcoming closures of two on-mountain areas from September 1st onwards: Guthega and Smiggin Holes.

“The recent warm temps, rain, and wind mean that we can no longer safely operate the terrain in these areas,” said Nathan Butterworth, Perisher’s VP and general manager, in a video shared on social media. “There’s still plenty of opportunity for you to rip at Perisher this spring.”

Perisher Operations Update August 24, 2024

The Perisher Valley and Blue Cow areas remain open for the foreseeable future, thanks to favorable snowmaking conditions in July. Last year, Perisher concluded operations on September 25th. Despite the pending closures, this week’s forecast looks somewhat promising for Perisher, with the possibility of snowfall on Wednesday and beyond.

In 2023, Australia experienced its warmest winter on record, and modeling conducted by Protect Our Winters Australia (POW) and The Australian National University (ANU) suggested that climate change could significantly reduce the duration of the nation’s winters.

According to the model, in a mid-greenhouse gas emission scenario, Australia’s average ski season would be 44 days shorter by 2050. That number jumps to 55 in high-greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The researchers argued that, without decisive intervention, some Australian ski resorts could face permanent closures in the future.

Related: Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts See First Snow of the Season

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