New South Wales, Australia
Charlotte Pass
Australia's oldest and highest ski resort at 1,765m — snowbound in winter, car-free, and 8km from Perisher in Kosciuszko National Park.
Season 2026
Opens
21 June 2026
Closes
13 Sept 2026
Days open
84
Annual snow
3m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Charlotte Pass holds two distinctions no other Australian ski resort can claim: it is both the oldest and the highest, with a village base elevation of 1,765m and a history stretching back to the original Kosciuszko Chalet, built in 1930. The resort is the only ski area in Australia to be completely snowbound in winter — there is no road access between June and October, and all visitors arrive by oversnow transport from Perisher. That enforced remoteness defines the experience: no cars, no crowds, no lift queues, and direct access to the Main Range of Kosciuszko National Park within walking distance of Australia's highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko at 2,228m.
The ski area covers 124 acres across 24 runs between 1,765m and 1,964m, with a terrain mix that weights toward advanced and beginner skiers — 38% advanced and 33% beginner — served by five lifts. The compact bowl layout means the entire village is ski-in ski-out, and the low skier numbers relative to the terrain give Charlotte Pass a character genuinely unlike any other Australian resort. It is also the coldest location in Australia, recording a low of −23°C, with winter temperatures regularly dropping below −10°C.
199m
Vertical
24
Runs
124 acres
Skiable
3m
Annual snow
The Terrain
24 runs across 124 acres skiable
Charlotte Pass spreads 24 runs across 124 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 38%, with 8 beginner runs to find your feet and 9 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
24
runs
24 runs across 4 grades
Beginner8 runs · 33%
Intermediate7 runs · 29%
Advanced9 runs · 38%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Charlotte Pass
The 2026 season at Charlotte Pass runs from 21 June to 13 September, a tighter window than Perisher or Thredbo reflecting the resort's compact size rather than any limitation in snow. At 1,765m base elevation, Charlotte Pass receives more consistent natural snowfall than any other resort in Australia — the higher altitude converts precipitation that falls as rain at lower resorts into snow, and the average annual accumulation of 2.5 metres holds well into September. The resort sits above the rain shadow that affects parts of the Snowy Mountains, and the Main Range elevation means late-season coverage is typically reliable.
The DayTripper package — which bundles oversnow transport, a lift pass and lunch — is the standard entry point for first-time visitors coming across from Perisher for the day. Overnight guests staying at the Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel or the resort's independent lodges access the slopes directly from their accommodation, with the village's ski-in ski-out layout meaning the mountain is literally outside the front door.
Season 2026
21 June 2026
Opens
13 Sept 2026
Closes
84
Days open
3 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Charlotte Pass, and where to stay
Charlotte Pass sits at the end of Kosciuszko Road in the heart of Kosciuszko National Park, 8km south-west of Perisher Valley and approximately 45 minutes from Jindabyne by road and oversnow transport combined. In winter, the road beyond Perisher closes and access is exclusively via the Charlotte Pass oversnow transport fleet, which departs from the main Perisher centre. Visitors reaching Perisher by car or Skitube from Bullocks Flat can connect directly to the Charlotte Pass shuttle.
In summer, the resort is accessible by a sealed road — a 35-minute drive from Jindabyne — and serves as the trailhead for the 18.6km return walk to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko. Canberra is approximately 3.5 hours by road, Sydney around six hours. The resort's position on the Main Range places it closer to Australia's highest alpine terrain than any other lift-served ski area in the country.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Charlotte Pass, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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26 Aug 2026
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25 Aug 2026
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23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
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22 Aug 2026
Charlotte Pass Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 30 Aug 2026
1964m
summit
+0cm
new snow · last 24 hours
Clear1°C / 12°C · W 9km/h
Snowfall
24 hours
0cm
48 hours
0cm
7 days
0cm
Base depth
0cm
Season total
267cm
Total lifts5
Live open status isn’t available right now.
21 June 2026 - 13 Sept 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 42 hours· Updated Aug 31, 2026 at 5:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
1,964 mUpdated Aug 31, 2026 at 5:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
2.5cm
Days 8–14
1.7cm
Mon, Aug 31
Clear
Temp12° / 1°°C
Snow0.0cm
Wind9 km/h W
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Charlotte Pass snow report
Track current conditions at Charlotte Pass in New South Wales. This report covers snowfall totals, base and summit depth, and the forecast across 24 runs.
Snow measurements
Snow depth at Charlotte Pass is tracked at both the base and summit, since the two elevations often see different totals — roughly a 199m difference here. We report fresh snowfall over the last 24 hours and 7 days alongside the running season total, in both metric and imperial units.
Weather conditions
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Charlotte Pass's base and summit.
Data sources
Snowfall and depth figures for Charlotte Pass come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 5 lifts in total.
When to check
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Charlotte Pass.