 Poster: A snowHead
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We're off to Oz in mid July to visit a friend who emigrated two years ago. Never been so can't wait for what will be the trip of a lifetime.
After a two day Hong Kong stopover, we'll be there about three weeks and will be travelling all over and doing all sorts - sightseeing (Sydney, Blue Mountains, tropical rainforest/beaches in Queensland), hiking (Uluru, Kings Canyon) mountain biking, snorkelling/boating (Gt Barrier Reef), hot air ballooning - oh, and a few days skiing  . After that we'll be back at work for a rest...
My mate lives in Canberra, so we'll be driving from there and staying in Jindabyne (at The Station, which is about the cheapest of a lot of expensive accommodation options). So the plan is to ski at Thredbo and Perisher.
I've read a few negative things about small areas, short runs, expensive tickets etc etc - but have to say that:
- The areas look fairly decent from the online trail maps.
- We're easily pleased where skiing's concerned and have been known to enjoy a day skiing a few inches of snow in the North Pennines as much as a day in the Alps.
- We just can't wait to have a few winter days in the middle of summer.
So who's been and what's it really like??
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 17-07-15 15:51; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thredbo is ok when there is snow...
Perisher is mostly flat but you get to ski the
Highest point in OZ.
Compared to Europe you can essily ski both & get bored
In less than 2 days
Stay in Jimdabyne
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@mountainaddict, Not Thredbo or Perisher but I went to Mt. Hotham as a kid, maybe about 15 years ago. Upside down resort as in, you drive in near the top and a lot of the skiing is below you, the runs remind me of a small US resort but with Eucalyptus trees and slushy snow. If the snow is great then I reckon it would be awesome, but that's not that often in Oz, maybe once or twice a season. We stayed in Omeo and drove in, it's Ned Kelly country and there is loads of stuff to do around the area besides skiing. Personally unless there was a massive storm bringing cold weather and great conditions, I wouldn't bother. It's not like that's the only thing you could be doing in Australia, so I'm pretty sure you won't be bored if you don't go skiing.
If there is chance of going to New Zealand I would do that for skiing 
EDIT: I apologize that was pretty negative, I'm sure if snow conditions are OK and it's not too muggy/rainy it will be fine. The point I was trying to make is that I wouldn't prioritise skiing over the multitude of other things you can do in Oz.
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First things, first... Australia is not the Alps of Europe. You will not get the long descents down Valfagehr to Stuben, nor will you get the heart-rate amping runs down from Valluga Nord to Zurs. We simply do not have the vertical.
What you will get a totally different atmosphere and scenery, both of which are lovely in their own right. People ask me how I can ski in Australia when I spend a month in Europe each year. Simple. I love skiing and mountains. I ask them what they enjoy more, a 5-star restaurant or a cheap n' cheerful pizza joint. "Both", I say. I treat them different experiences, both enjoyable in their own right. And, so it is with skiing in Australia.
Onto more practical things:
- You are more likely to get dry snow in June and July, assuming the snow has come by then. June here is like mid-December in Europe. Could be awesome, but could also be green.
- Generally speaking, dry snow does not last that long. Most days are freeze-thaw, ie a little above zero during the day, and freeze during the night. Obviously, as you get later into August and then September, the ratios change.
- As such, you learn to move according to the time of day and slope direction.
- September here is like late-March / April in Europe. Longer, warmer days, but less chance of a freeze at night, so the snow gets soft. Time to find the bumps!
- We have quite extensive snow-making, which has saved many recent seasons.
- The piste grooming is usually top-notch. It has to be - the snow depths, or lack thereof, mean that the operators have to be highly skilled.
- There is plenty of side-piste action. Skiing through the snow gums (trees) after a fresh fall of snow is magic. It is relatively safe. There are very few (any?) places where, if you fall, you will certainly die, eg nothing like the cliff-band at the top of Valluga Nord.!
- Let's be blunt, it is not cheap. We find St Anton prices very reasonable after paying for Aussie skiing - if that tells you anything.
- I cannot comment much on Perisher and Thredbo. I live in Melbourne, so Falls Creek is my home hill. At Falls, the lift queues are generally not too bad. Most of the time, once you learn the mountain and the movement of people, you are unlikely to wait more than 3 or 4 minutes.
A photo of Falls:
Hope you enjoy it. I do.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks ulmerhutte - a fairly positive report at last!!
Your restaurant vs pizza place restaurant analogy is spot on - our philosophy exactly .
Really looking forward to it - snow permitting. Our ski dates are in the last week of July - so hopefully some snow by then.
And great photo by the way.
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We skied both Perisher and Thredbo last year doing something similar.
The first thing i would say and its been mentioned already is the price, very, very expensive. We stayed in Jindabyne as well and went up the hills each day from there. Remember you have to pay the national park costs for the car.
Perisher has a lot of lifts and covers a really large area. Certainly all ski able in a day if all open. The snow was good, the views were amazing and it was great to ski in a different area. we spent 2 days here and the area we preferred was the Mount Perisher mountain due to it being so quite. Being mostly surface lifts keep most people away. It seemed to be where all the locals were and never once had to que for a lift. Plenty of lines of Eyre T bar and a nice outdoor cafe at the bottom which was very welcoming. We also enjoyed the skiing of Guthega Peak. A new 4 man chair has just been put in and the skiing options around there seemed to offer a bit more of a challenge with very few people about. Perisher is a big ski area and there is plenty to explore for a day. You wont get bored. There are busy areas specially around Express chair and Pleasant Valley chair, but if you get to the edges of the resort you will generally get better snow conditions and quieter lifts
Thredbo has the most vertical of any resort in Australia. I think the super trail drops 750m which should be more than enough to get the legs working. There is not much snow at village height but a crazy amount of snow making means that you ski back into the village. Snow making seems to be king in Australia, even if it doesn't snow there will be something to ski. Kinda weird skiing on a wide strip of snow with green all around you. Thredbo is more challenging than Persiher if the snows any good. The skiing around the Kosciuzsko was pretty good and all long runs. But we preferred skiing around Sponars and Antons due to the fact there was fresh snow and there were plenty of lines to ski here. Seemed like a hidden part of Thredbo. Again there is a huge amount of scope at Thredbo and you shouldn't get bored in a day. If you are lucky enough to get fresh snow then the skiing in and amongst the snow gums is amazing and not like anything we have done before. We also did some touring over the back of Thredbo, and that was easily the best skiing we had for the week we were in Jindabyne. If you're interested in that we can certainly let you know a few good tours out there.
We found skiing in Australia had its own charms that we mostly liked(we skied in Victoria as well). There is good skiing to be had, a vast back country that not many people go into and infrastructure that is mostly modern and well set up. Compared to where we ski in Europe though it felt a bit elitist, but that could just be the view we had due to the costs, and having the smallest car on the mountain. 4wd's everywhere, cant get up a hill with out one by all accounts. Enjoy the experience and hopefully there is plenty of snow for you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Great stuff yuppie - thanks for such a detailed and informative report - very helpful. Glad you had such a great time - it sounds excellent and I'm really heartened by such a positive report.
As we're only skiing for 3 days, we aren't intending to lug our skis and boots round Oz and are planning on hiring downhill kit (I've actually found reasonably priced kit through the Jindabyne hotel we've booked). We are ski tourers as well though so that could be an interesting possibility - but did you take your own kit or is hire of touring boots and skis available?
Have to say, I was blissfully unaware of any national park fee...Ta for the tip off. So does that apply every day we will drive to the skiing from Jindabyne? And dare I ask how much? We've factored an arm and a leg into the holiday budget - with a further positive point being the rise of the £ against the $Aus in recent months - 1.88ish certainly isn't too shabby vs 1.50 in recent years.
And finally, we were also planning on hiring the smallest/cheapest car. Is your remark about not getting up the hill without 4WD tongue in cheek?? I'm reading it that you mean our Micra/Corsa or similar will do fine? Is there any chance we'd need chains/winter tyres?
Thanks again .
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@mountainaddict, you should check ahead if you are intending to hire touring gear. You don't see a lot of it on the mountain, so I assume the hire stores would have limited stock.
The comment about 4WD was tongue-in-cheek, though it would be hard to tell from looking around the carpark (says he who has one!  ). You don't need one. You do however have to carry chains. Mandatory, by law. Plenty of places to hire. Should not have a problem in Jindabyne.
There are entry fees to all Australia ski resorts. From: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kosciuszko-national-park/travel-info
"Start of the June long weekend to the end of the October long weekend: $27 per vehicle per day. Motorcyles: $11 per day. Bus passengers: $11.45 per adult, $3.60 per child. Winter entry surcharge - find out more about the increase in vehicle entry fees for winter visitors."
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Hi Mountain Addict. Sadly you will need to carry chains, it is compulsory and can be hired from where you get your skis. Just adds another cost, and you do have to pay each day for the national parks. I think this price was about $30 which was a fair cost every day. We hired a small car and we managed to fit in our skis but it did require a bit of careful packing. We took our own touring skis and used these for all our skiing. But you can hire some in Jindabyne. We took a guide out for a few days which helped us see what it was like back country. Its pretty huge area and easy to get lost. Indeed the year before a Canadian walker had gone missing in the area, and still not found his body.
We used these guys http://www.k7adventures.com/touring.htm and the price was not to bad. You can get a touring ticket for the thredbo main lift (cost$25)which takes you to the plateau and from there you can go back country. For the 2 of us it worked out that the price of the guide was about the same as 2 lift passes. Now that's some expensive lift passes. If you wanted to tour they might well be able to help you out with gear. We skied with a guy called Jeff, very friendly and laid back. Not a guide like in the alps, but he knew the area and got us some nice skiing. One day it was really sunny, but very icy. Kept apologizing for the conditions. Had to let him know it was not as icy as Scotland and the conditions were great. Don't think he got that we go back country not for the powder but for the experience. Powder is nice though when there.
Worth remembering that if there is fresh snow higher up, Thredbo's village is lower and in theory easier to get to.
Hope that helps. If i could work out how to put photos on here i could give you an idea of the scope of touring and what you could expect.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Cheers for that, up loaded a couple of pictures you can have a look at. Might give you an idea of the touring in the area
In Aus you only pay for the popular National parks, so in Victoria Mt Buffalo was free, and we got some nice touring there, though very limited.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks again yuppie. Re the photos, I should have added:
Once they are on Snowmediazone:
- Click on a photo so that it come up big on your screen.
- Cut the code on the right side (medium image works fine).
- Paste into message on main Snowheads site.
- Voila! Pics appear on main site for all to admire.
I haven't visited Snowmediazone yet to look at your photos.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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General advice from experience.
Do not book a Southern Hemisphere ski trip (oz nz or south america) until the snow comes.
Southern Hemisphere is notoriously unpredictable for snow
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Too late stanton - flights, hotels, tours etc all booked! As mentioned earlier:
- Not just a ski trip; (hopefully) just 3 days skiing as part of a 3 week trip visiting friends in Australia & doing all sorts of tours, trips and activities.
- Hopefully some snow for a bit of sliding about 8 weeks into the ski season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Cheers yuppie and ulmerhutte - looks great! Only 12 weeks and counting until Thredbo/Perisher .
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I stayed in Jindabyne for a week a few seasons ago; had an excellent time at Thredbo, Perisher and Blue Cow. To avoid the national park tolls (unavoidable if going to Thredbo), take the SkiTube from Bullocks Flat to Perisher or Blue Cow. Combined tube/lift passes available and were better value than single day passes. The Station is a very lively place to stay with live bands playing on a regular basis. I went in August and had the full range of weather from pouring rain, blizzards and cold, clear days! Enjoy....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks LOTA. A couple of Q's for you:
- How far is it from Jindabyne to the ski tube station?
- Is a ski tube return for 2 people cheaper than just paying the national park entry fee?
Cheers.
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Jindabyne to the Skitube terminal at Bullocks Flat is 12 miles (closer than any of the ski areas). The Station, I think, is a bit closer.
This from the Perisher website: Frequent train services run to Perisher Valley and on to Blue Cow. A Skitube pass includes the Kosciuszko National Park entry fee and savings can be made by buying a combined Train and Lift Ticket or combined Train and Snow Experience ticket.
Car parking at the railway terminal is free.
All details and prices here: http://www.perisher.com.au/resort-information/getting-to-perisher/skitube.html
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks again LOTA.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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A huge area of Australia is snow covered in winter -there are roads within a 100 km of Melbourne that are closed for the winter so massive (and largely untapped) potential for back country skiing. And even though runs generally have short verticals, they can be steep. This the famous Mt Buller sign a short way from the top station of the Summit chairlift:
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I just checked (that's my post above) and ten years since my last post. Is that a record?
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Poster: A snowHead
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RDK is that the sign near Fannys finish at Mt Buller? I Seem to remember a sign similar to that of the back of Buller.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes - that's the one.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yay, snow is here
After swearing that I wouldn't ski in Australia this year and would save my ski money for overseas trips I've booked to go to Perisher. It's no catered chalet week. I'll be sharing a caravan park cabin in Jindabyne but hey, there will be be snow and skiing to be had so I couldn't refuse.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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FAQ
. We really don't know we're born with our free UK national parks do we?
Knew it was going to be iffy in late June but from what I could see on cams and reports etc it was worse than I expected... so I didn't go.
