Australia – “Best Of” Photos To Get You Psyched as The First Storm of The Year Hits The Aussie Alps

April 29th, 2020
Tim Windshuttle, mid-winter 2018. Ripping fresh snow between the snow gums, there’s nothing like it. Photo: Aedan O’Donnell

 

Mountainwatch | Photo Spread

It’s only five weeks until the start of winter and while there’s plenty of uncertainty about this upcoming ski season,  the first solid snow storm of the year is going to hit the Aussie Alps tomorrow.

A strong cold front with cold southwest winds straight out of Antarctica is set to deliver freezing temps and blizzard conditions and there is a good chance for significant snow totals from tomorrow night through to Saturday.

 

A snow storm in the mountains is a beautiful thing. Photo: Jake McBride

To get an idea on how significant, we woke up the Grasshopper from his pre-season slumber and he casually described this storm as a “very early wintry blast” and noted that the storm has beefed up over the past 24 hours.

“From Thursday through into Saturday night we could see 20-50cm fall over Aussie ski resorts, while the upper reaches of the Snowy Mountains could top out at 70cm, possibly more.”

So, this storm could be a big one, the kind of storm you wish for during the ski season, maybe even be the kind of storm that ends up with a name like The Blizzard of Oz or Snowmageddon.  This forecast has us thinking about why we love winter in Australia – storm skiing, pow turns through the snowgums and bluebird days in the backcountry.

 

Coen Bennie-Faull, a Lindsays powder run after 30cms overnight in Hotham. Photo: Chris Hocking

The Covid-19 situation is improving daily with Scott Morrison talking this afternoon about relaxing restrictions on domestic travel and even allowing trips to New Zealand.  Hopefully, the easing of restrictions will continue over the next couple of months and we’ll be enjoying everything the mountains have to offer again this ski season, albeit with social distancing and other measures in place.

In the meantime, to tide you over until the lifts start spinning, here are some of our favourite photos from the past few Australian winters.

 

Mitch Reeves in Buller last winter when a combination of strong winds, 10cms of snow and cold temps made it a day to remember. Photo: Tony Harrington

 

Apparently the snow never gets any good in Australia, it’s either rock hard ice or sticky slush. Pretty sure Coen Bennie-Faull, seen here getting deep in Hotham, may disagree. Photo: Chris Hocking

 

US pro skier Cody Townsend visited Australia for the first time last August  and he scored some epic turns in the Thredbo trees.  Photo: Matt Wiseman

 

Nothing like a pow day to get you frothing. Falls Creek. Photo: Jarryd Sinclair

 

Anna Segal, finding the steeps somewhere in Kosciuszko’s Main Range last winter. Photo: Mark Watson/Incite Images

 

Carter Mills in deep, dry Hotham powder back in August 2018. Photo: Finnegan Laver

 

Russ Henshaw, pre-covid isolation last winter in Perisher. Photo: Perisher

 

“Made you look!” Tom Costa, putting on a show at Falls Creek during the first “Blizzard of Oz”in 2017. Photo: Chris Hocking

 

Melanie McCoy knows that a classic August storm day in Hotham turns on the best powder. Photo: Finnegan Laver

 

Powder turns on Perisher’s aptly named Powder Ridge. Photo: Perisher

 

Watkin McLennan, finding some fun in Buller’s more serious terrain. Photo: Tony Harrington

 

A sunset run in the backcountry is something  special.  So is skiing in Australia.