7 Tips to Make the Most of The Snow in Australia

After years of working snow seasons in Australia, Japan, and Europe, Matt’s got his trips down to a fine art. He’s shared his pro tips to maximise your missions, from gear to first tracks, and the value of planning when setting out to ski as much as possible.

According to reports from the Australian Financial Review back in 2015, Aussies make more than 2.5 million ski trips per year to the Australian Alps.

Back then, I contributed to about half of those.

Studying in Sydney and skiing most weekends, I parlayed university holidays into ski seasons in Whistler, Niseko, and some long stints in Europe. Despite maintaining the appearance of full-time tertiary education, I managed to clock about 125 days a year in ski boots for several years straight.

When I wasn’t at the snow, I was writing about it for snow publications or working for an Aussie snow brand and making frequent ‘work trips’ from Sydney.

The Office

But, for the last few years, I’ve joined the procession of snow frothers and weekend warriors heading south on the M5 at 6pm on a Friday before migrating north again 48 hours later.

Still, I’m happy to pay these dues and have my small apartment transformed into a drying room for the following week, if it means two days on skis. I’m also proud to say my ski days still number in the 15-20s with a full-time job and without having to take annual leave. After years of finessing, here are my top lessons to scrape every turn you can out of a weekend at the snow.

Your season(ed) guide

Lesson 1: Season Pass – Thou Shalt Not (Day) Pass

A season pass doesn’t mean you need to be putting in an entire season to get your money’s worth. In fact, for better or worse, the cost of a season pass (like the $950 early-bird special I paid for at Perisher this year) becomes a savvy investment if you spend more than five days on the snow in a given season. Booking your pass early (even if it’s just a day pass) can also save you up to 30%.

Pass pockets: also a must

If you reckon you can make two weekends in a season, then a season pass should be on your radar, and getting one will only motivate you to head down (or is it up?) more often.

This year, I’m hoping to get 14 days on the snow, which means it will cost $67 per day (a single adult day ticket on a weekend in August costs $264 at Perisher this year).

Lesson 2: Divide the Drive 

Obviously it depends on where you start, but on this continent, driving to the snow is typically a loooong drive. I’ve done my fair share of 6-7 hour drives in the dark after work on a Friday. Nowadays, we stop in Canberra at a friend’s place, or in the cheapest accommodation we can find.

This allows us to convince ourselves it’s just two small three hour drives (more ski math). It means you can be asleep by 9pm and still make first lifts on Saturday morning, having got a full eight hours of sleep.

Driving well-rested is important when conditions are soggy like this

Lesson 3: Start Your Day at the Lesser-Known Chairlifts

Now that you’re within view of those beautiful white-capped mountains, what’s your game plan for the day? There are plenty of other weekend warriors like you vying for turns, so it pays to be strategic here.

Most people will head to the main car park and start their day at the biggest and/or fastest chair on the mountain. Seems logical, right? 

Wrong! This is a rookie move. 

Instead, take that turn off before (or after) the main car park — depending on what resort you’re at — and spin a few hot laps on the T-bar or a smaller slope to get the legs under you. 

Smiggins is my pick at Perisher. Not only does it have some fast corduroy in the morning, but there’s a nice cat track that connects you to the rest of the resort and allows you to skip the madness of Front Valley and park just a few steps from the snow.

Warm up far from the chaos of the main chairlifts

Lesson 4: Invest in Gear to Keep You Out There

I learned this lesson the hard way, so you don’t have to.

It’s no secret that an Australian snow-day often starts as a rain-day. It’d also be surprising to have more than a few centimetres of fresh snow without the blizzard and gale-force winds that invariably come with it. Which means, if you want to make the most of every minute you have on the hill, you should invest in gear that can withstand the drizzle and the wind.

Good snow and wet, windy weather often go hand-in-hand in Aus

Not only will quality gear keep you dry over a single day – while cheaper options might start to let the wet snow in after a few runs – it will also be able to back it up, season after season. 

One observation I’ve made living alongside guides, ski patrollers, and those who work in the elements for a living, is that they’re happy to spend their hard-earned hourly wage (which is low) on professional-grade gear.

Instructors and ski patrollers at Perisher are clad head-to-toe in Helly Hansen which should tell you all you need to know about its reliability. My own current go-to is the Helly Hansen Ridge Infinity Jacket and matching bib shell pants. 

Preparing to go ‘Helly-skiing’

This outerwear features Helly Hansen’s highest-performance three-layer fabric construction called ‘HELLY TECH® PROFESSIONAL’. It’s aimed at, you guessed it, pros, and has proven itself in Australia’s ‘mixed wintry conditions’ (read: sleet). The jacket also has PFC-free DWR, so you won’t be dropping forever chemicals with every turn. 

The features stack up too, including an insulated chest pocket to preserve your phone battery in the cold, a RECCO® transponder, a generously sized helmet-compatible hood, a two-way front zipper, brushed hand pockets, goggle and internal stash pockets, a ski pass pocket, and a powder skirt (the last of which I’m yet to use here in Australia). 

The lynx colourway looks mint (add your own Africa scent)

This is the cream of the HH crop, with a pretty premium price tag, but when I do my favourite ski season math (price of item divided by number of days used skiing) it’s a no brainer.

With a three-week Japan trip planned in January and plenty more Aussie strike missions on the cards, I reckon I can get the cost per wear way down. I also know it’s going to last me another decade, or at least until the AFR can report on my next million trips. 

Helly Tech Professional is designed for heavy, long term use

Still, there are plenty of mid-range options that come with Helly’s commitment to making gear that can handle a serious storm. In Australia, I’ll always look for a shell jacket and pants, as these give you that extra flexibility to layer according to the weather and season. I love the combination of a base layer, a Lifaloft Insulator jacket and a three-layer shell jacket. It means you can ditch the insulated mid layer at the car when the temps increase during the day.  

I also swear by bib-pants as a final waterproof barrier. Not only are they much more comfortable around the waist, but they also give extra protection around the core, without the need for an additional layer.

Suns out bibs out!

Lesson 5: Pick Your Lunch Spot / Eat Early / Pack Your Own

When pies start costing $15 and Kebabs are over $30, it pays to pick your lunch spot.

Packing snacks and pre-made lunches is also classic dollar-saver, but what you really want to be saving is time. To this end, you should always eat before the crowds do, so you can enjoy skiing straight onto the chairlift when everyone else is lining up for their food.

Lesson 6: Your Accommodation Can Have Wheels (or Pegs) 

One of the biggest barriers to skiing in Australia can be the cost of accommodation, with ski-in-ski-out options costing upwards of $1000 per night. However, in my experience, the accommodations with the best views are often mobile or have nylon flaps with zippers, instead of doors. 

There are a number of epic camping sites around the foothills of the aussie ski resorts. The likes of Diggings and Ngarigo campground just next to Thredbo cost just $6 to book. 

Lesson 7: Be Thankful Australia Even Has Snow. It’s Freaking Awesome!

Sure, Australia doesn’t have mountains as steep as those in New Zealand, or powder as deep as Japan, but it’s worth considering how lucky we are to get just a little bit of either in a country more famous for its beaches.

If it was just a degree warmer on average, or if our mountains were a few hundred metres lower in altitude, we wouldn’t have a consistent ski season in the first place. Obviously it is getting warmer, and we need to fight to protect what we have, check out POW Australia for more.

We’re lucky Australia ever looks like this

See you on the hill!

Australia is currently having one of its best snow seasons in the last decade after two rather average seasons and some more impacted by Covid. 

Currently, 44 out of 45 lifts are open at Perisher, the snow depth at Spencer’s Creek is over 150cm, and there’s more snow in the forecast which should set up some epic spring skiing and hopefully tie us over until the October long weekend. 

Plenty more weekends left to get after it amongst the Snow gums. Long live Australian skiing and boarding!