norcal 5 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Just curious, when is the best time for snow in Australia/New Zealand? (like how late Jan/February is good for Japan) Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 For the most reliable cover August is probably the best time in Aus. Best quality snow though will generally be in July when it's coldest. Not that the quality ever really comes close to a good day in Japan. Deepest snow I've ever skied in Aus is close to thigh deep after an overnight snowfall of 1.25m. That was way back in 1987 and the snow quality although good for Aus wasn't a patch on good quality powder you can get in Japan. A couple of times I've skied some good quality snow in Aus but when it's cold enough for good quality there's generally not that much precipitation so you're lucky if it gets near boot deep. In NZ as far as I can tell September is probably the best time but a NZ'er could confirm that. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Spot on GN but you forgot to mention that most of our good snowfalls here are accompanied by 70 to 100 klm per hour winds with most lifts on hold. Link to post Share on other sites
norcal 5 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Spot on GN but you forgot to mention that most of our good snowfalls here are accompanied by 70 to 100 klm per hour winds with most lifts on hold. I do remember reading that somewhere (maybe on here). Hmm...well maybe I'll just hold out for the 13-14 season then I was looking for a place to get my powder fix when I come back in April/May. Thanks for the info! Link to post Share on other sites
gozaimaas 61 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 August 31was the best day in aus this season. Link to post Share on other sites
alexeiw123 2 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Spot on GN but you forgot to mention that most of our good snowfalls here are accompanied by 70 to 100 klm per hour winds with most lifts on hold. I do remember reading that somewhere (maybe on here). Hmm...well maybe I'll just hold out for the 13-14 season then I was looking for a place to get my powder fix when I come back in April/May. Thanks for the info! I wouldn't let it turn you off, aus skiing might not have the snow quality, or the fall of the northern hemisphere resorts, but resorts like Perisher and Thredbo have really good facilities including snowmaking, and for a resort where there is only a few hundred metres of fall, there is quite a large skiable terrain. I wouldn't quite put it there for your 'powder fix' but even on the poorer days there's something quite nice about skiing through gum trees. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts