Australian Alps Face Early Spring Melt: Ski Resorts Hoping For Weekend Top Up

Australian ski resorts are facing challenges as unseasonably warm weather melts away precious snow cover. The alpine regions of Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales have experienced two weeks of spring-like conditions, leaving noticeable gaps in the snowpack. However, there's hope on the horizon with potential snowfall expected at higher elevations this weekend.The Impact of Warm Weather:Mt Baw Baw: The lowest ski area on mainland Australia, near Melbourne, showed significant snow loss by Friday, even before afternoon rain arrived.Perisher: New South Wales' popular resort recorded temperatures above 10°C for two days this week. Nighttime temperatures remained well above the long-term August average minimum of -3.5°C.Guthega: This part of Perisher resort, lacking snowmaking facilities, now displays patchy slopes due to the warm spell.Snow Depth: After peaking at 124.6 cm on July 30, the latest reading on August 13 showed 115.4 cm. An additional 10 to 20 cm loss is likely due to continued warm temperatures.

Credit: Snowy Hydro. Weekend Forecast:A weak cold front is expected to bring snow to elevations around 1500-1600 meters on Saturday. Higher resorts like Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass (NSW), and Mt Hotham (Victoria) may receive a much-needed top-up on their upper slopes. Lower elevations are likely to see rain.Looking Ahead:Another marginal system may arrive later next week, with potential for improvement in the forecast.Despite the disappointing August so far, it's important to note that peak snow depths in Australia can occur beyond August. In 2022, the season peak of 232 cm was recorded on September 20.Comparing 2024 to 2022 shows there's still time for improvement, but the clock is ticking for this season to reach similar heights.As Australian ski resorts face these challenging conditions, skiers and riders remain hopeful for a late-season turnaround. Resort operators continue to work hard to maintain skiable conditions, utilising snowmaking where possible and grooming existing snow to extend the season.