Thredbo shut down ski field for season following challenging weather and snow conditions

One of Australia’s most popular ski fields has announced a major decision following a string of weather events on the east coast this year.

One of Australia’s most popular ski fields has made the difficult decision to switch off the lifts and shut down the runs, after “challenging weather and snow conditions” plagued the tail end of the season.

Much of Australia’s southeast has been gripped by unseasonal heat, gale force winds and wild weather, resulting in a second year of unfavourable conditions.

The east coast’s recent weather patterns have been so unpredictable for this time of year, Victoria’s Mt Buller resort was forced to cease operations on the first day of spring.

The grim sight at Thredbo that forced the closure of the field early.

Now, Thredbo has announced it will follow suit, citing unfavourable conditions to continue the season any further.

In a statement, Thredbo General Manager Stuart Diver said despite the early closure, the winter season was still a success.

“While we may be finishing earlier than expected, we also had some of the resort’s best-ever months this season with many big wins to celebrate,” he said.

The grim sight at Thredbo that forced the closure of the field early.

Thredbo had to make the 'challenging' decision to shut down the field early.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson at Mt Buller said the decision to close the Victorian field followed not one but two challenging snow seasons in a row. Despite the warm and windy conditions, he was “proud everyone kept striving” throughout the winter period.

“I would like to thank everyone in our team who has tried valiantly to keep us sliding for as long as possible,” he said.

The closure of the Buller’s field this year happened even sooner than last year, which saw the field shut up shop on September 17 while nearby Baw Baw closed earlier than expected on September 3.

Speaking on ABC Radio at the time, Mount Buller spokeswoman Rhylla Morgan explained it was the winds that were the real problem.

“It has a lot more of an impact than temperature or rain, so those really strong winds have just made the snow literally disappear in front of our eyes,” she said.

“It’s a very difficult thing for us to protect ourselves against and right across Australia when you look at all the alpine areas, unfortunately we’re all in a similar situation. It’s really been a bit of a rollercoaster ride this year.”

Along with Mt Buller and now Thredbo ending, Selwyn Ski Resort in NSW’s Snow Mountains closed up the field before September even arrived.

The season, while some weeks provided significant downfalls, started with relatively dire conditions.

With the ski season officially starting on June 8 this year, running alongside the King’s Birthday long weekend, only light snowfalls were measured which quickly melted away after settling on the ground.

However Mr Diver said the season overall had seen many “big wins”, with the newly opened Alpine Coaster proving to be a big win over the winter period.