'Lack of snow' delays regular start to Thredbo's ski season with no skiing or snowboarding happening

The winter season at the resort will start on the scheduled Saturday, but a "lack of snow" has meant there will be no skiing or snowboarding allowed.

A spokesperson for the resort said the near future is looking slightly more promising.

"Due to the lack of snow, Thredbo Resort will not be opening the mountain for skiing and snowboarding this weekend. However, there is promising snowfall and snow-making conditions in the seven-day forecast," a statement from the resort said.

Thredbo Resort's website and social channels will provide regular updates on the conditions, it said.

Senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology Angus Hines said it was not uncommon for little snow to fall in alpine areas in early June, and the earlier-than-expected snowfall in May doesn't mean much for a successful snow season.

"There were several cold outbreaks in May 2023, which bought dustings of snow and below average temperatures to Thredbo and other alpine areas," he said.

"Much of the snow has since melted with the warm and rainy conditions that have occurred since, including this week.

"Many alpine regions saw significant snowfall in late May last year too, but this is an outlier when compared to the rest of the decade."

He said the Bureau of Meteorology was sitting on a El Nino alert, with a 70 per cent chance of the conditions developing this year.

The drier and warmer winter which will occur because of the different climatic conditions will not be as conducive to good ski conditions.

"Over the short-term outlook, a brief surge of cooler showers is forecast for Friday which could bring dustings of snow to areas above 1300 metres, but no significant snow is expected," Mr Hines said.

"After that, there is no snow forecast throughout the long weekend. The frontal system moved overhead on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, although at this stage that system doesn't look like it will bring much snowfall.

"The long-term forecast for winter is both warmer and drier than average across the area, although there could be cold and snowy outbreaks from time to time through the winter months."

But there is a "silver lining" to warmer temperatures and below-average rainfall, senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology Hugh McDowell said.

"With drier conditions often comes drier air with clearer and cooler nights. These conditions with low humidity are quite good for artificial snowmaking," he said.

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Thredbo Resort marketing executive Sophie Leicester also said the cooler temperatures in May gave the resort an early start to snowmaking operations.

The resort had heavily invested in snowmaking to help with conditions this season.

"We've had a number of really good early season snowfalls, and we've had some colder temperatures, which kicked off our season," Ms Leicester said.

She said Thredbo was also excited to release its new ski lift called the "Freddy snow runner" this winter.

"It's more of a beginner's and child's lift, but it's really going to help with our ski school and take that beginner experience to a new level at Friday flats," she said.

Despite the slight delay in the physical activities at the resort, there is still a lot to do as it celebrates the beginning of the winter season.

"We have a huge line-up of events and activities planned for this weekend to celebrate the kick off of the season, including scenic rides on the Merritts Gondola and Kosciuszko Chairlift, on-mountain dining at Eagles Mest and Merritts Mountain House and ice sculpting by Kenji," the resort's statement said.

"Other activities include winter Olympian meet and greets, Heineken Saturday featuring Kinder, fireworks, live music, alpine bobsled and bungee, face paining, arts and crafts, Lindt chocolate s'mores and more.

"We look forward to welcoming all guests to enjoy non-stop entertainment this weekend and we can't wait to deliver skiing and snowboarding as soon as conditions allow."

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