Kimo Weimann had resigned himself to missing out on both the European ski season and his planned return to Mount Buller where he was going to work for the Australian season.
Forced to bunker down for three weeks of quarantine in the Austrian ski village of St Anton am Arlberg in February as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the likelihood of hitting the slopes this year seemed remote.
Kimo Weimann is one of thousands of snow fiends gearing up for an Australian ski season like no other.Credit: Jason South
“When I came back to Australia after that I personally had zero hope of anything happening,” said Mr Weimann, 27, who was born in Germany and moved to Australia in 2004.
“I’ve been travelling and doing ski seasons for three years now without a break, so I haven’t stayed in one place for a while. That was kind of scary.”
Bumper snowfall, possibly the best in a decade, is forecast and Mount Buller has already received 80 centimetres of fresh snow – half its annual average before winter has begun.
So how did Mr Weimann feel when his boss on Mount Buller called him on Sunday, after Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria’s ski season could kick off on June 22?
Mount Buller in early May. Bumper snowfall is forecast this year.Credit: Jason South
“Oh, super stoked.”
As businesses work out how to run profitably this year, Mr Weimann is just one of thousands of seasonal snow fiends, many freshly returned from overseas skiing hotspots such as Canada and Japan, gearing up for a ski season like no other.
Victoria’s ski resorts, led by the major sites of Mount Hotham, Falls Creek and Mount Buller, are currently in discussions with health authorities to create COVID-safe snow guidelines.
Longer lift queues, no group lessons and self-supplied helmets and clothing are measures that are likely to be enforced.
Sam Worpel (left) and Monique Sage sorted jobs on Mount Hotham in November and have been on tenterhooks since coronavirus hit.Credit: Sam Worpel
This year’s socially-distant village life is a vastly different prospect to what Sam Worpel and his girlfriend Monique Sage, both 26, envisaged when they organised jobs on Mount Hotham in November.
Bars will be restricted to table service and nightly games of darts are unlikely. Not that they are bothered.
“The vibe will definitely be pretty different,” said Mr Worpel, who met Ms Sage at Canada’s Banff ski resort.
“Hotham is an especially small village, a huge part of the ski season is everyone goes out together. It’ll still be worth it. We’re just relieved, it’s been uncertainty since coronavirus hit.”
The uncertainty of a starting date, especially after a summer marked by devastating bushfires, has caused stress for business owners such as Jaye Fatchen, who has managed Milch Cafe Bar in Falls Creek for eight years.
“We’re super happy to have a start date, but it’s so multilayered,” Ms Fatchen said from the mountain.
“It’s like an onion, you peel away these layers and you discover more to do.
“We’ve hired some people who decided not to come because of the uncertainty. I’ve got a couple coming from Western Australia who will probably have to quarantine in South Australia for 14 days.”
Vail Resorts, which operates Hotham, Falls Creek and NSW's Perisher, on Friday said each resort would open on June 24 with its own operating plan that would be liable to change "based on the amount of terrain and lifts open". It said passes will need to be pre-purchased, with more details to be announced in coming weeks.
NSW’s Thredbo on Thursday announced it would open on June 22 at half capacity, with lifts capped at two rather than four, one person per T-bar and private lessons only.
Ms Fatchen said the challenge for ski resort businesses was to find a model that was financially viable. She has started selling brownies and body products.
“Regardless how much income we lose, we still have 100 per cent of our bills to pay,” she said.
“That includes pretty substantial costs for seasonal staff accommodation before I’ve flicked on a light.”
Mountain staff normally sleep in bunk beds with shared facilities, and Mr Weimann said his company had already hired a second accommodation building to allow for social distancing.
Ms Fatchen said businesses were pleading with Australians to be responsible this season.
“We’re doing everything we can but if somebody feels sick, we need them to stay home,” she said.