More Australian Ski Resorts to End Seasons Weeks Early

Earlier this month , Thredbo Resort Alpine, Australia, announced that it was throwing the towel in. The ski resort—one of Australia’s most popular—will cease winter operations on September 15th, citing a refrain common amongst other destinations down under this season: “challenging current conditions.”

Thredbo’s webcams reinforce that sentiment, where vast patches of brown grass clash with what appears to be a rapidly receding snow-line.

Falls Creek, another Australian destination, will also call it quits shortly on September 13th, as announced yesterday. “From perfect snowmaking conditions throughout early season, to an 80cm snowfall week, powder days and so much great skiing and boarding, winter 2024 has been memorable,” Falls Creek wrote, noting that despite the impending closure, 2024 still delivered the goods.

“Mother Nature has had her own plans this season, which has resulted in a decline in snow conditions,” the resort added. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the Australian ski season typically runs from the June long weekend until the October long weekend.

It’s early September—the concern, of course, is that shortening Australian ski seasons isn’t a fluke but a trend connected to climate change. That concern appears legitimate.

A research effort found that the average Australian ski season will be 44 days shorter under a mid-emissions scenario and 55 days shorter under a high-emissions scenario, and snow reliability will substantially decrease. The result? Some Australian ski resorts are at risk of closing in the future without successful adaptation.

“We didn't avoid the truth of the matter, which is that it's getting warmer, it's getting drier, and the snow seasons are getting shorter,” Professor Adrienne Nicotra, one author of the paper, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .

She also noted that painting an exact picture of future ski seasons is difficult, as such predictions are tied to malleable emission outcomes. That observation contains a silver lining: if emissions are reduced, Australia’s ski seasons could see less of an impact.

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