Skiing in New South Wales
[1][2][3][4] New South Wales has well-developed downhill ski resorts at Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Perisher and Selwyn Snowfields.
[note 1] New South Wales is home to Australia's highest snow country, oldest skifields and largest resorts.
Recreational skiing in Australia began around 1861 at Kiandra, New South Wales, when Norwegian gold miners introduced the idea to the frozen hills around the town.
By 1933 team racing was open to virtually all competitors from any club or imported talents but Arthur Balmain of Cooma believed this was unfair to local enthusiasts.
He donated a perpetual trophy open only to competitors residing in or about the Southern Districts and only for members who held membership for twelve weeks in the local ski club.
[14] In the wilderness region south of Kiandra, The Alpine Hut, near Mount Jagungal, was built in 1939 to cater for skiers.
[15] The Kiandra Goldrush was short-lived, but the township remained a service centre for recreational and survival skiing for over a century.
[16] Ski lifts were installed, Snowy Mountains Scheme construction workers frequented the chalet bar and Kiandra's fortunes were briefly revived.
[3] Selwyn is the most northerly of Australia's ski resorts with a base elevation of 1492 m and a top elevation of 1614 m. Selwyn is well suited to families and first timers, with 88% of terrain catering to beginners and intermediates, however the steeper gradient of the Racecourse Run provides some more challenging terrain for advanced skiers and boarders.
[21] The first Kosciuszko Chalet was built at Charlotte Pass in 1930, giving relatively comfortable access to Australia's highest terrain.
[22] In 1964, Australia briefly boasted the "World's Longest Chairlift", designed to carry skiers from the Thredbo Valley to Charlotte Pass, but technical difficulties soon closed the facility.
[23][24] At 1760m, Charlotte Pass has the highest village base elevation of any Australia ski resort and can only be accessed via over-snow transport in winter.
[29] Anton also recognised the potential of the Thredbo Valley for construction of a major resort and village, with good vertical terrain.
[1] The club was formed around 1861 by three Norwegians, Elias Gottaas, Soren Torp and Carl Bjerknes on the Kiandra Gold Fields, NSW.
[36] Torah Bright, of the Snowy Mountains town of Cooma, New South Wales, won gold for Australia at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 in the women's snowboard halfpipe event.
High country huts, often a legacy of the era of cattle grazing in the mountains, provide emergency shelter in these regions.
[44] The Australian High Country is populated by unique flora and fauna including wombats, wallabies, echidnas, and the Snow Gum.
[48] According to the Australian Government's "Bureau of Meteorology", in most years snow is sufficient above about 1500 metres to sustain a "viable ski industry".
[50] In New South Wales, a heavy natural snow season can see a base of up to 3.6 meters in August, at an elevation of 1830m at Spencer's Creek, (near Charlotte Pass) – see below chart.
Heavy snow can fall however, at any time between April and December in the Australian High Country (see chart from Snowy Hydro).
The official opening of the ski season for most resorts coincides with the King's Birthday Long Weekend on the second Monday in June.
