Ben Lomond ski season opens as cold keeps snow on the ground
With central Tasmania colder than Antarctica on Friday morning, the snow will stick around the state’s higher areas for the weekend. SEE WHERE YOU CAN VISIT THE SNOW HERE >>
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GOOD snow falls during the week, the recording of Tasmania’s coldest day ever and the opening of the ski season at Ben Lomond will see the weather remain the topic of conversation this weekend.
The decent drop of snow in Tasmania’s north will allow Ben Lomond to kick off its ski season this weekend but more coverage is needed at Mt Mawson before skiers and boarders can descend the slope safely.
Icy roads may make driving conditions dangerous in most districts this morning so please take care. Temperatures at 5am (pictured)were below zero in many locations, especially the Central Plateau and the Upper Derwent Valley.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) August 6, 2020
Latest temperatures:https://t.co/mrbk6owjKE pic.twitter.com/H2zbezz0yo
Alpine Enterprises which operates the lifts at Ben Lomond on Friday said was preparing to open the base lift on Saturday morning but more snow was needed to safely open the lift lines on both Summit and Village.
More snow is forecast to fall across Tasmania’s higher peaks again on Thursday according to the latest Bureau of Meteorology forecast.
BOM Supervising meteorologist Simon Louis said the remnants of the cold air mass that brought snow to Launceston on Wednesday morning was still hanging around.
“We are expecting cold temperatures again overnight into Saturday morning. The snow should stick around in higher parts but the roads will be icy," Mr Louis said.
Those looking to play in the snow this weekend should be able to find the white stuff at Cradle Mountain, on Mt Wellington, in the Central Highlands and in the Mt Field National Park.
The Great Lake Hotel is expecting a busy weekend with the road now open for travellers.
“We have had a steady stream of people since Tuesday when it snowed and are expecting a busy weekend,” a pub spokeswoman said.
At nearby Liawenee a record was broken on Friday morning when the temperate fell to -14.2C the lowest ever recorded in Tasmania June, 1983 when it got down to -13C at Tarraleah.
That meant the temperature in Tasmania’s central highlands was colder than at Casey Station in Antarctica which recorded a balmy -12C on Friday morning.
The kunanyi/Mt Wellington Explorer Bus which stopped running at the end of March expects to be carrying visitors up the mountain again from September 1.
Alpine Enterprises said the snow cover at Ben Lomond was still inconsistent on the slopes with mega snow drifts in some places and other places almost bare.
The Mt Mawson Ski Patrol has decided it cannot start its ski season yet as hoped but it would still be an “awesome weekend” for Tasmanian families to head up to Mt Field National Park for some snow play.
“After the icy blast across Tasmania this week everyone was waiting on tenterhooks for the ice to melt off the snow camera at Mt Mawson Ski Field to give us all a good look at the slope,” the patrol’s social media post said.
“While there is a good cover for snow play a close look at the image above reveals that the top section of the slope is still showing a number of rocks and bushes. As this was the first decent fall for this winter the snow has no base under it, with a risk of skiers hitting rocks submerged in the soft snow.
“The bottom section of the slope has good cover where it has been sheltered by the snow fences, but the top section (which has larger obstacles) still needs a bit more.”
As a result the Mt Mawson Ski Patrol and STSA Tow Manager have made the difficult decision to delay the opening of the ski tows until there is a bit more cover to allow skiers and boarders to descend the slope safely.
“While it is disappointing for keen skiers and boarders that the ski tows will not be operating this weekend, the weather forecast is good, and so it will still be spectacular up on the Mt Mawson Ski Field – a great destination for a family outing to the snow.
“We understand that a grader has been working on the Lake Dobson Road today in order to get the road clear for the weekend.”
Where to see the snow:
- Mt Wellington,
- the Central Highlands including the Great Lake,
- Mt Field National Park, Ben Lomond.
Ski season: Opens on Ben Lomond but needs more snow to see the ski season start on Mt Mawson.
DID YOU KNOW?
- More snow is forecast for Thursday.
- Central Tasmania was colder than Casey Station on Antarctica on Friday morning.
- Roads will be icy.
- The Mt Wellington Explorer bus is not going up the mountain but plans to return to service on September 1.
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