By Henry Belot
Fresh snowfall on the Snowy Mountains overnight has led meteorologists and excited resort managers at Thredbo and Perisher to declare this weekend the best for skiing in many years.
Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said there was 20 to 30cm of snowfall in the Perisher and Thredbo villages on Wednesday night although there was as much as 40 to 50cm of snowfall.
Thursday could be the best day of the ski season.Credit: Rohan Thomson
“This coming weekend will probably go down as the best weekend of the season in terms of snow depth and calm conditions on the resorts,” he said.
“Sunday will be the pick of the days with clear skies and light winds and some pretty good power on the slopes.”
Mr Dutschke said snow fell to around 900m and the tops of the Brindabellas got a light sprinkling of snow.
“Mount Gingera has had about 12cm of snowfall so if people are about that way they should take a look at the mountains as they’re likely to see some snow,” he said.
Mr Dutschke said Thredbo and Perisher are expected to receive more snow on Friday night and Saturday morning although he said it should only bring around 10 to 15cm of snow.
A Thredbo spokesman claimed Thursday was the best day of the season so far with up to 50cm of snow falling on the top of the resort.
She said the mountain was looking “pretty incredible” and they were excited for a “blue-bird” day on Sunday.
“It’s not too windy up here today although we had a lot of wind before the [cold] front arrived yesterday, which is good for us as it adds to the snowfall and spread the snow around the resort,” she said.
Perisher spokesman Richard Phillips said snow started falling on the resort mid-morning on Wednesday and continued throughout the day.
With snow expected to continue falling until Saturday, Mr Phillips was confident this weekend on the mountain would be a special one for all involved.
“I’d say this will be our best weekend for many, many years,” he said. “It won’t get much better than this with every lift and every run open.”
Blizzards were blowing in the Snowy Mountains on Wednesday afternoon after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning. Road closures saw some motorists without chains slapped with fines of up to $300.