Skiing in New South Wales facts for kids
Skiing in New South Wales happens in the high mountains of the Snowy Mountains during winter. This area is in New South Wales, Australia.
Skiing in Australia started around 1861. It began in the goldrush town of Kiandra, New South Wales. New South Wales has ski slopes from about 1300m to 2200m high. Good snow usually falls above 1500m. Thredbo, near mount Kosciuszko, has Australia's highest ski lift point at 2037m. Its lowest point is 1365m. Kiandra is 1400m high.
New South Wales has great downhill ski resorts. These include Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Perisher, and Selwyn Snowfields. You can also do Cross country skiing all over the Kosciuszko National Park.
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History of Skiing in NSW
Jindabyne is the main town for ski resorts in New South Wales. Most resorts also have places to stay right on the snow. Other towns that help skiers are Cooma and Adaminaby. Canberra is about two hours away from the ski areas. Australia's highest town, Cabramurra, has private skiing for its residents.
The highest mountain on the mainland is Mount Kosciuszko. It stands at 2228m.
Where Skiing Began
New South Wales has Australia's highest snow areas. It also has the oldest ski fields and largest resorts. Fun skiing in Australia started around 1861. This was in Kiandra, New South Wales. Norwegian gold miners taught people to ski there. They made skis from fence posts. The first ski club in the world, The Kiandra Snow Shoe Club, may have started in Kiandra that year.
Kiandra and the Northern Ski Fields
Skiing in Australia began in the northern Snowy Mountains. This was during the Kiandra gold rush. Kiandra often got cut off by deep snow in winter. In 1861, Norwegian miners brought skiing to the town. They turned fence posts into skis. Ski races were held every year in Kiandra. This led to the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club being formed. It is thought to be the "world's longest continuously running ski club." It is now the Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club in Perisher Valley.
The "Kiandra Snow Shoe Club" held ski races for ladies and children early on. This was as far back as 1885. Barbara Yan was the first woman known to win a Downhill Skiing Championship. She also won in 1887. Her siblings won in the kids' races too. In 1908, the club held the first ever International Downhill Skiing Carnival.
The Balmain Cup is Australia's longest running ski competition. It started in 1933. Arthur Balmain wanted a fair competition for local skiers. He made a trophy for teams from local clubs. Teams had to compete in four types of skiing. These were Downhill, Slalom, Jump, and Langlauf. The jump part was removed in 1946.
The Snowy Mountains Scheme was a big project. It involved building dams and power stations. This project helped open up the Snowy Mountains for skiing. It led to new ski resorts. The town of Cabramurra was built nearby. It is Australia's highest town at 1488 m. It has its own private ski run for club members.
The Kiandra Chalet closed in 1973. Kiandra's ski lifts moved to nearby Selwyn Snowfields in 1978. Selwyn is the most northern ski resort in Australia. It is great for families and beginners. Most of its slopes are for beginners and intermediate skiers. The longest run at Selwyn is 800m.
Later, skiing in New South Wales moved south. It focused on the Mount Kosciuszko area. This area has longer slopes and more reliable snow.
The Kosciuszko Region
In 1900, a hut was built at Bett's Camp for winter skiers. The Hotel Kosciusko opened in 1909. It is now called Sponars Chalet.
The first Kosciuszko Chalet was built at Charlotte Pass in 1930. This made it easier to reach Australia's highest areas. Charlotte Pass is at 1760m. It has the highest village base of any Australian ski resort. You can only get there by special snow transport in winter.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme really helped the ski industry grow. It started in 1949. This led to Thredbo and Perisher becoming top Australian resorts. A rope tow was put in at Guthega in 1957.
Charles Anton started the Australian Alpine Club in 1950. He wanted to build lodges for ski touring. Huts were built near Mount Kosciuszko. One was Kunama Hut, which opened in 1953. A rope tow was put on Mount Northcote. This spot was good for speed skiing.
Anton also saw that the Thredbo Valley was good for a big resort. Building started in 1957. Today, Thredbo has 14 ski-lifts. It has Australia's longest ski run, which is 5.9 km. It also has Australia's biggest vertical drop of 672m. Its highest lifted point is 2037m.
The last big ski area in NSW was Mount Blue Cow. It was developed in the 1980s. In 1987, the Skitube Alpine Railway opened. It takes skiers from Bullocks Flat to Perisher Valley and Blue Cow. Blue Cow opened in 1987 too.
The people who ran Blue Cow bought Guthega in 1991. This new resort then joined with Perisher-Smiggins. It became the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2009, Perisher had 48 lifts. It covered 1,245 hectares. It has four main areas: Perisher Valley, Blue Cow, Smiggin Holes, and Guthega.
Competitive Skiing
Australia was a leader in ski racing. Ski races were held every year in Kiandra in the 1800s. The Kiandra snow shoe club is one of the oldest ski clubs in the world. It started around 1861. Three Norwegians, Elias Gottaas, Soren Torp, and Carl Bjerknes, formed it. This club is now known as the first snow ski club in the world. It is also the longest running club. In 2006, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum said the first two ski clubs were formed by Norwegians in 1861. One was in Australia, and one was in Norway.
Ski races happened from the 1860s onwards. In 1908, the club held the world's first "International Ski Carnival." This event had races for boys and girls of different ages. It also had an International Downhill Race.
The Federation Internationale de Ski lists many ski events in Australia. These include alpine, cross country, snowboarding, and moguls. They usually happen in August.
Australian skiers first competed in the Winter Olympics in Oslo, 1952. Australians have been in every Winter Olympics since then. They have won medals at every Games since 1998.
Snowboarding is also popular in Australia. Australia has had snowboarders at the Olympics since 1998. Torah Bright is from Cooma, New South Wales. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. This was for the women's snowboard halfpipe event. Her gold medal, plus other skiing medals, made 2010 Australia's best Winter Olympics. Australia was the only Southern Hemisphere team to win medals.
Cross Country and Back Country Skiing
The Kosciuszko Main Range has tough cross-country and back-country skiing. This is especially true for Watsons Crags and Mount Twynam. The Mount Jagungal area has very isolated back-country ski terrain.
Huts in the high country offer shelter. These huts were often used by cattle graziers in the past. Seaman's Hut, near Kosciuszko, was built in 1929. It was a refuge to remember Laurie Seaman. He died in a blizzard in 1928 while cross-country skiing.
The Australian High Country has unique animals and plants. These include wombats, wallabies, echidnas, and the Snow Gum. These alpine areas are protected. This limits how much ski areas can be built. However, Australia has a lot of cross country skiing terrain.
A famous cross-country ski trip happened in 1927. William Hughes and four others skied from Kiandra to the Hotel Kosciusko. This journey is told in Klaus Hueneke's book "Kiandra to Kosciusko."
Snow Conditions
The Australian Government says snow is usually enough above 1500 metres for a "viable ski industry." But snow can change a lot each year. Some years have little snow, like 1982. Other years have lots of snow, like 1981.
In 2006, there was a bad drought and little snow. But then there was a "White Christmas." Lots of snow fell in the alpine areas. It even snowed at low places. Now, snow-making machines at resorts help with uncertain snow. In New South Wales, a lot of natural snow can mean a base of 3.6 meters. This happens in August at Spencer's Creek.
The snow season is usually short, from June to October. This is because of low altitude and rain. Also, dust from the Simpson Desert can make snow melt faster. But heavy snow can fall any time from April to December. The ski season officially opens on the King's Birthday Long Weekend in June.
Downhill Ski Resorts
- New South Wales
- Thredbo
- Perisher
- Perisher Valley
- Mount Blue Cow
- Guthega
- Smiggin Holes
- Selwyn Snowfields
- Charlotte Pass
Cross Country Ski Resorts and Backcountry Locations
- New South Wales:
- Kosciuszko National Park
- Jagungal Wilderness
- Kiandra
- Kosciuszko Main Range
- Bimberi Nature Reserve
- Kosciuszko National Park
Images for kids
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Perisher Valley from Mount Perisher
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A Snowmobile at Perisher
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Smiggin Holes, Perisher
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Guthega, Perisher
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Looking to Blue Cow Terminal, Perisher
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Charlotte Pass Village in August
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Friday Flat, Thredbo
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The Kosciuszko Express Chairlift, Thredbo
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The Racecourse Run, Selwyn Snowfields
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Cabramurra in July
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Perisher
