Coronavirus: Thredbo, Hotham, other resorts restrict access but save the season
The snow season is here, but it’s not business as usual in the Australian Alps this year.
When we’re standing at the top of our favourite ski run this season, ready to carve fresh tracks through the snow gums, we won’t take any of it for granted. The prospect of a ski season seemed bleak during the lockdown days of autumn, yet here we are, set to hit the slopes a mere two weeks behind schedule. With the industry worth $2.4bn to the economy, not going ahead would have been unthinkable for businesses brought to their knees by bushfires and the coronavirus.
Lifts will start turning at Perisher, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham on June 24, while it’s June 22 for Thredbo and Mount Buller, and June 26 for Charlotte Pass. But this will not be a normal ski season, as resorts adapt to ever-evolving COVID-19 restrictions. The dynamic situation makes it wise to check resort websites for the latest information.
READ MORE: Snow junkies give rentals a lift / NZ hoping for late skiers from Oz
Capacity on the mountains will be reduced by about half, and all lift tickets and resort entry passes must be pre-purchased. Loyalty will be rewarded. Season-pass holders will enjoy unrestricted access as per normal. Multi-day lift tickets will get the next allocation, followed by single-day lift tickets. The 2020 Epic Australia Pass (for Perisher, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham) remains on sale at $889 (adults) until June 28, but pass holders are eligible for a refund if they wish. The Ikon Pass (Thredbo and Mt Buller) is still valid, and a promotion gives $US200 ($290) savings on 2020-21 passes until Tuesday.
There’s no airbrushing the challenges. Finding staff has been difficult for resorts, with the seasonal foreign workers the industry relies on locked out by border closures. Hotels and self-contained accommodation will operate as usual but there will be restrictions on lodges with shared facilities. Expect higher prices, reduced terrain access, fewer facilities, no group lessons, no clothing rental and limited tobogganing and snow play. There will be fewer people on the slopes but also on chairlifts due to physical distancing regulations, so it could be situation normal with queues. As for bars, restaurants and cafes, the rules that apply in the city will be enforced, so don’t bank on wild apres parties.
While the bad news may be manifold, the good news is singular and salient. We can go skiing this season. Out of adversity often comes great reward. Reduced to the bare essentials: snow, friends and family, 2020 could prove to be the most memorable and rewarding season we’ll ever have.
NSW
THREDBO Lift tickets are on sale from Monday; prices are $159 for ages 22-64, with under-13s and over-65s paying $85, dropping to $25 for the over-75s. Those who held season passes, which have been cancelled and refunded, have access to a separate allocation of lift tickets at discounts of 40 per cent to 75 per cent; savings ramp up towards the end of the season and the more you ski. The new Merritts Gondola will be spinning, and riders will be able to stretch out because only two people will be permitted in each car, rather than the eight it was built for.
PERISHER Lift tickets are available from Monday. COVID-19 restrictions will mean a limit of two people per quad chairlift and gondola, and one per T-bar. Resort entry to Kosciuszko National Park will need to be pre-purchased and accommodation around the Snowy Mountains is likely to be difficult to secure, so book well in advance.
CHARLOTTE PASS With Mount Selwyn closed for the season after bushfire damage, Charlotte Pass is the hot tip for families and those after a more relaxed experience. The resort will open June 26. Snowy Mountains residents can buy a limited number of Flexi Five passes, which give access to the slopes for five days, redeemable any time, for $399.
VICTORIA
MOUNT HOTHAM A prepaid permit is essential to enter the resort, and season permits will be honoured (although holders need to pre-register their intention to visit until at least June 22). Lift tickets, rentals and lessons can be purchased from Monday. Visitors who are booked into accommodation on the mountain will be able to purchase multi-day resort entry permits with no restrictions.
MOUNT BULLER Lift tickets go on sale next week. Ikon Pass holders for 2020 must pre-register their intention to ski at least two days prior to their preferred date. Season passes will be honoured, as will season parking permit holders. There will be no indoor facilities such as the Buller Air Zone or the creche. The Village Square has been transformed thanks to a $40m redevelopment that includes boutique modern apartments, a new retail precinct, and a revamped verson of the iconic Kooroora Hotel. There’s also a new trail, the Boggy Creek Traverse, which gives access through the snow gums to the Bonza chairlift from the bottom of Grimus chairlift.
FALLS CREEK Resort-entry season pass holders will need to register trips in advance for contact-tracing purposes. Resort-entry day passes will be limited to 250 cars a day and must be purchased in advance online. This number may be raised after June 22. If guests have accommodation booked within the resort they should have guaranteed access to multi-day resort-entry passes. Check website for up-to-date details.
MOUNT BAW BAW Lift tickets are on sale for the first 10 days of the season from June 22, for $35, and limited to 200 tickets a day. Prices will fluctuate throughout the season depending on the number of lifts running, and more tickets may become available. Restrictions on shared, lodge-based accommodation will make it difficult to secure a bed on the mountain unless you’re a club member. Tobogganing is a staple of the resort’s family appeal and will be permitted only in the dedicated toboggan park for pre-purchased sessions. Cross-country trails will be open subject to sufficient snow cover.