Australia has worst start to snow season in decade from El Nino

Unusually warm temperatures have thrown hot water on the plans of Aussie skiers.

Australia is reportedly suffering its worst start to snow season in a decade in the early stages of winter due to the El Nino* weather pattern, which typically brings in persistent warmer weather.

Spencers Creek at Australia’s highest peak Mt Kosciuszko has had its worst mid-June snow level in 10 years.

“The snow level is zero,” Sky News meteorologist* Tamsin Green said.

“It’s essentially joint last with the last time there was zero, which was June 2016, so it’s not looking good.”

Visitors to Australia’s most popular ski resorts have been left gobsmacked by the lack of snow available to ski on.

One clip allegedly filmed on Sunday (June 21) shows the main slope at Perisher Ski Resort with a mere sliver of snow and people gamely trying to ski down it.

“Just to think, people on that mountain have paid to be there,” one TikTok user said.

According to Perisher Ski Resort’s website, a single-day lift ticket is $199.

One person wrote that she spent $2500 on five beginner bundles for her family and can’t get a refund.

“What am I supposed to do with it, ski hire, no lifts going and no snow (?) ï¸ÂI’m aware (I) can’t control weather but it’s wrong to not provide refund if you can’t use it,” she said.

A third advised avoiding Australian ski fields until at least the end of July.

“Never go to the snow in Australia, period,” someone else joked.

Perisher Ski Resort was contacted for comment.

Another clip from nearby Thredbo Resort showed skiers running into grassy patches due to the lack of snow.

Conditions haven’t been any better in Victoria. A recent photo from that state’s Mt Buller showed the resort reduced to a single, thin strip of man-made snow as unusually warm weather gripped the alpine* region.

Images taken on June 14 showed the mountain almost completely bare, with only one narrow ski run open, surrounded by grass and mud.

The bleak scenes sparked criticism online, with some branding it the “saddest snowfield” they had ever seen, while others questioned why resorts were still charging hundreds of dollars for lift tickets despite the lack of snow coverage.

“Saddest ever,” one commenter wrote beneath the images.

Another added: “You still charging full price tickets for this?”

Mt Buller is currently the only Victorian alpine resort offering skiing and snowboarding, but conditions remain extremely limited.

According to independent snow reporter Mark “@he_loves_adventure”, Bourke Street is currently the only skiable run on the mountain, relying entirely on 30-50cm of man-made snow.

“While the man made coverage on Bourke Street wasn’t that wide, it was enough and there was hardly anyone around,” he wrote in a condition report posted on Sunday.

“If I had a friend I wanted to teach, now isn’t such a bad time.”

However, the lack of snow might not last too much longer, in some parts of Australia at least.

A weather update from Perisher on June 23 said temperatures dipped to -3C overnight, bringing hope for sad skiers that more white powder could soon hit the slopes.

“That overnight chill was just what our snow-making team (has) been waiting for,” said senior resort manager Emily Smith.

“A light dusting fell overnight and the snow guns have been firing since around 8pm and are still going strong. With consistently cold nights on the horizon, the team will make the most of every snow-making opportunity and we’re excited to open more terrain* as soon as possible.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• El Nino: a climate pattern characterised by warmer waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean that weakens or reverses the trade winds that usually blow east to west along the equator. The pattern usually brings hotter, drier weather to Australia, bringing increased risk of heatwave, drought and bushfires
• meteorologist: a scientist that studies the weather
• alpine: relating to high mountains
• terrain: landscape, in this case, more snow covered landscape for skiing

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QUICK QUIZ
1. What is the name of the weather pattern thought to be responsible for the dismal start to Australia’s snow season?
2. Why are some people angry that popular ski resorts are still charging full price tickets?
3. What change in weather has some people hopeful that more snow fields will soon open up at Perisher?
4. Independent snow reporter Mark “@he_loves_adventure” found a silver lining in the situation at Mt Buller. What was his positive take on the situation?
5. Based on the information in this article, when do you think snow season begins in Australia?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Plan a no snow celebration day
Create a plan for activities for “No Snow on the Slopes Celebration Day”. The purpose of your day is to make sure that people who go to ski resorts like Perisher can still have a great experience on the fields, even if there isn’t enough snow.

Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Create an infographic that will help other kids understand how the El Nino weather pattern affects Australian weather. Use information from the story and perhaps your research skills to help you.

Time: Spend at least 40 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.

Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.