2 days ago
Victorian ski season kicks off with fresh snow across the Alpine region
The official opening weekend of the Victorian ski season has been met with ideal conditions, with resorts across the Alpine region recording fresh snowfall.
At Mount Hotham, 19 centimetres of snow fell on the mountain, with conditions expected to continue until Tuesday.
Overnight temperatures dropped to -2.6 degrees Celsius on Friday, with snow guns helping to top up the natural snowfall.
"The storm rolled in at 10 o'clock last night, and it's been dumping since. The start of the snow could not have been timed better. With all the snow, there will be lifts and terrain open soon."
It was a similar story at Falls Creek, where temperatures dipped to -2.3 degrees on Friday night, with the resort reporting 17cm of fresh snow to get the season underway.
"This is just the beginning," said Betony Pitcher, Falls Creek's field marketing manager.
"We're laying a strong foundation with our new Techno Alpin snow guns, and with consistent snowmaking and a further 45cm of snow in the forecast, our mountain operations team will be preparing to open terrain as soon as conditions allow."
At Mount Buller, opening day was met with 7cm of fresh snow, taking the resort's average depth to well over 30cm.
"Things are looking about as good as you could have hoped for on the opening day of the ski season," Mt Buller spokesperson Rhylla Morgan said.
"This morning there was 7cm of fresh snow in the gauge, and it's only been growing throughout the day. It basically hasn't stopped."
Ms Morgan said opening weekend conditions had been boosted by a huge pre-season snowmaking effort, with the resort making 15,000 cubic metres of snow last month.
"It has really helped build a beautiful snow foundation," she said.
"It's snowing, and we are skiing. It's wonderful."
Opening day saw the first chair lift rolling out and ski school lessons getting underway.
With conditions forecast to continue across the long weekend, Ms Morgan said the resort would look at the snow depths on Monday to see if more terrain could be opened.
"It's really great news for the Alpine region and across Australia," she said.
