Aussies face lengthy delays for ski lift after snowstorm
Several visitors complained of waiting for over an hour to use the ski lift after paying up to $264 for a ski lift pass at Perisher or $177 at Falls Creek. Many skiers also face hefty travel and accommodation costs to visit the Snowy Mountains, with hotels near the slopes going for hundreds of dollars per night.
While it was good news for skiers, it spelt disaster for resort operators. Frustrations boiled over last week when the ski lifts at Falls Creek were delayed due to the system freezing shut. 'We're sorry for the delays getting lifts open this morning,' the resort said.
'Our full team has been working hard since the early hours to de-ice and get things moving. With a big snowstorm on the way, there may be more delays tomorrow. We'll keep doing everything we can to get lifts spinning as soon as conditions allow. 'Thanks for your patience.'
While some visitors were understanding of the situation, others were unimpressed. 'I was here and it felt like it took hours,' one wrote under a TikTok video of Falls Creek. 'I took one look and went back to bed,' another said.
'Took me 40 minutes to get to the top,' a third commented. Several others expressed frustration at the high cost of skiing in Australia, compared to the price and quality of skiing overseas. 'Cheaper to fly to Japan and ski there! Best snow,' one person wrote.
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Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie flight attendant spills the shocking secrets of what cabin crew say about passengers behind your back
A former flight attendant has revealed the most annoying passenger habits from around the globe, as well as some region-specific pet peeves. Marcus Daniels, 35, spent more than five years working as a member of cabin crew on domestic and international flights for Virgin and Qatar Airways, and highlighted some region-specific behaviours. 'In the Middle East, cabin crew were often looked down on as just hospitality staff and would be heckled at,' he said. 'On some flights to China, passengers wouldn't wait for their meal trays to be collected and would go to the galley to dump them. 'Australians are infamous for being the worst complainers. While I think we tend to only complain when we have good reason to, we really go off. 'Aussie customers won't complain until something's gone really wrong, then they'll pop off. Whereas customers in other parts of the world will complain peacefully about minuscule things, like their blankets not being warm enough.' Overall, the worst-behaved passengers were those abusing the bar cart. 'It's very common to have issues with drunk and disorderly passengers,' Mr Daniels said. 'When you're 39,000 ft in the air, your brain basically turns to mush. That's why you'll see stories of customers going crazy during flights even though they acted normal on the ground. 'If you're dehydrated, not eating and drinking while your brain's compressed – people just lose all common sense.' Mr Daniels explained hypoxia, a condition where the body doesn't have enough oxygen, is already a risk when flying and can be worsened by alcohol. 'On a flight to London, I had a passenger who kept going in and out of consciousness,' he said. 'He'd only had two glasses of red wine but he hadn't eaten anything during the flight. 'His lips began turning blue and we had to hook him up to an oxygen tank and then get him to drink and eat something. 'A lot of people don't understand why it's important to eat and drink on flights. It's those customers who'll be off their head drunk and vomiting in the toilet after three drinks.' Flight attendants also picked up on the favourite drinks of different destinations. 'Australians tend to like beer and wine while flights to and from the UK request a lot of gin and tonic. Obviously, the Russians love their vodka,' Mr Daniels said. 'Surprisingly, I found the Scandinavian routes were the biggest drinkers. They loved beer, vodka, whiskey, gin. The bar carts would be completely empty at the end of flights. 'Then destinations in Asia wouldn't drink much alcohol. Instead, they'd be asking for hot water to fill their tea flasks.' One rude habit which might shock some travellers was wearing perfume. While some flyers might think a strong duty-perfume will help mask any unpleasant odours in the cabin, Mr Daniels explained no scent is the best way to go. 'As cabin crew, we were constantly told to ensure we wear inoffensive perfume,' he said. 'We're in an enclosed environment so we want to make sure it's not overpowering anyone, especially those sensitive to smells like pregnant women. 'It's good etiquette to make sure you're not wearing the strong stuff.' Another no-no was bringing too much luggage onboard or checking items that need to be carried on. 'It's rude to be taking up too much cabin space. It's not fair to the people boarding after you who then have nowhere to put their bags. 'Another thing passengers will do is leave their batteries and laptops in their checked luggage when those items are carry-on only. Sometimes, it can cause the plane to spend an extra hour on the ground while staff search for the item. 'I once had a passenger bring a faulty laptop onboard and its lithium battery burst into flames. Because the battery continues to heat after the fire is put out, we had to keep it submerged in a bucket of water until we landed. Imagine if it was in cargo? 'We're shown videos of how quickly fires spread through planes. It can be scary when customers do the wrong thing.' Another habit Mr Daniels struggled to pull passengers into line for was using personal devices without headphones. 'Some people are just too loud and rowdy. They listen to the portable electronic devices, like phones, and blast the audio without putting in headsets,' he said. 'That's really frustrating for everyone onboard.' When headed abroad, the ex-flight attendant urged travellers to check their destination's expectations around clothing. 'A lot of people don't realise exposing your feet to some people is quite rude, especially in Arabic culture and Southeast Asian culture,' Mr Daniels said. 'Dressing immodestly is also considered rude in a lot of cultures so please don't board your flight in a singlet and thongs.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
A 12-hour rail odyssey from Melbourne to Sydney is the essence of a Lions tour
It is 2.54pm and the interstate train from Melbourne to Sydney screeches to a halt. Sheep on the line. It is enough to jolt you forward and you fear for any British & Irish Lions fans who have not quite got out of their system the celebrations of the night before. We are five-and-a-half hours into a 12-hour journey, the road less travelled on this odyssey around Australia, navigating the rocky landscape around Cootamundra Creek and disaster is narrowly avoided. The first thing to address is why. Why turn down a 90-minute flight in favour of a train journey eight times as long. Backtrack to the day before and the afternoon before the Lions' second Test victory at the MCG. A colleague in the press pack has received some bad news and is seeking the soothing effects of perpetual motion, watching the world go by and some company while doing so. Sold on the promise of avoiding the airport and all associated ordeals, a journey through the Australian countryside and the guarantee of wild kangaroos, tickets are bought: A$99. Cheap. Too cheap? Twelve hours in cattle class didn't much appeal but maybe here was an opportunity to get a little closer to the essence of a Lions tour. Away from the airport transfers, check-in queues, luggage carousels and Ubers. Maybe that is the essence of a Lions tour. If so a 12-hour break would be welcome. The train could be a sea of red, perhaps just a puddle, but it was a pretty safe bet there would be no members of the 2013 squad punting an insurance brand on board. It was an inauspicious start. Departure was supposed to be at 8:30am, 10-and-a-half hours after full time in the second Test, but the train was late arriving from Sydney. An hour late. It left a crowded platform frustrated and Melbourne mornings in winter are a little too fresh. The arrival of Spirit of Bendigo, a spectacular steam train, provides a welcome distraction. Once it leaves and the spotters follow, the platform is significantly less crowded, and the smattering of Lions supporters surface. There is a white blazer adorned with a bright red dragon, though this particular fan does not appear to have much fire left in his belly. A few couples, the odd group of threes who either left it late to book flights or are watching the pennies but it is left to a group of four young Welsh lads to bring the energy. It is unclear how long they will last. Nearly time to board and there is a confidence-boosting familiar face along the platform in Stephen Larkham. If this train is good enough for a World Cup-winning Wallaby it's good enough for me – and as we get on board it's impossible not to wonder what difference Larkham in his prime might have made the night before. Into our seats. We're in different carriages but an obliging chap headed for Wagga Wagga is happy to swap. The officious conductor less so. As we were for the first couple of hours then. I'm aware I'm not being good company but there is sleep to be caught up on and 545 miles ahead of us. It is striking how flat the landscape is as we leave the state of Victoria for New South Wales, ticking off the townships, each with its picture postcard colonial train station. The Rock is an eagerly anticipated stop – only one door of the train will open so small is the platform – while the lunch menu offering includes bush pumpkin curry. Perhaps best avoided. Spotting kangaroo No 1, just a few metres from the train tracks, brings more of a rush than expected. He's a big ol' fella, standing his ground, unnervingly still, a scarecrow with a tail spoiling for a fight. This train is 43 years old, the line in operation since 1883, but his family has been here a damn sight longer than that. Time for some work and to try to explain precisely why Finn Russell has, at the age of 32, found the smoothest groove of his career for Guardian readers. He was talking of a 'calmness' after the match on Saturday – perhaps he took the train to Melbourne? – and that just about sums it up better than I could. You sense it has been a while since Russell has felt uncomfortable in his own skin and certainly it fits like a glove at the moment. Saturday night was the first time we have spoken to Russell in Australia, odd for someone so at ease at doing so. Star players are increasingly inaccessible but Russell is such a throwback that his absence has jarred. Inaccessibility is at odds with the essence of a tour and for all the understandable back-slapping since Saturday night, in time the Lions hierarchy may come to realise that their win-at-all-costs mentality has not quite hit the right notes in Australia. Speaking of lesser-spotted creatures, meanwhile, five or so kangaroos suddenly come into view, bounding through a cluster of trees. Now we're touring. A stop in Albury – bang on the state border – makes for a crew change and the perfect opportunity to swap seats again. An announcement goes out that the buffet carriage will be reopening shortly and promise that alcohol will be available. 'I know we've got some rugby blokes on board,' says the crew member who doesn't sound delighted by the prospect. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Laptop shut – signal is nonexistent by this stage anyway – and aimless staring out the window is interrupted by the magnificent looking Bethungra hotel. It is a sprawling 16-room pub that was apparently given away for just A$100 a few years ago – a demonstration of just how far off the beaten track we are now. Curiosity kicks in and we go looking for Larkham, what would he have made of the Wallabies' gallant defeat? Was he as incensed by Jac Morgan's clearout on Carlo Tizzano as so many of his countrymen? Alas he is nowhere to be seen; we have already reached Brumbies country in Canberra, a sure-fire sign that time is flying. The four Welsh lads are out for the count, sprawled across the train carriage. This is a journey of recovery rather than revelry. After a couple more kangaroos, the last hour goes by in a blur of nicotine withdrawal, under the cover of darkness and a slow crawl into Sydney. It is a short hop though to the Rocks and a rooftop overlooking the harbour to catch up with more colleagues. Bridge on one side, opera house the other. While there is the odd regret that Sydney does not host a decider, there is a sense of approaching the home straight and the second wind that comes with it. A determination to make the most of what's left. If these past 12 hours have taught me anything it is that while pinpointing the essence of a modern Lions tour is complicated, you will not go far wrong with companionship.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
'A mammoth undertaking' - Lions' life on the road
Third Test: Australia v British and Irish LionsDate: Saturday 2 August Venue: Accor Stadium Kick-off: 11:00 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary and post-match analysis on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC iPlayer and online Boiling four nations down to one team, cooking up a gameplan in four weeks and getting to Test match temperature on enemy territory.A Lions tour is unique for players and for the team behind the team, a whistle-stop itinerary, vast distances and a host of unknowns also present a recipe for potential in Sydney for the tourists' final stop, Tom Day is one of the team to help avert it."This is a mammoth undertaking when you consider transporting a playing squad and backroom team to and from the southern hemisphere, and then around the touring country itself," says Day, the team's logistics manager. The Lions come with considerable baggage - almost 10 tonnes were brought to Australia with consists of four sets of identical training kits, which were then divided up and sent around Australia. Wherever the Lions arrive, they find a lorry container of equipment, including a scrum sled, on the side of the pitch to help them set was driven the 2,390 miles from Perth to Sydney, a distance equivalent to London to Siberia, to be in the right place at the right time. In total, the plan stretches to 53 separate truck journeys covering about 7,000 miles. "One set of kit will always be ahead of us and the sets of kit yo-yo around the country, so that when we leave one city, the arrival into the next city is already sorted as there is kit there and the hotels and training grounds are already set-up," explains is also part of an advance party that is one step ahead of the squad on the ground. Along with a member of the security team, Day makes sure any last-minute wrinkles that have cropped up since recce trips in September and January are ironed out before the players Saturday's third Test in Sydney, the Lions will head back home with a series win, but without their is being left in Australia and donated to local clubs and schools, rather than shipped back to Dublin. The long-haul nature of a Lions tour means it also comes with considerable carbon cost.A return flight from London to Sydney generates around 2,484 kg of carbon dioxide per passenger, just from the burning of fuel. Emissions at high altitude are also almost three times more harmful than at ground Lions have committed to offsetting all of the carbon, external created by their tour party's travel, as well as that created by their fans' travel and the team's business operations at a cost of more than £250,000.
