Ski season starts in Thredbo, Perisher, Falls Creek, Hotham, Buller
It’s been a bumper start for Australia’s resorts, but you don’t have to be a hardcore skier or rider to enjoy the alps.
We’re going to “the snow”. You don’t have to know your chowder from your corduroy to recognise the promise of adventure conjured in that phrase. Snow is white, fluffy stuff that falls from the sky. But “the snow” evokes something else; an enchanted wonderland of chalets glowing with roaring fires, icicles that hang from marbled snow gums, mountains with their heads in the clouds and views that stretch for ever. It’s a thrilling experience that transcends the sport of skiing.
When I look back on trips to the snow, it’s often not the skiing that stands out, no matter how exhilarating at the time. More vivid in my memory is the steam rising from the hot water as I soaked in an open-air onsen in Japan. Or the fireside fondue dinner in a timber chalet in Austria; playing a game of curling on a skating rink lit by fairy lights in Switzerland; being wrapped in a sheepskin blanket and towed on a sleigh by Belgian draft horses in Colorado; or guiding a snowmobile along a dark forest trail to dinner in a log cabin in Whistler, headlights punching yellow portals in the mist.
More than ever, Australian ski resorts are creating unique, on-mountain experiences that don’t include hurtling down a hill. And they must, given the climatic trends. Not that anyone’s complaining right now. This will be one of the best starts to the season on record, with most resorts getting lifts turning a week ahead of schedule thanks to mega early-season snow dumps. The official season opening is this weekend and, given the disruption of the past two years when resorts were forced to close due to rolling lockdowns, there’s a “nothing can stop us now” sense of optimism in the mountains. With bookings at an all-time high, resorts are putting on special events and offering incentives to attract mid-week guests.
Villages are flush with fine dining, boutique hotels, indulgent day spas and pop-up apres ski bars. Take a scenic flight, try a walk with alpine dingoes or drink schnapps around a fire in a luxury tipi. And for the diehards, there’s been plenty happening on the piste, from new chairlifts and cross-country facilities to sunrise sessions and night skiing, plus enhanced snow-making equipment that should have you carving turns until October.
NSW
Thredbo
The Thredbo resort makes full use of its on-mountain restaurants and all-weather gondola to curate memorable dining experiences. On Saturday nights Kareela Supper Club whisks you up the mountain on Merritts Gondola, before you board a snowcat for a sunset traverse to Kareela Hutte to watch the Thredbo flare run and fireworks show, with canapes and bubbly (a four-course dinner version is offered on Wednesday nights).
Merritts Mountain Haus Feast brings a touch of the European Alps with a Bavarian-inspired dinner on Fridays, while apres ski devotees are encouraged to don vintage ski outfits and retro sweaters for a series of First Base parties in the village.
Sunrise sessions run on Tuesdays, with breakfast (including complimentary mimosa) at Eagle’s Nest restaurant followed by first tracks on the 3.2km Supertrail, Australia’s longest ski run. Beginners are the beneficiaries of 10 new snowmaking guns, bolstering snow coverage on Friday Flat, and the new Easy Rider T-Bar in the Cruiser area increases rider capacity by 35 per cent.
Lift tickets $179-$189 a day.
Perisher
Australia’s largest ski resort officially kicks off its 70th season with the traditional Peak Festival, back after a Covid-inflicted hiatus and featuring free live music at hotels and lodges until Monday, plus fireworks on Front Valley at 7pm this Saturday. For a bird’s eye view of Perisher, Thredbo and the highest peaks of the Snowy Mountains, take a scenic flight with Alpine Helicopters, departing Jindabyne. Flights over the Victorian Alps are also available, including options to resort hop between Falls Creek and Mt Hotham.
Lift tickets $147-$155 a day.
Charlotte Pass
Big refurbishment plans are under way at Australia’s only snowbound ski resort, Charlotte Pass, including a revamp of the Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel and an update of the over-snow transport fleet. This could be your last chance to ride the Guthries Poma, set to be replaced with a new double chairlift (pending DA approval).
Lift tickets $99-$139 a day. Over-snow transport from Perisher car park is $60 each way (for overnighters). A day-tripper ticket includes over-snow transport, lift pass and a hot lunch; $129-$139.
Selwyn
Destroyed in the 2020 bushfires, family-friendly Selwyn will reopen on July 2 and unveil its shiny new Selwyn Centre, which houses equipment rental, guest services and food and drink outlets. There’s been a full upgrade of the New Chum Double Chair, an expansion of the Township Triple Chair and three new snow carpets, including a 150m version servicing Australia’s largest toboggan park. Plans are afoot for a tubing carousel, skating rink with bumper cars, kids’ snow-mobiles and a miniature enchanted village.
Lift tickets $79-$109 a day.
Victoria
Falls Creek
Falls Creek’s cosy (and car-less) village promises pampering and gastronomy galore when you’re done exploring the 450ha of terrain at Victoria’s largest resort. Astra Lodge (gonged Australia’s best ski boutique hotel six years running) has modern alpine-inspired tasting menus by head chef Kauri Watkin (from Astra’s sister restaurant Elm Dining in Bright), an award-winning day spa and in-house hair and makeup artist.
Bob Sugar opened last year to big plaudits, serving Asian fusion around a 360-degree fireplace inside Elk at Falls. Look out for new cocktail bar Apartment 3, tucked behind an emerald curtain in the same building. KasaBar is a new ramen and whisky bar with izakaya-style Japanese dishes. Huski Kitchen is back with its southeast Asian street-eats vibe, and the famous Frying Pan Inn assumes its regular position in the Village Bowl, serving craft beer and wood-fired barbecue dishes.
Wombats Ramble, Australia’s longest green run, will be lit up for night skiing on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and there’s fireworks every Thursday night. For an adrenaline rush, get behind the controls of a snowmobile for a guided tour of the backcountry with Falls Creek Snowmobile Tours.
Lift tickets $148-$185 a day.
Mt Hotham
Renowned for its plunging downhill runs, Mt Hotham has enriched its cross-country appeal with the opening of the Whisky Flat recreational facility, a launching pad for 35km of undulating cross-country trails through snow gum woodlands. Traverse Hotham leads an 11km snowshoe hike to Dinner Plain with gourmet lunch included.
Alpine Nature Experience has paused its “snowshoe to fondue” tipi dinners and snowdome accommodation while French owner Jean-Francois Rupp has a season back home, but is taking bookings for next winter. Rupp’s fire-heated tipi has been commandeered by Snow Stuff Park for gourmet barbecue dinners and entertainment nights.
The General is the heart and soul of Hotham, with casual vibes and live music, while Jack Frost, Miss Mary, Hotham Hotel (formally Swindlers), Chill Bar and Zirky’s offer more elevated dining. Guided backcountry tours are the hot ticket for confident skiers, venturing off-piste to secluded valleys and secret powder stashes. Bright-based Mountain Wellness is opening a pop-up day spa inside Alpine Heights apartments. A three-hour “Umina” treatment includes exfoliation, mud mask, massage and an alpine botanical facial.
Lift tickets $148-$185 a day.
Mt Buller
Gaze out on sweeping ski runs from the 20m heated indoor lap pool at Mt Buller’s Breathtaker Hotel and Spa, and pity the fools braving the cold outside. A Date Night couple’s package includes a massage and “aroma journey” followed by a glass of wine and dinner in Breathtaker’s Signature restaurant.
The Villager restaurant brings a refined slice of the Alps to Australia. Think fondue, boeuf bourguignon, tartiflette and other ooh-la-la French delights. Monday afternoons sees a Taittinger champagne ice bar pop up on Bourke Street, with bubbles and freshly shucked oysters.
Spurs restaurant fires up a 4.5-tonne smoker on its sunny terrace, dishing out slow-cooked, fall-apart brisket and other smoky barbecue delights, while live music is back at Moosehead Whisky & Blues Bar, the place to settle in for a late one by the fire. Take home a framed memento of your trip courtesy of resident photographer Tony Harrington, or peruse historical photos and alpine artefacts at the National Alpine Museum.
Two new snow-making “factories” that produce the white stuff 24/7 guarantee skiing until October, and twilight sessions will run until late under lights every Wednesday and Saturday.
Lifts tickets $107-$184 a day.
Mt Baw Baw
Melbourne’s closest resort has always been a favourite for families. Children’s multi-day ski and snowboard lessons run every Friday to Sunday and during school holidays, leaving parents free to gaze over Gippsland from the Village Central Restaurant, ski the short but fun downhill runs or cruise 10km of gorgeous cross-country trails.
Book a guided snowshoe tour with the resident alpine dingoes, part of the resort’s Walk Away Extinction campaign (dingo cuddles included). Santa will be in attendance for Christmas in July celebrations (July 16), plus lodge carolling and a Christmas-themed photo booth. Beer lovers can catch Baw Baw Brew Fest on August 13, with live music, European fare and Gippsland craft beer. Huskies do their thing in the Dog Sled Dash on September 3 – always great fun.
Lift tickets $55-$85 a day. Book midweek for discounts on dingo walks and tobogganing.
In the know
Perisher, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham are covered by the Epic Australia Pass, which includes access to Vail Resorts’ Northern Hemisphere ski fields for the 2022/23 snow season: $1149.
Mountain Collective’s Ikon Pass covers seven days at both Thredbo and Mt Buller and unlimited skiing at 14 North American resorts for the 2022/23 season, and is also valid for seven days’ skiing at New Zealand’s Mt Hutt, The Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski resorts. Unused days will carry over to next season: $US1079 ($1505).