Can Victoria expect a ski season filled with flakes?

HAVE a peek into the predictions for the 2011 Victorian ski season here - and thankfully for ski buffs, it's looking better than last year.

escape hotham

WHEN this year's first snowflakes peppered Victoria's alpine areas last month, the nation's skiers rejoiced.

Not for years had there been so much to smile about heading into winter.

Whether the chilly and damp autumn will morph into a bumper ski season is anyone's guess, but healthy early bookings at alpine resorts have given operators a jab of optimism.Also fuelling hopes of a dream winter is the all-important history factor, which dictates that once every decade or so, the Victorian Alps are in for a belter. It happened in 1960, 1970, 1981, 1990 and 2000, the whitest year in the recorded history of the Victorian Alps, with a peak natural snow depth of 262cm.

While last year wasn't bad, it hardly qualified as a bumper year, meaning 2011 will either produce something spectacular or become the exception to a long-standing rule. White stuff aside, the resorts have had a busy summer coming up with new ways to keep Victorian skiers from cashing in on the strong Aussie dollar and heading overseas.

Mt Hotham
Ski bunnies will find plenty to sink their teeth into at Australia's powder capital. Hotham has always enjoyed a reputation for its advanced terrain and steep valley runs. This year it will build on its apres-ski offering with a series of wine and food events at nearby Dinner Plain.

Some of Melbourne's most popular chefs, including MoVida's Frank Camorra and the hosts of television's Conviction Kitchen, Ian Curley and Lisa Parker, will kick off the season by preparing hearty alpine feasts at the village's eateries.As well as a recent $1.7 million boost to snowmaking capacity, Hotham management has invested in new hi-tech gadgetry to ensure hassle-free mountain entry.

A numberplate recognition system means visitors can pay their entry fees by phone or internet, bypassing toll-booth queues.

Once on the slopes, a new iPhone app will give visitors up-to-date snow reports, trail maps, live snowcams, and a business directory. Qantas has beefed up its timetable of Hotham flights.

Hotham boasts four terrain parks, 20 bars, restaurants and cafes and 13 lifts servicing 320ha of skiable terrain, 80 per cent of which is for intermediate to advanced skiers.Other highlights include snow-grooming tours, dog sled tours, kids' snowmobiling tours and world-class Skier X events.

At $106, daily adult lift passes are comparable with other resorts but the mountain's $49 Snow Rewards loyalty card slashes $12 off the price. An early season package includes three nights in a two-bedroom apartment, three-day lift pass, equipment hire and lessons for $640 for adults and $549 for children.

Falls Creek
Staff at Falls Creek have been flat out over summer working to enhance the village's reputation as Australia's only true ski-in, ski-out resort. Aerial walkways have been installed in time for winter to let pedestrians move throughout the village without ruining the precious snow and allowing skiers to move freely below them.

It's all part of the new-look Falls, complete with a revamped Slalom Plaza with water features and improved access to the Falls Express lift.In recent years, Falls has gone out of its way to prove that you don't need to retire indoors the second the sun goes down.

This year's after-dark activities have been extended to include the first annual Falls Creek Sled Dog Classic in the heart of the village.

In the last weekend of July, Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes and Alaskan huskies and their mushers will battle it out under lights in a spectacle never seen in Australia.

A night show will light up the Village Bowl every Thursday night in July and August, with fireworks, precision skiing and snowmobile stunts and appearances by Pete the Snowdragon.

Other additions this year include free access to the resort's 65km of cross-country trails and a fleet of new luxury snowmobiles allowing guests to ride their own snowmobile or ride pillion into the back country.

As well as several terrain parks, Falls has 92 marked runs, with 83 per cent designated for intermediate or advanced skiers.

Daily lift passes cost $53 for children and $106 for adults. Packages include three nights' lodge accommodation, a three-day lift pass and lessons and equipment rental for $519 for adults and $335 for children.

Mt Buller
If 2011 has been pegged as the year to iron out the glitches in your technique, the three-hour drive to Melbourne's closest downhill resort will be worth the effort.

Mt Buller Ski and Snowboard School will this winter offer free pointers to anyone with a valid lift pass.

Look out for the flags on selected intermediate and advanced runs and approach the instructor, who will then study your technique over a short course before offering advice.

For the second year running, Mt Buller has spent a fortune upgrading its Snowflake Factory to make early bookings a safer bet.

The $1 million investment means Mt Buller's nocturnal team of snowmakers will be able to pump staggering amounts of fresh snow through the 185 snowguns scattered throughout the resort.

The added capacity will bring particular joy to regulars of Family Run, The Chute near Kofflers and Wombat Run which will have coverage all the way to The Extension.

Buller is the second Victorian resort to go hi-tech in a bid to get visitors up the mountain more quickly and easily.

A new radio-frequency identification system allows people to collect a vehicle tag similar to an E-tag in Mansfield and pre-pay for resort entry and parking through the Mt Buller website whenever they visit the mountain.Terrain park regulars will enjoy some new toys, including a terrain garden that replaces the half-pipe.

Mt Buller's 22 lifts service 300ha of terrain for skiers and boarders of all abilities. A one-day lift pass costs $104 for adults or $57 for children.

Packages include three nights' accommodation, three-day lift pass and equipment hire for $529 for adults and $355 for children.

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