Let’s just say it hasn’t been an ideal season in Australia and New Zealand this winter.
Ski resorts have battled no snow, then some snow, then rain, then storms, then warm temperatures, and the list goes on. All but one Aussie commercial ski resort has also closed early for the season, with Perisher closing off the resort season for all Aussies this Monday.
Across the ditch, some Canterbury club fields in New Zealand have already closed early while a season ending storm arrived in the Southern Lakes yesterday placing Queenstown CBD in a State of Emergency. The town is experiencing brutal weather conditions, flooding and evacuation and the State of Emergency is currently in place for 7 days.
Queenstown is also on a “boil water” alert with a cryptosporidium outbreak in the town prior to the storm event.
The Remarkables ski field received 20cms of snow from the storm, after a full day of rain, but are unable to open due to the State of Emergency request to avoid any unnecessary travel.
Meanwhile, Queenstown locals’ resort, Coronet Peak is the first of the Southern Lakes resorts to go down for the season, announcing their winter closure today on social media after the resort received more rain than snow due to elevation.
