High winter temperatures prompt closure of Selwyn Snow Resort

High temperatures across south eastern Australia over the past week have led to a decrease in snow cover across the alpine region and, as of 25th August, have seen the Selwyn Snow Resort announce its closure.

In addition, operators across Australia’s ski resorts have concerns that without significant snowfalls the season will be lost.

At Selwyn Snow Resort in NSW, the most low lying and northern of Australia’s ski slopes, management announced that from Sunday - despite snowmaking efforts - its lifts will stop operating and that it is currently unclear if the resort can reopen for the remainder of the season.

Selwyn Snow Resort has been having a tough few years. After a bushfire razed the entire ski resort in 2019/20, the resort was forced to rebuild from the ground up. Due to an early snowfall, it was unable to open for the 2022 Australian ski season, finally reopening in 2023.

Poor snowfalls last year saw it temporarily halt operations in late July before reopening in mid-August before closing for the season in September.

After the 2019/20 bushfires, the resort invested heavily into snowmaking infrastructure, purchasing state-of-the-art TechnoAlpin snow cannons. This season, it has been able to spin all lifts at the resort for the first time in five years, and was even able to set up a small terrain park.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast warm conditions for the alpine area in the coming week with cold fronts to arrive later, bringing a light amount of snow.

Selwyn Ski Resort Assistant Manager Abi Spackman said her fingers were crossed for ideal conditions, hoping to soon reopen the business if a decent amount of snow fell, telling the ABC “it's just not worthwhile for the guests to come here at the moment with the little snow that we do have.

"We're just so grateful that we got to open for as long as we have and hopefully, we get a little bit longer."

Spackman said the season had been fruitful, with the opening of advanced runs operating for the first time in five years, adding “it's been a much better season than last year; we've had lots of snow. It's been big dumps.”

The resort has notified customers booked within the next week and offered refunds.

In a statement posted online, Perisher said recent rain, wind and warmer temperatures had forced it to wrap up ski lift operations in Guthega and Smiggin Holes as of Sunday.

Images: Condition at the Selwyn Snow Resort on Sunday (top, credit: Selwyn Snow Resort Webcam) and the resort's Instagram notice of its closure from the past Sunday (below: Selwyn Snow Resort Instagram).