The snow guns firing among the snow gums at Thredbo earlier this year. Photo: File.
Snowy Mountain resorts are hoping regional tourists will give them one last bite at the topsy-turvey 2021 winter season before its official close next month.
This week’s decision by the NSW Government to lift stay-at-home orders in the Snowy Mountains and about a dozen other NSW local government areas means the ski resorts can reopen.
Perisher didn’t waste any time, with groomers preparing Front Valley less than an hour after the announcement.
A handful of keen locals made the most of the freshly groomed corduroy that afternoon, with more lifts and terrain expected to be open this weekend.
Thredbo will open on Saturday 18 September with five lifts operating – Kosciuszko Express Chairlift, Basin T-bar, Antons T-bar, the Cruiser and the Merritts Gondola – opening up a lot of terrain for locals and those lucky enough to be able to travel to the village.
“We are very excited for the community of Thredbo and the wider region to be reopening,” Thredbo General manager Stuart Diver said.
“I’m sure they are looking forward to getting back out there for a few spring turns. I know I am.”
Thredbo events and partnership manager Damian Goninan said, COVID-permitting, the resort was hoping to run through to its usual end of season date on the October long weekend.
“It will be mainly the local community accessing it,” he said, “but we are pretty excited to get back on the slopes.
“It all happened pretty quickly, so it’s taken a lot of people by surprise.”
The 2021 season started out as a cracker in terms of snowfalls and Mr Goninan said the cover was still in pretty good shape up top.
The snow resorts will operate under COVID-19 plans that have been developed under the guidance of NSW Health. Charlotte’s Pass has chosen not to reopen for the remainder of the snow season and Selwyn is still recovering from the Black Summer bushfires.
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