Australia ski season 2015 opening weekend: What's on

Australia's ski resort marketers were pulling their hair out last week when a mammoth snowstorm in New Zealand sent social media crazy with snow down to lake level in Wanaka and Queenstown. But then, just like that, less than a week later the snow gods shined upon Australia's ski fields and released buckets of snow from the skies to signal that winter had arrived and all thoughts of New Zealand, for now, were gone.

Up to 30 centimetres fell on Australian resorts only days before the Opening Weekend. The timing couldn't be better. Add a week of sub-zero temperatures to ensure the snow guns for manmade snow and you get both Thredbo and Perisher in NSW opening a day earlier than scheduled.

Word from Thredbo is that the beginner area of Friday Flats and the intermediate Cruiser area will be open on Friday with hope for the intermediate to advanced High Noon run to open by Saturday. Across the range in Perisher they will be opening The Village 8 Express Chairlift and the Perisher Quad Express to mid station.

Down south in Victoria Mt Buller will open the popular Bourke Street from Saturday for skiing and snowboarding. Hotham and Falls Creek will also have lifts turning from Saturday.

But we all know the Opening Weekend is more about celebration than actual thigh burn. Thredbo has traditionally led the entertainment lineup from back in the Snow Ball days. This year Thredbo welcomes Triple J favourite, The Preatures, who will take their soulful sound to the Village Square on Saturday night, a G H Mumm Long Lunch also in the Village Square and the annual fireworks to launch the ski season.

Perisher's The Peak Music Festival is a four-day music session across eight indoor venues within the Perisher Valley. Expect 120 performances with big names including Mahalia Barnes, Doug Williams, Soul Safari and Tijuana Cartel.

The ski season is never considered launched for Mt Buller Melburnians until The Ski Club of Victoria hold its Whitt Ski Season Opening Party. It is on again this year on Saturday night from 7.30pm till late with The Urban Playboys on the sound stage. Calling All Cars will play in Mt Buller village with appearances from Winter Olympians including Britt Cox and Anton Grimus​ and Sunday marks the season launch at The Moosehead bar.