Latest news with #skiers
CBC
16-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Famous ski hill in Whitehorse now offers disc golf
Mount Sima is popular with with skiers, snowboarders and bikers. Now, the ski hill is offering disc golf. The new 18-hole golf course is fully operational. George Maratos checked out this new attraction.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Aussies face lengthy delays for ski lift after snowstorm
Skiers are eagerly awaiting the end of school holidays following two weeks of overcrowded slopes and hour-long queues. Dozens of Aussies visiting ski resorts in NSW and Victoria have taken to social media to vent following a busy fortnight at the popular winter holiday destinations. 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.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Furious Aussies left waiting for HOURS after ski lift froze over at popular resort
Skiers are eagerly awaiting the end of school holidays following two weeks of overcrowded slopes and hour-long queues. Dozens of Aussies visiting ski resorts in NSW and Victoria have taken to social media to vent following a busy fortnight at the popular winter holiday destinations. 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. However, it wasn't just large crowds causing repeated delays across the mountains. The first week of school holidays, which typically sees a jump in visitors, coincided with a cold front moving through the region - causing chaotic snowstorm conditions. 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. 'It costs almost the same to fly to New Zealand and ski there,' another said. More frequent visitors shared their advice on how to avoid large crowds in the area. 'It's only like that until 10am,' one person said. 'Once people filter out on the mountain there's no line.'
Daily Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Daily Telegraph
The trick to saving hundreds at the Aussie snow
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. There's a certain kind of love that grips skiers. 'I love watching the snow groomers,' my husband drools into the darkness, tracing the heavily lit machinery. His love is euphoric and a bit tragic, glass of red in hand, body weary after a day skiing. He's imagining the crisp corduroy lines the groomer leaves behind and the runs he'll carve tomorrow. But like all great passions, this one comes at a cost – and not just frost-bitten fingers. Skiing is expensive and costs can snowball, particularly for a family of five. But there are ways to make it cheaper, and the Epic Australia 4-Day Pass (EADP) – new this season – is the best I've seen yet. I found a way to ski on a budget. Picture: Mt Hotham It offers any four days access at Mt Hotham, Falls Creek or Perisher – either consecutive or spread out – and delivers big savings compared to purchasing lift tickets. It also includes 20 percent off rentals and lessons, and 15 percent off certain cafes and retail. We skied two days each at Mt Hotham and Falls Creek, rented gear and took two private lessons. My workings show we saved $556 on lift tickets, $180 on lessons and $246 on rentals – and over $1,000 in total. Like powder, our love grew deeper. Mt Hotham We find a giddy, child-like sense of adrenaline-fuelled fun at Mt Hotham. Intermediate and advanced runs peel away from a village on top of the mountain, commanding jaw-dropping views on the bird-bird days we're gifted. Our best experience of this is when the kids corral us to ski First Tracks (free with EADP). Heavenly Valley stuns in a display of quiet majesty for those up early enough to see it. Our teens lose a day and night (free with EADP) to the new all-terrain park at the Big D. Jumps, in the dark, with a DJ – I get it and leave them to it. Jaw-dropping views at Hotham. Picture: Mt Hotham Lessons are centralised around the beginner slopes of Hotham's Summit. We're decent skiers but welcome the chance to refresh and explore barrels we otherwise wouldn't venture to. When hunger takes over, Hoff's Hutt, hidden halfway down Milky Way is full of charm. We return for chunky beef pies and 'fireball' coffee with tunes on the deck. Bird Café at the base of the Summit is convenient, tasty and pass holders get 15 percent off. We stay at Kicking Horse Chalet, a step into luxury made affordable because it sleeps 15. Families and groups will want to stay here for exceptional amenity, large spaces and beautiful interiors – only superseded by the views. See also: What's new at Australian ski resorts in 2025 Falls Creek Falls Creek village steals hearts with its picturesque European style that is ski-in ski-out, decorated with snow gums and car free. It's also the ultimate progression mountain, suiting all levels. Our kids do more skiing here off the groomed runs than on. They're between trees and jumping off nature's ledges, while we're frolicking in the back bowl around Ruined Castle. My love of skiing is equal parts downhill and après by the fire. Falls Creek's dining scene doesn't disappoint. Picturesque Falls Creek. Picture: Falls Creek I discover the magnificent Astra for a cocktail, while our youngest toasts marshmallows on their huge fire. Cozy Feather Top Lodge fills us with baked brie, hanger steak and churros. Lunch at Falls Creek Hotel is a must. We stay at family-run Cooroona Alpine Lodge. It's warm, freshly renovated and perfect for families. Cooroona's Mexican Cantina and bar are a highlight. The menu is extensive, the food fresh and affordable – a welcome reprieve. Frozen margaritas take on new appeal in front of the roaring fire. Top tip The pass also unlocks the expanses of Australia's largest ski resort, Perisher. The writer travelled courtesy of Mount Hotham Skiing Company and Falls Creek Ski Lifts. Originally published as The trick to saving hundreds at the Aussie snow
BBC News
06-07-2025
- BBC News
The ski resort Olympians flock to each summer
Tucked into the Andes Mountains in Chile, Ski Portillo is a place where time stands still. With no town and limited rooms, there's not much to do besides ski – which is exactly the point. For many, a modern-day ski resort might include towering peaks cloaked in fluffy snow, high-tech lift lines, luxurious hotels with fabulous spas, buzzing apres-ski bars and shops filled with the latest in cold-weather fashion. These days, top mountain destinations are bustling winter wonderlands that cater as much to non-skiers as they do to powder hounds. But tucked away in the Chilean Andes is Ski Portillo, a remote, all-inclusive resort that's only open during the South American winter. There's little to do but ski – and for its devoted fans, that's exactly the point. Spread across 5 sq km and home to 35 trails serviced by 14 lifts (including several drag lifts), Portillo was the first ski resort in South America. While it is not as massive as what you'll find in the Rockies or Alps, its off-piste terrain and advanced-level challenges have made it a bucket list destination. Just as important is the atmosphere: Portillo feels frozen in time – in the best way. While other resorts have aggressively modernised, Portillo has held fast to its old-school charm. Getting here requires a two-hour drive north-east from Santiago on the same narrow mountain highway as transport trucks. The bright yellow hotel – where visitors gather for meals and barside revelry – has barely changed. Overnight capacity has only grown ever-so-slightly to 450 since it opened. There's no town to hang out in, and not much for non-skiers to do. Launched by the Chilean government in 1949, Portillo's modern era began in the 1960s when Bob Purcell, a New York finance hotshot, won it at auction (he was the sole bidder). He then asked his nephew Henry, then 26 and making his way up at Hilton Hotels, to become its general manager. Skiing in the area goes back even further: Norwegian engineers traversed the mountains on skis in the 1880s while working on the railway linking Chile to the Argentine city of Mendoza on the other side of the Andes. After its completion in 1910, locals would ride the train – as if it were a ski lift – before skiing back down the peaks. That railway is long gone, but Portillo, equipped with real ski lifts now, is still going strong, with the Purcells still at the helm. According to Ellen Guidera Purcell, Henry's wife and a key figure in Portillo's day-to-day operations, the early days mostly involved the Purcells inviting their famous friends here for ski parties. "The parties were an omen of the future," Guidera said. "Because Portillo has continued not only as a place for beautiful skiing but also as a place for good times with family and friends, a place of happy dinners, parties, bar dancing and making memories."Carolina Mendoza, a retired business owner, first visited Portillo in the mid-1970s as a teenager growing up in Venezuela. She's returned nearly every year since, only missing a Portillo season during the pandemic or while living in Europe. For Mendoza, whose mother is Chilean, there's a magic to this little mountain hamlet. "There's such a sense of community here," she said. 'It almost makes you feel like you're with family."But Portillo has also become synonymous with serious skiing. Known for its challenging alpine terrain, it hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1966, which established its reputation as a hardcore winter sports destination. Today, both the convivial atmosphere and the hair-raising slopes remain critical to Portillo's cult-favoured status. Every year from June to September, when the northern hemisphere is in the throes of summer, snow-chasers from the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America head here to enjoy an endless winter. Many, like Mendoza, are repeat visitors. Others are world-class athletes in training for big-ticket events like the Olympics. US Olympian Breezy Johnson, a World Champion ski racer, has been to Portillo five times. Her first visit, in 2015, included training runs with skiing legends like Julia Mancuso, Laurenne Ross and Leanne Smith. "Portillo is a very unique place. I call it the cruise ship because it's kind of the only thing for a ways around," she recalls. "When I first came I was a bit – a lot – intimidated by the stark world that is Portillo." That starkness turns out to be a perk. Johnson, who is now based in Jackson, Wyoming, says the compact layout is ideal. "We can literally walk down to breakfast, head to the slopes, put our seven pairs of skis out on the snow and get going," she says. "That convenience as opposed to multiple trams in Europe, long drives in New Zealand or a snowmobile ride down in Corralco, [Chile] makes the training super beneficial because you can maximise energy for skiing." More like this:• Skiing Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano• A downhill ski champion's guide to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy• The ancient mummies older than Egypt's And its not just Olympians who love the challenging terrain and no-fuss nature of skiing here. Intrepid visitors can often be seen hiking from lifts to explore off-piste terrain, and Roca Jack, one of Portillo's most beloved expert runs, extends to the bottom of the mountain for more than 2.6km. While elite athletes like Johnson love to train on Portillo's long trails and steep turns, so do average advanced skiers. But don't think you have to be at that level to enjoy the resort: given the tougher landscape, top-notch instructors are available to help intermediate skiers improve their skills. The most popular package is a week-long stay with room, board and lift tickets. But the Purcells are evolving the experience, including introducing standalone A-frame chalets for those seeking more privacy, as well as events like Wine Week in August, when some of Chile's most esteemed vineyards host educational tastings. You can also level up with a heli-skiing tour of the area, or pair your Portillo visit with a few days at a partner hotel, like VIK, a luxury winery hotel located four hours south. But, "Portillo is about skiing," Guidera insists, adding that while they recently updated their guestrooms, there are still no TVs in there. Perhaps more than anything, Portillo is about community. In a place where everyone loves the same thing and where there isn't much else to do, you'll run into the same faces at lunch at Tio Bob's or in the hot tub before dinner. "Life in Portillo happens on the slopes and in the many hotel common spaces where guests interact with one another and with us," Guidera says. "Friendships are made, couples fall in love, some get engaged, some get married there, babies are made, others leave saying 'what happens in Portillo stays in Portillo', and some have their ashes eventually scattered in Portillo." In fact, Mendoza met her second husband here, through common friends she's made at Portillo over the years. And Johnson adds, the friends you make include the staff, who might be skiing on the same runs as you on their days off. After all, as she says, "It is a small community nestled in the mountains." -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
