The warmest winter on record for Australia and the lowest snowfalls since 2006 have left the NSW Snowy Mountains struggling to live up to their name.
Key points:
- Selwyn Snow Resort has had to close early due to poor weather conditions
- Perisher Ski Resort has had to close parts of its resort due to the lack of snow
- Businesses in the region have felt the flow-on effect of the closures
Snow resorts traditionally stay open until the end of October, weather permitting, but Selwyn Snow Resort announced this week it would close the season early.
Live camera footage shows barren, brown-grassed slopes instead of the usual sprinkling of powder.
Perisher Ski Resort has closed Blue Cow and Guthega slopes due to the higher-than-average temperatures.
Selwyn guest services and groups manager Abi Spackman has spent the past few days refunding families who had booked late-season holidays.
“It’s always going to be disappointing if we can’t open and we lose revenue,” she said.
But Ms Spackman said the team was just happy to be operational again.
Selwyn Snow Resort reopened this year after rebuilding major damage caused by the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires.
“This felt like a learning season for us,” Ms Spackman said.
“We’re hoping that Mother Nature isn’t cruel to us two years and we just want to be back better than ever next year.”
Remaining positive
Cooma, the gateway town to the ski resorts of Selwyn, Thredbo and Perisher, has felt the flow-on effect of the poor season.
Rhythm Snowsport retail manager Meghan Lee said this year had been different to the bumper season in 2022.
“We definitely haven’t noticed the volume of people coming through,” she said.
Ms Lee said her team remained enthusiastic and was looking forward to next season.
“Being down about it all and thinking too negatively isn’t going to help anything or anyone,” she said.
“We can all seem to find positives where we can. It helps team morale, the area, the community, the shops the people.”
Global warming
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said that the reduction in snow in the Snowy Mountains was most likely due to rising temperatures linked to global warming.
“High pressure systems dominated weather over most of the country during large parts of winter, resulting in low precipitation and warmer than average temperatures,” a spokesperson said.
Seasonal rainfall has also contributed to a reduction in the peak snow depth.
The bureau said snowfall had declined significantly from late July.
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