Australia's snow season has officially kicked off, but skiers and snowboarders aren't quite hitting the slopes with major gusto this year – yet. Major tourism company Vail Resorts has reported a 22 per cent dip in ticket sales for their resorts, which include NSW's Perisher and VIC's Hotham and Falls Creek.
Of course, the cost-of-living crisis has had an impact, but volatile conditions are also to blame. When NSW's season opened last week, instead of powdery snow, the season's first skiers encountered something more like slushy grass. For this reason, Perisher and Thredbo (who have introduced fun activities not dependent on snow) only had a beginner’s conveyor belt running. Yet, despite the forecast of a warm winter, ski resorts are still hopeful of a strong season, saying low snowfall is typical of early June – after all, some of the best snow seasons in recent times have begun with slow snow starts.
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The BOM doesn't release a long-range snow forecast, but they've told The Guardian that snow levels are highly variable – and that “just one weather event” can significantly shift snowfall.
In terms of forecasting even further ahead, environmental activist group Protect Our Winters teamed up with the Australian National University to conduct research into Australia’s changing snowscapes. Australia’s ski industry is worth $3.3 billion and employs more than 26,000 people, but the Our Changing Snowscapes report shows that it could be majorly under threat. At the rate things are going, the annual snow season looks like being reduced by an average of 55 days by 2050. In the shorter term? We’re looking at a loss of around 17 days by mid-2030.
If governments take key steps to reduce fossil fuel emissions, these statistics could be majorly reduced, and the snow season could potentially even expand by 2080.
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