Mountainwatch Guide To Thredbo

 

Mountainwatch | Reggae Elliss

Thredbo has long been regarded as Australia’s premiere ski resort and for many people, me included, it is the best ski resort in Australia. Ok, I may be biased as I have lived in Thredbo for a long time, but from a skier’s perspective it is hard to beat. Thredbo has the longest groomed runs in the country while the off-piste terrain features a huge variety of trees runs, creek lines and snow-gathering upper bowls. The base of the mountain is 1400 metres while the top of Karels T-bar is Australia’s highest lifted point at 2037 metres, giving Thredbo an impressive vertical drop of 672metres, the longest in Australia.

 

 

While these on-mountain facts contributed to Thredbo being awarded the title of Australia’s Best Ski resort at the World Ski Awards  for the past five years in Austria, the atmosphere  and uniqueness of Thredbo Village also played a part.  Thredbo doesn’t close when the lifts do and that, combined with plenty of off-snow options, make a snow holiday in Thredbo a complete experience.

Thredbo’s European founders envisaged an alpine village modelled on a European mountain town as the centre of the resort. The result is a true alpine village with that has an ambience and intimacy that is hard to beat.

Thredbo has over 4000 beds and when the place is full in winter it is very busy. However, Thredbo Village is also year-round town with a close-knit community of 450 locals, aged from infants to 98-year-old Frank Pehota and the village has all the amenities you’d find in any small regional town. This includes a year-round Early Childhood Centre and a daily school bus to and from Jindabyne that carries kids from kindy to Year 12. The locals love their home town, and that connection is another special thing that differentiates Thredbo from other Australian ski resorts.

 

Terrain

With 480 hectares of skiable terrain Thredbo offers a lot of variety and something for all standards, with 16% beginner, 67% intermediate and 17% advanced.  The groomed runs range from the gentle slopes of the Friday Flat beginner’s area, to the consistent fall-line f the blue runs at Merritt’s to Australia’s longest run, the 5.9km winding Village Trail from the top of Karels to Friday Flat to the 3.7-kilometre leg-burning falline of the Supertrail – and plenty more in between.

 

While Thredbo’s long, groomed runs are perfect for setting your edge and carving drawn-out turns, in many ways its strength is the variety of terrain off piste, particularly on a powder day.  During a storm Thredbo’s vertical offers protection and visibility in the trees and there are plenty of options even if the Kosi Chair is on wind-hold.

 

Places like Snowgums trees, the Glades, Michael’s Mistake, Powder Bowl and Cannonball all come into their own. Then there are all the other zones that aren;t on the trail map. To get the  insider’s tips on where to head for two score the best snow on a powder day check out Stefan Doyle’s Thredbo rundown in the locals guide to skiing powder.

 

One of Thredbo’s distinct advantages is its topography and position at the edge of the NSW Main Range. Thredbo faces southeast which not only reduces the amount of direct sunlight on the slope but also in a moderate to strong WNW wind, the prominent wind direction in winter, a lot of snow blows in off the Main Range, filling the top half of the mountain with light, dry windblown powder.

 

If you’re not scared of a bit of wind, it is hard to beat those days when it is 35-60ks out of the WNW, places like Sponars, the Bluff, Golf Course offering constant re-fills of soft dry powder, with fresh tracks every run. Some of the best days I’ve had in Thredbo have been when the wind is howling, and the ice pellets sting your face at the top of Sponars t-bar and the snow is superlight and dry.

 

Thredbo’s efficient lift system has a total of 14 lifts, including three high-speed Quads and four T-bars on the upper mountain, perfect for maintaining access to some of Thredbo’s best terrain, even when the wind is howling. The most recent lift to is the Merritts Gondola, a high-speed eight-person gondola which opened in 2020.

 

Terrain parks:

Thredbo has a number of parks, including a beginner’s park at Playground, at the top of the Cruiser chair and the intermediate Merritt’s park where you can take quick laps using the Easy Rider T-bar.

 

The advanced park at Antons is always impressive, and has attracted a number of overseas riders and film crews over the past few years. When it  is fully open, the park runs the length of the t-bar and features a mix of medium jumps, big booters, wall rides, rails, boxes and tubes.

Where to Stay:

Thredbo was founded in 1957 and many of the original Thredbo pioneers were post-WW2 European emigrants who had worked on the Snow Hydro scheme. The village was modelled on a European mountain town with restaurants, bars and shopping all within easy walking distance. The European influence is still apparent in the central village at Thredbo institutions like Candlelight Lodge and Kasees Lodge.

 

Thredbo’s accommodation is located over three areas – the original central village which has a mix of apartments and small B&Bs and hotels, the Woodbridge area, opposite the leisure centre which has larger free-standing chalets and duplexes and Crackenback Ridge, again large chalets including the luxurious Ski In Ski Out chalets towards the bottom of the Supertrail.

Getting around the village is easy with a free shuttle bus service that runs fromm 7.30am each day.

 

Retail: There are plenty of retail options including the resort owned retail/rental stores at Friday Flat and Valley Terminal at the bottom of the Kosi Chair. The main retail precinct is the Village Square in the centre of town that has a number of stores catering to a variety of tastes and styles. These include long term locally owned and operated snow specialists like Snowports, which carries European skiwear brands and fashion, Gravity Sports, for ski gear, skis, boots and expert boot-fitting and Rip Curl Thredbo which has the full range of Rip Curl’s technical freeride mountainwear. Then there is the unique JK Gallery and Mountain Store, one of the most beautiful stores in the mountains, which carries original art, furniture, homewares and gifts.

Apres:

Apres and entertainment has always been a big part of Thredbo’s DNA and it has stepped up in recent years with apres sessions featuring DJs and live music at the outdoor Alpine Bar at the Thredbo Alpine Hotel. The hotel also has a number of bars including the Lounge Bar, the Schuss bar for live music and the Bistro for food, pool and watching the footy.

 

There are also a number of bars dotted throughout the village, including the Après Bar at the Denman which has live music and  the best cocktails in town. . Other favourite watering holes include the House of Ullr, Candlelight and Bernti’s Bar and Brasserie.

 

Where to Eat:

On Mountain: Plenty of choice with seven on mountain outlets. If you’re into sit-down lunches Eagles Nest and Kareela Hut offer restaurant style food, while Back Sallees is more your bistro fare and a great place for an afternoon beer on the deck.  Merritts Mountain House at the  bottom of the Cruiser chair has an extensive menu. Frost Bite at the top of High Noon has killer burgers and great coffee, while the Avalanche café and BBQ at the bottom of Kosciuszko Chair has a lot of choice, including pies, burgers and it’s famous double-banger-sanga. Plus the coffee is always good.

The Village: Again, there is no shortage of choice and with  20 bars and restaurants in the village you’d be hard-pressed to try them all in a one-week visit.  There is a wide range of cuisines available from modern Australian, to the Brazilian BBQ at Sante’s, Italian at Segretos in the Thredbo Alpine Hotel and excellent Mexican at the House of Ullr. You’ll find some of the best food in the mountains at Central Road in the village square, owner/chef Paul Antone delivering a menu of Asian Fusion for lunch and dinner on weekends. The Candlelight Lodge has a European style menu including its signature fondue while Bar and Brasserie at Berntis, has a wide menu including steaks, pasta and fish.

For fine dining try the Terrace restaurant at The Denman or Zack’s Grill at Berntis while the family friendly Thredbo Burger Bar at Riverside apartments is just a five-minute walk from the Village Square. The T-Bar restaurant has a great choice a la carte meals and gourmet pizza in a classic mountain atmosphere. If you are after something quick and tasty head for the Al Fresco pizzeria, a Thredbo institution for over 30 years. The list goes on. For a quick lunch the bakery has a range of pies, pastries, rolls etc while Kebabz is the place for some takeaway.

Leisure Centre:

Not many ski resorts can claim to have a 50-metre Olympic pool, a waterslide, a sports hall with basketball courts and indoor soccer fields, Olympic-sized trampolines, a climbing wall, gym and squash courts all under the one roof.

 

First opened in 1996, the Thredbo Leisure centre is a year-round facility, and in winter it is great option on bad weather days or for just unwinding with a few leisurely laps in the pool after a big day on the hill.

Backcountry:

Thredbo offers easy access to the backcountry and is a great place to kick off a tour, whether it is a short hike to Signature Hill, a day trip to Kosi or an overnighter to the western faces. The glimpses you get of the Main Range as you near the top of Karels T-bar are enticing and once you get out behind Signature Hill you feel like you’re in another world, the hustle and bustle of the resort left behind as you experience a feeling of isolation in a snowy wilderness.

 

Check out Thredbo’s guided backcountry tours or long term local operators K7 Adventures , both offering the opportunity to explore the backcountry safely and to learn something in the process.

Summer

As mentioned previously, Thredbo is a year-round resort and it is becoming increasingly popular each summer.  Mountain biking is growing each year and Thredbo has invested in new tracks over the past few years, catering for different levels of rider . The Thredbo Valley Trail, a 22 km ride from Thredbo to Lake Crackenback is popular with families.

 

The Kosciuszko Chair is open all year, accessing the walking trail to Mount Kosciusko and Thredbo also has a number of guided walks on the roof of Australia. Then there’s the picturesque nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, the fly fishing and the free activities at the Village Green, including a skate park, BMX pump rack and trampolines.

Thredbo’s summer pass gives access to lifts and leisure centre as well as the golf course, tennis courts and the bob sled in summer.

 

International Pass Partners

Thredbo is part of The Mountain Collective with access to ski resorts in Japan, Canada, Europe, South America, New Zealand and the U.S. Ski resorts include Niseko, Aspen, Banff, Jackson Hole, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Buller.

Thredbo is also part of the Ikon Pass with access to ski resorts in Japan, Canada, South America, Europe, New Zealand and the U.S. Ski resorts include Mammoth, Big Bear, Steamboat, Niseko, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Mt Hutt and Mt Buller.

Mountain Stats

Elevation top: 2037 metres

Elevation Bottom: 1365 metres

Vertical drop: 672m

Skiable Terrain: 480ha

Longest run: 5.9km

Beginner terrain: 16%

Intermediate Terrain: 67%

Advanced terrain: 17%

Lifts: 14 (3 highspeed quads, 1 Quad, 2 doubles, 5 T-bars, 3 beginner carpets