Australia/New Zealand 2023

Sbooker said:
They will not open this season apparently.
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That's quite a story. Those are essentially the only skiing on North Island, which has 3/4 of New Zealand's population. And because of that, they have the worst lift line reputations in NZ. I do recall that Auckland was under COVID lockdown for some of the 2021 season and that 2022 was extremely bad for snow on North Island. As we've observed in the past, high leverage debt is a really bad idea for a ski area.
 
Sbooker said:
So much for my spring turns on Mt Ruapehu. :(
www.newstalkzb.co.nz

'Hopelessly insolvent' Ruapehu Alpine Lifts officially put into liquidation

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, the operator of the Tūroa and Whakapapa ski fields, has officially been put into liquidation. The order was made in the High Court at
www.newstalkzb.co.nz www.newstalkzb.co.nz
They will not open this season apparently.
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I remember hearing about this after last Southern Hemisphere season. That definitely complicates easy access to many in NZ. There are two small ski clubs on the North island, but nowhere close to the facilities in Ruapehu’s two resorts.

Didn’t read the story, but I still thing that the new gondola location at Whakapapa didn’t make sense (see the old ASC new lift alignment done at Sugarbush North in mid/late 90s).
 
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New Zealand seems to underperforming this season.


Interestingly, Mount Hotham, Australia seems like it's having a very good season so far. Lots of data is available - especially under charts.
www.mthotham.com.au

Hotham Snow & Weather Report | Hotham Alpine Resort

Stay up to date with the latest snow and weather conditions at Hotham so you can prepare for your day on the mountain. Checkout our live snow cams and our 14 day snow forecast.
www.mthotham.com.au

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From that powder.com reference:
Who knew you could ski Vermont conditions in New Zealand in the middle of July?
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I did, based upon 3 of my 4 NZ ski trips, and Patrick's in 2016 was worse than any of mine. Natural snowfall in the 200 inch range at South Island lift served areas, elevation low enough to get some rain, sounds quite comparable to me. I would agree with the article than Mt. Hutt's 15 inches season snowfall by mid-July is an extreme outlier.

ChrisC said:
Interestingly, Mount Hotham, Australia seems like it's having a very good season so far.
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I wouldn't say more than "above average so far" with a 74cm base. The narrative report implies limited ungroomed terrain is open due to refrozen conditions. I could not find a trail listing of open vs. closed. Snowfall reported via SnoCountry to OpenSnow was 16 inches May, 39 inches June and 20 inches so far in July.

The Spencer Creek snow plot (elevation 6,000 feet between Thredbo and Perisher) had a 131cm base July 13 vs. long term average of 94cm on that date.
 
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We haven’t had a winter here in Australia. I’ve got flights to Victoria in a couple of weeks but I won’t be skiing by the looks. It’s really poor conditions down there.
I’m at Coolangatta for the weekend.
If there are better beaches anywhere they must be damn good.
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Sbooker said:
I’ve got flights to Victoria in a couple of weeks but I won’t be skiing by the looks. It’s really poor conditions down there.
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Spencer Creek base depths were above average to July 20, when they peaked at 126cm. Aug. 10 base of 100cm compares to average 154cm, so yes this is bad for mid-season.

Sbooker said:
I’m at Coolangatta for the weekend.
If there are better beaches anywhere they must be damn good.
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Sbooker's region of Australia has an abundance of quality beaches. Liz and I have find memories of our day at Rainbow Beach. WA is not too shabby either, based on what we saw at Cable Beach, Hangover Bay and Surfer's Point in April.

How is the ocean water in Coolangatta mid-winter? When I first scuba dived on Heron Island in July 1997, the water was a brisk 19C, wet suit definitely needed. 19C was also the water temp on our late April scuba dives on the HMAS Swan near Dunsborough.
 
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Tony Crocker said:
Your water temps midwinter are the same as SoCal's midsummer.
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The Humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef every winter for birthing. We stood for 10 minutes at Point Danger yesterday morning and counted at least 30 whales slowly moving back down south - some just behind the breakers. They were putting on quite a show with full breaching, tail slaps and pectoral fin waving.
 
I notice that the Queensland/NSW border runs right through Coolangatta, Point Danger and the Gold Coast airport. How was that area managed during Queensland's COVID quarantine?
 
Tony Crocker said:
I notice that the Queensland/NSW border runs right through Coolangatta, Point Danger and the Gold Coast airport. How was that area managed during Queensland's COVID quarantine?
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Embarrassingly with f@(king police patrolled barricades.
I’m trying to wipe that nightmare two years from my memory.
 
jasoncapecod said:
snowbrains.com

Chair Plummets to Ground at Thredbo Ski Resort, Australia, Injuring 3 - SnowBrains

A chair plummeted to the ground at Thredbo Ski Resort, Australia, in the afternoon today, August 19, 2023, at approximately 2:20 p.m. The chair in question was the Kosciuzko Quad Express. According to the press release received from Thredbo, the chair became detached when it was struck by a gust...
snowbrains.com snowbrains.com
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Holy crap… gust of wind. This is the type of accident I wouldn’t expect at a fairly modern ski resort in Western countries.
 
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