More than a metre of snow has dashed plans for the hotly-anticipated reopening of Selwyn Snow Resort in 2022. Photo: Selwyn Snow Resort.
Just weeks from opening to the public, two years after it was razed by the Black Summer bushfires, tools have been downed at Selwyn Snow Resort due to unprecedented amounts of snow.
The hotly-anticipated, newly constructed state-of-the-art resort was set to open on 2 July but well over 100 cm of snowfall in the past week has shut down all efforts to complete the project in 2022.
Resort owners The Blyton Group have confirmed that the challenging early season conditions, thanks to an icy polar blast, meant the project’s principal contractor was unable to proceed.
Those headed up the big mountain will now have to wait another year for their beloved resort to open.
Tools have been downed and machinery halted as construction of the new resort was thwarted by early snowfalls. Photo: Selwyn Snow Resort.
The family-friendly resort attracts people from areas like the Riverina, the ACT and the NSW South Coast.
This was just one in a series of setbacks since 2019/20 when the Black Summer bushfires swept through the Snowy Mountains, destroying Selwyn’s infrastructure and environment and impacting the local community.
Record rainfalls challenged civil and ground work, creating material supply shortages and supply chain delays. COVID lockdowns in the past two years have meant further delays in progress.
A Blyton Group spokesperson said the group was cognisant of the varied impacts the announcement had on guests and thanked the public for its understanding and patience.
“We know this is devastating news for our guests, employees and local communities and want you to know that we share this sadness with you and look forward to a fresh start in 2023,” they said.
“Rebuilding Selwyn Snow Resort remains our top priority and our teams and contractors will continue to work hard to complete the project.”
The irony of not being able to open due to the very thing they were hoping for was not lost on Member for Monaro Nichole Overall.
She said the incredible efforts of the past months to reopen made the decision even more heart-breaking.
“In saying that, I know things will continue to go from strength to strength and when Selwyn Snow Resort opens, it will offer some of the most spectacular advancements and attractions in the country that will make it worth the wait,” she said.
All guests who have purchased products from Selwyn Snow Resort will be refunded in full in the coming weeks.
Conversely, the huge snowfalls, cold temperatures and impressive storms mean Selwyn’s sister resort Charlotte Pass hosted its biggest opening since 2000 last weekend.
After picking up 52 inches in a week, Charlotte Pass general manager Angela Murdoch said the mountain crews needed to work around the clock to prepare Kosciuszko Triple Chair to Top Station, Kosi Carpet and Basin Poma lifts for opening day.
Angela said the ski area has never operated the Kosciuszko Triple to its top station this early in the season.
In 2018 Charlotte Pass Snow Resort announced a $10 million, 10-year capital investment program which would see, among a raft of infrastructure updates, an increase in lifting capacity, expansion of accessible terrain, major refurbishment of the Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel, construction of staff accommodation and expansion of the Charlotte Pass over-snow transport fleet.
Loading ...
