The sad state of Aussie ski resorts ahead of winter holiday season
Ski resorts in Australia have had to get creative ahead of the tourist-heavy ski season after a lack of snowfall, despite plunging temperatures.
The ski season begins this year on the June long weekend, running alongside the King’s Birthday on June 8th.
Despite expecting a huge influx of keen skiers, there has only been light flurries of snow so far, according to WeatherZone, which melt away quickly and don't settle on the ground for long.
In order to accommodate the busy season, Thredbo has had to resort to using fake snow for people to ski on.
Manufactured snow happens by combining pressurised air and water through a ‘snow gun’ that gets blasted out into the air.
The most ideal time to create the fake snow is on clear nights with low humidity, as the higher the humidity the colder it needs to be to make the flurries.
Several photos from ski.com.au's cameras have shown popular ski sites with a disappointing lack of snow, in scenes similar to last year's ski season.
“No significant snowfalls are on the horizon for the mainland Australian ski resorts before the official King’s Birthday Long Weekend season opening,” Weatherzone reports.
“Snow-making began on the weekend at several resorts and has continued into the working week in the cold dry, air in the wake of the cold front.”
According to WeatherZone, high-pressure systems, which have brought constant rain to the east coast recently, have been blocking the snowfall.
Image credits: Xinhua News Agency / Thredbo