Thredbo alpine ski resort has called an early end to its snow season but Perisher intends to remain open, at least for the short term.
And like the Curate's egg, the 2024 snow season has proved good, but only in parts. And notably short.
The patchy, unpredictable nature of the season has proved challenging for resort operators, although one memorable night in July had snow fans rejoicing with 27 centimetres of fresh falls and a near-manic rush for the mountains.
All up, the July storm produced a massive 59cm dump and all mountain terrain opened up shortly thereafter.
"Some locals even went as far as to say that the first two weeks of August were the best skiing and snowboarding conditions they've experienced in 10 years," Thredbo posted on its site.
However, as temperatures quickly warmed during late August, keeping the lifts spinning became increasingly difficult. Insufficiently low wet bulb temperatures meant snowmaking was curtailed, too.
A fresh attraction this year for visitors to Thredbo this season was the opening of the new 1.5-kilometre alpine coaster slide, with riders traveling at speeds of up to 40kmh along a mix of uphill and downhill tracks featuring a tunnel, bridges and circles.
Thredbo will reopen for its increasingly busy summer season on November 16.
Selwyn snow resort closed on August 25, citing "snow conditions".
Despite only having 11 lifts operating on Wednesday, Perisher is pushing ahead as Queensland school holidays start this weekend.
Skiable links between Perisher Valley and Blue Cow are no longer operating, so connection between the two is by skitube only. Access between Perisher and Smiggins Holes is by shuttle bus.
Next season will bring the opening of a new six-seater chair at Perisher.
