 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone ever done it?
My wife and I dropped my mother-in-law and famille at Heathrow last night - they are moving back to Australia to live permanently..
(is that every mans dream? M-i-L 5,000 miles away?)
Anyway..
Following on from the "when are you coming to see us" conversations I mentioned we could probably not all afford it, blah blah blah, mentioning casually that were going skiing again in March and possibly April and she piped up..
"If you come in June or July, you can ski just up the road"
Eyes lighting up and quick calculation of the available ££.
Skiing in December, February, March, April and July? Is this the perfect year?
No way I can afford that (not now theres five of us) but I have to say I am intrigued enough to ask..
Has anyone skiied Australia? Whats it like?
A quick look through the first site I came accross and I have to say, it looks cheap relatively:
http://www.ski.com.au/resorts/bawbaw/
When is the season in Oz?
Should I ditch a ski trip, the EOSB and my camping hols and whatnot and go skiing in the summer?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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professorpool, I spent a considerable part of my youth in Sydney. There's lots that unique or world-beating or at any rate world-class in Australia; skiing isn't one of those things. If your time in Australia is constrained, I wouldn't bother.
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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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So for skiing in Australia read skiing in Scotland as opposed to PDS?
Is it the same ski area serving Sydney as serves Melbourne? Thinking of going for a month so would do a weekend anyway - just so I could say I did.. 
So if I want to ski, I should go to Oz next year?
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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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professorpool, definitely more like Scotland than the Alps. All the ski areas are between Melbourne and Sydney. I'm reasonably certain that you can access skiing quicker from Melbourne than from Sydney.
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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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professorpool, My girlfriend is from Melbourne and I've been to Mount Buller in the Victorian Alps, it's three hours NE of Melbourne. When I went it was late October so no snow but drove around the resort, although a white out so couldn't see much! My girlfriend has skied there but I know last season was bad as little precipitation. If I was there in Oz over Winter would defo go for a few days if there was snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Right then, I've made my mind up,.
I don't know what to do.. 
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professorpool, go to the Sno Info forums (www.ski.com.au) and ask there - they'll give you lots of advice (some might even be helpful)
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lol. I was joking..
Cool will do though
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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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professorpool I think skiing in oz is pretty unpredictable.I skied there in july '05 & had a great 5 days in Mt Hotham, which is 3-4 hrs drive from Melbourne in the Victorian Alps. Took a 10 min helicopter ride from there to Falls Creek for a day which was also fun. Stayed with friends in a rented chalet ( actually a rather stylish & modern looking timber house) in a place called Dinner Plains about 10 min drive from the Hotham ski area - pretty spot & would be lovely in the summer also.
Whilst I had great conditions, according to friends which ski there regularly, conditions can change really quickly, with wind & cloud being frequent problems ( apparently this last season was generally poor for snow). There are a number of other resorts, particularly in the Snowies ( Perisher, Thredbo etc) but know nothing about them. Many Aussies head out to N.Z for their skiing as it's more snowsure & not necessarily more expensive than oz, Japan is also increasingly popular. Certainly think you should give it a go if you've the chance - skiing through gum trees is certainly different !
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There are half-a-dozen major stations to choose from in Australia.
Perisher Blue is the biggest. It has roughly 50 lifts and 400m of vertical. As a benchmark, Chamonix in France has circa 50 lifts and 2800m of vertical.
The skiing is good for beginners and intermediates. Rubbish for experts.
Nightlife is unremarkable.
The season is Jun to Oct at best.
Snow has been scarce and unreliable in recent seasons. Droughts are not uncommon.
In short, it ain't worth traveling halfway round the world just to go sliding in Oz.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Been to Threadbo, Perisher & Mount Buller
THreadbo would of been the best if snow condtions were better.
IMHO. If you going all that way you may as well go to NZ its far better.
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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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I wouldnt be going for the skiing as such, merely nicking a few days while we are there..
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I would go in (our) winter, say Christman. It's summer down there. The beach is out of this world!
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You know it makes sense.
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I have plenty of Oz friends and relatives, and the ones that ski go to NZ to do it. I also have an Oz ex-pat client, who is a mad keen surfer and skier. He misses the warm water but is prepared to live here and surf in a 5mm wetsuit becoz Oz skiing is crap (his words).
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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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As an Australian who grew up 1.5 hours from the (sometimes) snowy slopes of Mt Baw Baw and 2.5 hours from Mt Hotham, I am a little biased. In recent years the conditions haven't been the best in the Snowy Mountains, however I have experienced some pretty big seasons and due to the sheer vastness of the area covered by the Great Dividing Range more snow is often recorded in the Australian Alps than the European Alps. Limited access to the area is the problem - hence the difficulty containing the massive bushfires which were recently raging in the area. If you happen to be in Melbourne in the middle of winter and you have a spare day Mt Buller is 2 - 3 hours drive away. Buller is good for beginners and intermediates and there are one or two advanced runs which would easily keep you interested for a day. If you are a little more advanced and have a couple of days then going the extra 100 or so kilometres, Mt Hotham is a better bet. Hotham is rather exposed to the elements however and when the weather closes in skiing can become interesting. Only the lower intermediate blues runs are groomed, so, when it dumps, most of the advanced runs will be covered in on-piste powder. Even if there is no snow and you are not skiing or boarding a trip up to the mountains is well worth it. The flora and fauna is amazing, the views stunning and because all of the ski fields are in national parks development is contained and the areas are pretty much unspoilt. The small country towns nearby to the resorts are quaint (Mansfield, Jindabyne, and Omeo) and going to the pub at the end of a day skiing is a good laugh. On the down side, Oz is very expensive to ski (35 - 40 pounds for a lift pass per day), there is limited on mountain accommodation, and from Oz you can get ridiculously cheap ski packages to NZ and Japan which offer far better skiing.
Enjoy
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Poster: A snowHead
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G'Day Professorpool!
Chivdog is pretty much on the mark. I am an Aussie myself and have been skiing the New South Wales ski fields for the past 6 years. True enough, the snow conditions haven't been the greatest in the last few years and I hear great things about Mt Hotham. Generally I find myself in Thredbo which is a darn site quieter than Perisher and by my opinion has much more challenging terrain and nicer slopes. Don't kid yourself though, over here in Australia we have spring snow only. So it can be rather wet and icy. The official ski season tends to kick off from the 23rd of June thru till the end of September (the latter depends on the individual resorts and how much snow they have left). From my experience the best time to be in Australian ski fields is from the end of July. By that time school holidays are over and the most amount of snow is being dumped. So if you can try and get in in the last week of July at least and go from then.
Hope it helps and you have a great holiday!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you want to ski in Australia then you should aim for August or if not then September...In september/october due to the warmer weather settling in there are lots of good freeze thaw cycles so you can get great spring snow - brilliant corn - off piste... and there is plenty of off-piste as long as you can walk/climb for it...
August is most reliable for snow in the resort...
It is NOT cheap ... a lift ticket is $100 australian per day just on...
To go to Falls Creek or Mt Hotham you will pay an entry fee on top of your lift ticket - and be charged per night that your car is there...
To go to Thredbo/Perisher you will pay a national park entry fee....
If you have intentions of skiing off-piste then you probably want buddies and info - in which case www.ski.com.au backcountry forums will be your friend... remember that there is LOTS of land out there and not easy to access - good for skiing but you need to be self sufficient.... (Yes i know folks that have made crutches from dead trees - and snow cave building skills are handy)
If you want to hang around the resorts they are small and flattish... but then again you CAN ski and surf in the same day
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