Australia’s 2026 Ski Season Ends Early After Exceptionally Warm Winter

Australia's 2026 ski season wound down early after an unusually warm winter that left several resorts unable to sustain operations. Six resorts ended their seasons ahead of schedule: Thredbo, Mount Baw Baw, Selwyn Snow Resort, Charlotte Pass, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek. Perisher and Mount Buller remained open but with limited terrain and constrained operations.

The defining problem was warmth at higher altitudes rather than an absence of precipitation. Dr Andrew Watkins, a climate scientist and adjunct professor at Monash University, described the season as "frankly a shocker," and pointed to El Niño combined with climate change as the drivers. He said the higher resorts suffered their worst snowfall in two decades while lower resorts experienced their worst on record.

Resort responses: snowmaking and management

Resorts emphasised snowmaking and snow management as mitigation measures. Josh Elliott, CEO of Snow Resorts Australia, noted that investment in snowmaking has kept skiing, snowboarding and snowplay available in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT since the June long weekend. He highlighted advances such as All-Weather Snowmaking Systems that can produce snow in ambient temperatures up to +20C where the systems are installed.

A PlanetSKI reader, Mihai Dragota, reported sub-standard conditions at Perisher when he skied there in late July. He described only half of Perisher's slopes being open and safety concerns such as exposed bushes and rocks appearing within run corridors.

Australia's poor snow year shifted some skier and snowboarder demand to New Zealand. New Zealand's South Island destinations saw increased arrivals: Queenstown recorded a 20% rise and Christchurch 11% in July. Stats NZ reported 256,600 overseas arrivals in July and 3.69 million arrivals in the year to July, a 9% increase on the previous year. Australians made up 53% of July visitors.

What this means for the season and industry

Operational limits and early closures reduced available terrain and shortened the usual operating window for multiple resorts. Resorts equipped with modern snowmaking could extend operations somewhat, but those lacking extensive systems were more vulnerable to warm conditions. The shift of some Australian visitors to New Zealand provided a near-term redistribution of demand but does not change the underlying weather and temperature trends that influenced the season.