Skiing in Australia v New Zealand: Which country offers the best snow experience?

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This was published 2 years ago

Skiing in Australia v New Zealand: Which country offers the best snow experience?

By Jim Darby
Updated
Mount Hotham in Victoria.

Mount Hotham in Victoria.

Seriously, if the lifts are running and there's snow on the ground, then the best snow resort is always the one you're at. But why be so serious when you can have another great trans-Tasman debate - namely who has the better snow experience, the Aussies or the Kiwis?

Unexpected lockdowns and border closures notwithstanding, we've tracked down skiers and snowboarders with more talent than we'll ever know to give the inside word on their area. And in so doing, to cast their vote on who has the best white stuff on either side of the Tasman.

What comes out best - the country with the lively towns below the snowline or the one with the snowbound, ski-in/ski-out villages? The snowfields with soaring peaks and wide-open alpine terrain or those with ancient mountains and tree-lined runs that can be ridden in any weather?

Skiers and snowboarders have always been enthusiastic travellers and even if the northern hemisphere remains off-limits, Australians and Kiwis have the great fortune to be able to dust off their passports and visit another country in relative safety.

And with the trans-Tasman bubble about to turn into a snow dome, there's never been more motivation for Australians to explore the destinations across the ditch. And Kiwis, come on over, you might just enjoy what you find.

Thredbo, NSW.

Thredbo, NSW.Credit: Jimmy Wacher

JONO BRAUER, THREDBO, NSW

An alpine skiing Olympian, Jono has skied Thredbo for three decades and now skis the mountain with his own children.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE…

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It has long runs. You just don't get long runs like this anywhere else in Australia and there's always something different to do. I take my kids to places I used to ski when I was 10 and rip around with them. It's a lot of fun and there's a really great village atmosphere here.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE…

Down the Bluff when the wind is howling and there's one person on every 10th chair and you get fresh snow every time you come down. Also, you can't beat the first lift on groomed snow down the Supertrail, being a racer, that's what I live for. And Central Spur, Anton's and Sponar's, there's always something good to be skied up there, a lot of fun.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

The Alpine Bar gets excellent sun and is a good place to relax, there's good live music at the Alpine Bar too. The resort's turned up the volume on live music (thredbo.com.au). I also like the smaller places, like Black Bear (blackbearinn.com.au) and Candlelight (candlelightlodge.com.au) and they're good for a feed also.

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE…

The last few years my kids and wife and I have spent a lot of time in Italy and we've fallen in love with Livigno, in Northern Italy, right on the border with Switzerland and just down the valley from St Moritz but without the St Moritz price tag. Livigno has epic snow and fantastic weather, a lot of sunny days and the Italians know how to have a good time.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

Oh come on, that's a no-brainer. Australia is better. But you know what, New Zealand is also fantastic, they're really open to new things and experiences and I really admire that. And to be honest, if I have skis on my feet and my family are there, I don't mind where we are.

See thredbo.com.au

The Man from Snowy River Hotel, Perisher, NSW.

The Man from Snowy River Hotel, Perisher, NSW.

MATT GRAHAM, PERISHER

Matt is a mogul skiing Olympic medallist. He's skied Perisher since he was three and trains there for extended periods every winter.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE…

It's so large and vast and you can go exploring for the day and ski those unique Australian Snowy Mountains.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE...

The Rock Garden at Blue Cow, that's a bit of an off-piste run with a few rocks to jump off and it flows onto our main mogul course, Toppa's Dream, it's one of the hardest mogul runs in the world. We're really fortunate as mogul skiers to have access to facilities like that. Also Olympic is an iconic Perisher run, steep drop-in and a lot of fun. But even my grandparents like skiing Perisher, they can park at Smiggins and ski over to Guthega for lunch and Mt Perisher for afternoon tea. It's great for exploring.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

The Man From Snowy River (themanfromsnowyriver.com.au), we usually go there after an event. Flynne Mooney is in our mogul program and his parents manage the hotel so I guess that's the unofficial mogul bar. In Jindabyne, the Jindy Brewery (jindabynebrewing.com.au) is the new hot spot and it's pretty close to where I live. For snacks, grab some mini-donuts at Lil Orbits in the Perisher Skitube Terminal. In Jindabyne, Parc (parcjindy.com.au) is a really good cafe for coffee and food. And you can't go wrong with your Italian food in Jindy.

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE...

Zermatt in Switzerland, it's unbelievably large - long runs and serious alpine terrain.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

Australia, our resorts are so accessible and you can ski around here in spring and see wombats and echidnas running across the snow. You're just not going to get that anywhere else. What's also unique is you can comfortably go for a surf in not too thick a wetsuit on the NSW South Coast and ski the same day.

See perisher.com.au

KIRSTIE GILCHRIST, METHVEN, NZ

Big Al's snow and bike shop is a Methven institution, now run by Kirstie, the daughter of the founders. She's been skiing the local area for 30-plus years.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE...

We're pretty low key, we're more about the snow and the mountains we have to offer - we've got Mt Hutt, Porter Heights, Craigieburn, Broken River, Cheeseman, Temple Basin and Mt Olympus all within an hour of Methven. So if Hutt doesn't have good snow, there's a range of other options nearby. There's also a great heliskiing company that flies out to the Arrowsmith Ranges, the main divide of the South Island.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE…

At Hutt, the South Face is great and the Rakaia Saddle - there's just so much terrain. It's changed a lot over the years to access more intermediate-friendly terrain, but it's still got some really good advanced terrain; it's a great all-terrain, all-ability mountain. Of the smaller fields, I love Olympus and Cheeseman, it has amazing snow and T-bars (many smaller fields run with rope tows).

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

The Blue Pub, in the sunshine on the deck in the afternoon with a view of the mountain (thebluepub.com). For a meal, I'd go to Ski Time (Kirstie would, the family also owns it, skitime.co.nz) or the Dubliner, the Irish bar in town, they're doing a good job too (dubliner.co.nz).

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE...

Squaw Valley (California), it's massive, just amazing. I worked in Tahoe for a couple of seasons and any days off we had, we'd head over to Squaw.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

If it's rugby, I'm going for the Wallabies, I grew up in Sydney till I was four, but if it's snow, it's New Zealand all the way. Our conditions are so much better and more consistent. And the season goes for so much longer, we're still skiing mid-October and the snow is so much better later on. I know everybody rushes over here for the school holidays, but August to October is amazing and the weather is more settled.

See newzealand.com/au/methven; bigals.co.nz

Treble Cone, near Wanaka, New Zealand.

Treble Cone, near Wanaka, New Zealand.

FINN BILOUS, WANAKA, NZ

Wanaka born and bred, Finn has been skiing about as long as he's been walking. He's a New Zealand Olympic freestyler, competing in slopestyle and big air.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE...

It has more of a locals backbone to it than Queenstown, I think the resorts around here are better, but between Queenstown, Wanaka and the Southern Lakes region you have it all really.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE...

Spread between Cardrona and TC (Treble Cone). Cardrona offers some amazing terrain park facilities and is a great place for families and beginners. Then the mountain I grew up at, Treble Cone, has some of the best freeriding terrain around. When you get into the chutes, you have some of the best inbounds skiing anywhere in the world. I go to Cardrona to train for slopestyle and big air and then whenever it snows, I'll be straight up to TC to battle for first lifts and get those fresh powder turns.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

Rhyme and Reason Brewery (rhymeandreason.beer) out in the industrial area, it's a classic spot for the Wanaka vibe and to debrief after a day on the hill. I'd recommend the Joy Rider, a very tasty IPA. For a burger, try Red Star Burger Bar downtown (redstarburgerbar.mobi2go.com) and if you're looking to wine and dine or do some impressing, then Kika (tapas style share plates kika.nz) or Francesca's (classic and modern Italian, fransitalian.co.nz) would be my choices.

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE...

Revelstoke in Canada. There's only a couple of lifts, but the terrain you can access is super good and the town there is super cosy. It has a cool overall feel. On the World Cup circuit, my favourite would be Silvaplana in Switzerland. They've got tons of jumps there that are really big and they groom them super well and they also have some really good freeride terrain.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

So many Aussies come here for our season, we must be better. For me the depth of riding here in the Southern Lakes region, it's world class, but then further north you've got the likes of the club fields. Of all the places I've been around the world, there aren't many places that have such a wide variety as Wanaka in the sense that you can ski groomers, halfpipe, backcountry, cross-country, whatever, we've got it all. New Zealand has got to take the cake.

MORE lakewanaka.co.nz; cardrona.com; treblecone.com

Queenstown, New Zealand.

Queenstown, New Zealand.

Twenty-three years in Queenstown has given Blake a good feel for the area. He competes in freeride (ranked ninth on the world tour) and coaches locally.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE…

You've got three mountains that are all pretty accessible (Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona) and it's the adventure capital of New Zealand, so you've got lots of things to get up to if the conditions aren't good on the mountains.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE…

The freeride and steeper terrain at The Remarks. Shadow Basin is one of my favourite areas to ski there. At Coronet Peak you have Exchange Drop, which is like an off-piste run from the top, but I actually like to ski on the piste (groomed runs) at Coronet and they do a really good job with their grooming up there.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

I'd probably go to Yonder (yonderqt.co.nz) or World Bar (theworldbar.co.nz), you've got good vibes there, or you've got a rooftop bar, Surreal (surrealbar.co.nz), which is quite nice. Same again for meals or it's pretty easy to say Fergburger (fergburger.com) if you want a burger.

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE…

Verbier in Switzerland for its massive mountains. It's The Remarkables times about 10 in terms of the amount of terrain.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

I'd have to say New Zealand, we've got some pretty good terrain here. I'm keen to get over to Aussie to test it out, but it's New Zealand for me.

See nzski.com, newzealand.com

Mt Buller, Victoria.

Mt Buller, Victoria. Credit: Tony Harrington

BELLE BROCKHOFF, MT BULLER, VIC

An Olympic snowboard cross competitor, Belle's family owned one of the original huts at Mt Buller. Her connections to the mountain run deep.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE...

Our history at Buller (Belle's uncle, Peter Brockhoff, was also a winter Olympian) makes it extra special and there's a real community feel at Buller. You walk everywhere in the village, you don't need a car, and you're always running into people you know.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE...

The Summit, for the views and if you make the hike up you can watch the sunset. The run down can be sketchy in the dark but if you're really lucky, you can watch the sun setting on one side and the moon rising on the other. That's pretty cool. And then Little Buller Spur, it's a really long run so you have lots of terrain to play with and you have natural rolls and a quarter pipe on some of the sides of the run.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

Snow Pony is always a favourite, nice and cosy (snowponybuller.com.au). You can get a mean schnitzel up at Pension Grimus, made in the proper Austrian way (pensiongrimus.com.au). And the Villager at Buller Central, they make a mocha espresso martini that's a treat (thevillagermb.com.au). I always go to the Grimus Grind for coffee, Anton (Grimus, also a Buller Oympian) makes really good coffee.

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE…

A tie between Steamboat Springs and Aspen in Colorado. Aspen has the rich and famous vibe, but you've got four mountains to choose from and they have the X Games that are pretty amazing to watch. And Steamboat is a really nice friendly town with some really nice terrain.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

It has to be Australia, we have places like Mt Buller that are so easy to get to. It's just a three-hour drive from the city. Or Hotham, they're very supportive of snowboard cross. And Perisher has one of the best terrain parks around. We have so many options here. And we have snowgums, with green leaves, they're thriving in winter.

See mtbuller.com.au/Winter

Falls Creek, Victoria.

Falls Creek, Victoria.

BRITT COX, FALLS CREEK, VIC

A mogul skiing Olympian and world champion, Britt Cox grew up on skis at Falls Creek.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE…

It's a true ski-in and ski-out village so it really has that alpine charm. That's why it was such an incredible village and community to grow up in. It has a really nice community vibe and village atmosphere.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE...

I was really lucky to have a run named after me a couple of years ago - Britt Cox's Cut Through, that's more a cruisy run, so I'd say that. But I'm also a fan of skiing on the Summit, in the bowl and the Maze area in fresh snow, that's my go-to place on a powder day and it has the International Poma for access and that's a really good option in bad weather because you're not up in the air like you are on a chairlift.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT...

The bar and restaurant scene is fantastic at Falls and they get some top chefs. One of my favourites would be Elk for dinner (elkatfalls.com.au) and a coffee at Milch (milchcafebar.com) when I'm walking the dog is nice. My dog is Doug, he's better-known at Falls Creek than me!

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE…

Zermatt in Switzerland, the mountains there are breathtaking and when I'm standing in the start gate of the mogul course, I look straight out at the Matterhorn. That's definitely a highlight. Deer Valley in Utah is my favourite resort to compete at, because they just love freestyle skiing and they put on a really good event for us under lights at night.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

There's no real mogul setup in New Zealand so we don't compete there and that makes it hard to comment, but I could put it like this - Australia has moguls, so that's my pick!

See fallscreek.com.au

Mt Hotham, Victoria.

Mt Hotham, Victoria.

BILLY LLOYD-BLAINEY, MT HOTHAM, VIC

A freeride skiing competitor (big jumps, steep slopes and inventive ways of skiing them) Billy calls Hotham home in winter and has also worked in New Zealand.

YOU REALLY MUST VISIT BECAUSE…

You live on the top of the mountain and ski out your door. Other places you're at the bottom of the mountain and have to wait for the lifts to open, at Hotham you can get going really early. Also, it has the most accessible backcountry terrain and you can pick and choose the best of it according to the way the wind is blowing or where the sun is.

MY FAVOURITE RUNS ARE...

Straight under the Village Chair, it starts really easy and then curls around to the left where I go as fast as I can and launch off a cat track (snow-covered road). Blue Ribbon is a lot of fun, but the backcountry close to the village is epic.

YOU'LL FIND THE BEST APRES AT…

Swindlers (renamed Hotham Hotel this year), it's an iconic bar and restaurant with the most epic views, it's hard to beat (mthotham.com.au). Also Zirky's, the vibe there is unreal (zirkys.com.au). For a meal I'd put Zirky's on the list and Miss Mary's (mthotham.com.au).

IF I COULD BE IN ONE OTHER RESORT IT'D BE...

Revelstoke in Canada. I spent two years there. The tree skiing in the resort is word class, but you get on to Rogers Pass, a 20-minute drive out of Revelstoke on the Trans-Canada Highway and it's backcountry heaven. A few laps in there and you become a real powder snob.

AND THE TRANS TASMAN WINNER IS…

It's got to be Australia - it's home. New Zealand has some really impressive mountains, but not necessarily the greatest snow. The people make a big part of it, Hotham has the same people every winter and it's always great to catch up with them. I just enjoy the skiing more in Australia.

See mthotham.com.au

Rhyme and Reason Brewery, Wanaka, New Zealand.

Rhyme and Reason Brewery, Wanaka, New Zealand. Credit: Ray Tiddy

WHAT'S NEW

COVID-19

In 2020, the Kiwis had something like normal operations but in Australia, the pandemic restricted operations in NSW and, with the honourable exception of Mt Buller, all but eliminated skiing in Victoria. If the current containment persists then operations should be something like normal, with face coverings recommended, no cash accepted and physical distance maintained where possible. See asaa.org.au and smartraveller.gov.au

THREDBO GONDOLA

Like many things "new" this year, Australia's first serious snow country gondola was launched in 2020, but with it running half-full, not many got to experience it. A $15 million project, it has replaced the slow old Merritts chairlift with a high-capacity eight-seat enclosed lift, giving access to terrain with very reliable snow cover.

WANAKA UNITED

It went well under the Australian radar last year, but Cardrona and Treble Cone resorts came under common ownership, meaning a shared lift pass between the two Wanaka resorts, just as has long been the case for Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown.

KIWI LIFT-OFF

This season, Mt Hutt gets the Nor'west Express, an eight-seater chairlift to access the field's beginner and intermediate terrain and at Cardrona, a four-seater chairlift (recycled from the other side of the resort) gives lift access to Soho Basin for the first time. In 2020 a new lift opened at The Remarkables, the Sugar Bowl Express, a six-seater chairlift to improve access to intermediate and advanced runs and the area's terrain parks.

SELWYN REBUILDING

Decimated in the 2019/20 bushfires, the rebuild is under way at Selywn Snow Resort in the west of the Kosciuszko National Park but it won't be ready for 2021. With more snowmaking, a new central base building and improved lifts, the planned opening date is June 2022. See selwynsnow.com.au

SMALL FRY

BROKEN RIVER, NZ

Some of the best terrain in New Zealand is on the Craigieburn Range near Christchurch. There's a variety of club and commercial fields and if you're OK with rope tows (tough for snowboarders), ungroomed terrain and friendly (COVID-safe) communal living, check out Broken River. See brokenriver.co.nz

OHAU, NZ

If you're making the drive from Christchurch to Wanaka or Queenstown, detour to this small commercial field with the Lake Ohau Lodge at the foot of the mountain. A hilarious highlight is Scottish Night, August 7 this year, which follows highland games on the slopes. See ohau.co.nz

MT BAW BAW, VIC

Close to Melbourne and ideal for families and those finding their feet in snow sports and snow-players, Baw Baw often catches good snowfalls early in the winter so keep an eye on it for that. See mountbawbaw.com.au

CHARLOTTE PASS, NSW

This "island in the snow" is only accessible by oversnow transport during winter. The lifted terrain is interesting, if limited, but there is excellent access to ski touring out on the Main Range and around Mt Kosiuszko. Day trips from Perisher are also an option. See charlottepass.com.au

BEN LOMOND, TAS

The season is often short and so are the runs, but the regulars at this mountain have as much fun in the village as anywhere else above the snowline and the views are remarkable. Ben Lomond is about 90 minutes from Launceston. See skibenlomond.com.au

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