Mountain Safety Collective Backcountry Conditions Report – Friday 4 September 2026

Mountainwatch | Mountain Safety Collective

We made it to spring… or is it already summer? The effects of the El Niño have been felt hard in the mountains this season and we’re on track to have had the latest season start and earliest finish in living memory. If you were lucky to have got out in early August, we did have a couple of weeks of stellar conditions and a reminder that we don’t need huge snow volumes in Australia to enjoy some amazing backcountry.

The ski resorts have made a valiant effort to keep things running despite consistent bouts of heavy rain, mild temperatures and strong winds, with operations winding down over the past week. As we head into this weekend, winds are gusting in the strong to extreme range on Friday ahead of another gut punch of 50mm+ rain on Saturday. This will clear through Sunday into a week of sunshine and mild temperatures.

If you’re planning some late season turns, be prepared for a bushwalk to find snow above the treeline on east and south facing slopes. You’ll always have a fun day out in the backcountry while there’s still snow on the ground. Sun facing slopes to the north and west have been stripped bare, so popular zones like NSW Western Faces look very different to a normal September already.

Mountain Safety Collective’s free, daily Backcountry Conditions Reports have moved into Spring Conditions Mode for the season, so continue to take care on slopes that may have frozen overnight, be aware of exposed hazards like rocks and fast flowing creeks and slip, slop, slap your sunscreen.

Thanks for following along this winter, and give our friends at Protect Our Winters a visit if all this warm weather has you worried.