Key facts
- Seven Australian ski resorts are closing early due to record heat and low snowfall.
- The winter season was impacted by a combination of El Niño and global heating.
- Falls Creek and Mt Hotham experienced their wettest winters in over 30 years and warmest on record.
- Alpine winters have warmed by approximately 2C since the 1960s.
- New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria recorded their hottest winters on record.
- Investments in snowmaking have helped maintain demand for snow holidays.
Australian ski resorts are facing an unusually early closure, with many shutting down up to a month before their typical end-of-season date in early October. This decision comes after a winter marked by record-breaking heat and insufficient snowfall, with precipitation often falling as rain, which melts and washes away snow.
Seven resorts have either closed or announced imminent closures of their ski operations. These include the Victorian resorts of Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, and Falls Creek, along with Charlotte Pass in New South Wales. Mount Baw Baw, Selwyn, and Tasmania's Ben Lomond have already ceased operations for the season.
Climate scientist Dr. Andrew Watkins attributed the challenging conditions to the combined effects of El Niño and climate change, emphasizing that high temperatures were the primary issue. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology indicates that Falls Creek and Mount Hotham experienced their wettest winters in over three decades, while also recording their warmest winters on record for average temperatures.
Since the 1960s, alpine winters in areas like Cabramurra have warmed by approximately 2C, a change that scientists believe is significant enough to cause precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow. The current El Niño event is predicted to be one of the strongest on record, and scientists suggest that climate change has increased the likelihood of such strong events by sixfold.
New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria all recorded their hottest winters on record this year, with some resorts experiencing temperatures up to 12C above average during a hot spell in July. Despite the natural snowfall challenges, Josh Elliott, CEO of Snow Resorts Australia, highlighted the importance of investments in snowmaking technology, which has helped maintain strong demand for snow holidays.