Skiers and snowboarders mark winter season opening at Victoria’s Mt Buller

June 10, 2023

Amid scarce snowfalls across most of Australia’s alpine resorts, Mt Buller has opened its winter season with skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing and other activities as of today.

With the King’s Birthday long weekend marking the traditional opening of the season, Mt Buller’s Bourke Street Chairlift rolled into action this morning for first tracks of the winter as a result of a month-long effort of snowmaking.

The resort’s all-weather snow factories enabled the Bourke Street run to open to skiers and boarders as of 8.30am for the first chair.

Mt Buller’s alpine village is also offering a weekend of live music, family entertainment, snow, parties and, as of tonight, fireworks.

Welcoming the start of the season, Mark Bennetts of Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management, advised “the long weekend is all about getting together with friends and family and celebrating the start of the snow season.

“The fact we are getting in a little skiing and snow fun is a bonus.”

The sparce snow cover at Australia’s alpine resorts this year contrasts with 12 months ago when, as a result of two pre-season storms that dropped over a metre of snow during the fortnight leading into the June long weekend, the opening weekend was considered the best in two decades

As a result, resorts are offering extensive entertainment programs.

As of yesterday, Thredbo advised “we’re celebrating winter in style all long weekend with a huge line-up of events, entertainment and more to kick off the season.”

The resort also, as of yesterday, stated it was “starting the long weekend right with a fresh dusting of snow up top overnight and there’s more promising snow and cooler snowmaking temps in the forecast.”

Images: The first chair riders of the winter season at Mt Buller (top, from left: Samuel Caulfield, Tristan Mildenhall , Daniel Capuzza, Lachie Holbrook, Ryan Staples and Angus Meissner) and winter sport action at Mt Buller (below, credit: Tony Harrington).

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24th March 2023 - Thredbo launches winter season passes, lift passes and lessons for 2023

18th February 2023 - Top skiers and snowboarders call for winter sport’s international governing body to act on climate change

12th December 2022 - Michael Kennedy congratulated for 20 years as Snow Australia Chief Executive

20th November 2022 - Thredbo named Australia’s Best Ski Resort sixth consecutive year

20th October 2022 - Snow Australia officially recognised as full member of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation

7th October 2022 - Alpine resorts look back on a successful winter season

19th September 2022 - Mt Buller welcomes weekend of snow

12th September 2022 - Alpine Resorts Victoria appoints Amber Gardner as inaugural Chief Executive

1st June 2022 - Early winter snowfalls prompt early opening at Victoria’s Mt Buller

10th August 2021 - Mt Buller reopens for snow lovers from regional Victoria

27th July 2021 - Mt Buller and Mt Stirling resorts to reopen to snowlovers from midnight

24th April 2021 - 50 days out from Queen’s birthday weekend season opening Mt Buller commences snowmaking

6th August 2020 - Victorian alpine resorts close to visitors

16th July 2020 - Victoria’s Mt Buller advises of ongoing ski operations

4th January 2020 - Bushfire crisis sees Victorian alpine resorts among areas declared state of disaster

9th August 2019 - Significant snowfalls transform alpine resorts

8th December 2017 - Perisher to invest $4.2 million in snowmaking and new chairlift

6th August 2017 - Alpine resorts invest in snowmaking to reduce impact of climate change

20th March 2017 - Mt Buller innovation changes snowmaking in Australia

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