Thredbo snow conditions on the morning of Thursday, 28 August. Photo: Thredbo.
September is a famously variable season for skiing in Australia. Last year, the season was well and truly wrapped when the first air of Spring hit the mountains, but this year is a different story.
It’s already been the best season in years, and now the snow must go on with a promising late-season snowstorm sweeping the hills, bringing nearly a metre of snow over four days.
As of Thursday morning (28 August), Thredbo resort had already measured over 21 cm of snow, with nearby Perisher at over 20 cm.
Conditions had been looking mixed leading into the end of the season, with some warm days, and rain early in the week, but now tens of centimetres of snow are predicted to blanket the mountains until Saturday.
It’s a stark difference from last year, when low-lying Selwyn had closed by 25 August, and most resorts began wrapping up by early September.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting between 26 cm and 76 cm of snow in the coming days, with the weather expected to clear by Sunday.
Meteorologist at the Bureau Belinda House said that much of the Australian Alps, from Victoria through to Canberra, will be affected.
“We’re going to see a fairly significant cold front push up over the ACT and the southeastern parts of NSW … We do have a severe weather warning out for damaging wind gusts, and it’s likely that we will see severe winds right through Friday and into Saturday morning,” she said.
“We’re also seeing some fairly sharp drop in temperature, bringing snow levels down quite low as that cold front comes through, so already there are snowfalls through the Alps.”
The snow has been brought by a series of cold fronts moving up from the South East, which will bring cold, wet weather to inland Australia.
It will be good news for Australia’s ski and snowboarding community and has come just in time for the annual Snow Australia Interschools Championships, which are on in the mountains from 1 September.
The competition, which brings together the best skiers and boarders from across Australian schools, is the nation’s premier school-aged winter sports competition.
Many of Australia’s top Winter Athletes have come out of the competition in recent years.
However, it’s not all good news for mountain goers, as Friday and Saturday are likely to be hit with high winds of up to 60 km/h.
High winds and snow create dangerous conditions for people exploring backcountry areas. There have already been several rescues this season from ill-prepared or unlucky hikers and skiers.
Overnights down to -9 by Sunday could also create icy conditions on the road.
Cold and windy, but there will be heaps of snow. Photo: Bureau of Meteorology.
A Transport NSW spokesperson said the agency encourages people to drive carefully.
“We urge motorists to really plan ahead and not take any risks on alpine roads. For those not confident driving in snow and ice conditions or with fitting snow chains, then the answer is simple: don’t risk it and catch public transport to the slopes instead.”
The organisation has also been encouraging people to consider alternative forms of transport, such as the Snowy Mountains Bus, as National Park carparks have repeatedly reached capacity this season.
“Be prepared for significant delays heading to Perisher and Thredbo. Car parking in the national park can fill up quickly, and when it reaches capacity, we must close Kosciuszko Road and Alpine Way at Jindabyne for safety.”
Transport NSW maintains an SMS service to alert drivers of closures. It also broadcasts closures on its website and through local radio stations.
National Parks recommends that people not go into the backcountry during high-wind, low-visibility weather. It also maintains a checklist and lends people Emergency Locator Beacons at its offices in Jindabyne, Perisher, and Khancoban.
