Industry News
Season opening in Perisher, Australia, was probably not quite what some had envisioned and many Australian news outlets were quick to bemoan the worst ski season of the century. Perisher opened the ski season on Saturday, June 10, 2023, operating only a single conveyor on Front Valley.
Historically speaking, early season snowfalls are typically quite low and often times temporary, as the ground is often not frozen and the snow cover is prone to dissipating following a few warm days. So by historic comparison, a poor start to the season is certainly not an indication for the snow depth in the remainder of the season. The only issue causing concern is that the Pacific is moving into El Nino territory, meaning typically lower precipitation levels and higher temperatures during winter.
Last night however, the snow gods delivered between 20-28cm (8-11 inches) of snowfall across the Australian Alps, enabling Perisher in New South Wales to open the Village 8 Chairlift (or ‘V8’ as locals often call it) today, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. To celebrate the occasion, Perisher got out their season-opening banner, scribbled a ‘V8’ on the banner, and celebrated the opening of the first chairlift in New South Wales. Until today, only Mount Buller in the state of Victoria had been able to operate a chairlift in the entire country so far this season, albeit it is on a rather narrow strip of snow dubbed ‘the Landing Strip’ by Victorians.
