, c. 1884–1917 ski resort, Victoria is Australia's largest ski resort
Alpine Skiing During the
Southern Hemisphere winter, snow skiing and snow boarding takes place in the high country of the
states of
New South Wales,
Victoria and
Tasmania, and cross-country skiing is also possible in the
Australian Capital Territory.
New South Wales is home to Australia's highest snow country, oldest skifields and largest resorts. The highest peak in New South Wales is
Mount Kosciuszko, at 2200m. Victoria is the State with the greatest number of ski resorts in Australia. The highest peak in Victoria is
Mount Bogong at 1986m. The most northerly ski fields in Australia are located in the
A.C.T. - in the
Brindabella Ranges which rise to the west of
Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and include the
Namadgi National Park in the A.C.T. and
Bimberi Nature Reserve and
Brindabella National Park in
New South Wales. The highest mountain in the ACT is
Bimberi Peak, which lies above the treeline at 1912 metres, at the northern edge of the
Snowy Mountains. Skiing began in Australia at the
goldrush town of
Kiandra, New South Wales around 1861. The
Kiandra snow shoe club founded around that time (now called the
Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club (1861)) remains the world's first identifiable and ceaseless Ski Club. The Club held separate ski races for both ladies and children as early as 1885. In 1908, the club held the first ever documented International and Intercontinental Downhill Skiing Carnival. Results- America first, Australia second, England third. The first Kosciuszko Chalet was built at
Charlotte Pass in 1930, giving relatively comfortable access to Australia's highest terrain. The first Australian ski tow was constructed near
Mount Buffalo, Victoria in 1936. It was the construction of the vast
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from 1949 that really opened up the
Snowy Mountains of New South Wales for large scale development of a ski industry and led to the establishment of
Thredbo,
Perisher and
Guthega as leading Australian resorts. Australian skiers competed in the
Winter Olympics for the first time in
Oslo 1952 and have competed in all subsequent Games, winning medals at every Games since 1998.
Malcolm Milne became the first non-European to win a ski race world cup in 1969 and Olympic medalists include
Zali Steggall,
Alisa Camplin and
Dale Begg-Smith. Australia has extensive skiable terrain during the southern hemisphere winter in the south eastern
states and
Australian Capital Territory, between elevations of around 1250m to 2200m. Elevation of the snowfields in Australia varies with latitude, however viable winter snows are generally found above 1500m: Thredbo, near
mount Kosciuszko, has Australia's highest lifted point at 2037m and its base elevation is 1365m. Kiandra, in the Northern Skifields, has an elevation of 1400m, while
Mount Mawson near
Hobart, Tasmania is at 1250m. A number of well serviced resorts have been developed, including:
Thredbo,
Perisher,
Charlotte Pass and
Selwyn Snowfields in New South Wales;
Mount Buller,
Falls Creek,
Mount Hotham,
Mount Baw Baw and
Mount Buffalo in Victoria; as well as the small resorts of
Ben Lomond and
Mount Mawson in Tasmania.
Cross country skiing is popular in such national parks as
Kosciuszko National Park and
Alpine National Park and is also possible within
Namadgi National Park and in the
Tasmanian Wilderness. The
Australian Alps are within driving range for weekend trips for residents of
Sydney,
Melbourne and
Canberra, while Tasmanian ski slopes are within day trip range for residents of the state. In 2004, a mogul course called "Toppa's Dream" was constructed on
Blue Cow. The
Mount Buller World Aerials is an annual event, the first on the World Cup calendar. Aerial skiers practice extensively on water before trying jumps on snow, and Camplin practised jumps in a pond in
Wandin (one hour's drive from Melbourne). The
Kangaroo Hoppet, a member of the
Worldloppet Ski Federation series of cross-country skiing races, is an annual citizen race that attracts competitors from several countries.
Ski jumping is currently non-existent in Australia. The only Australian
Biathlon training course is located at
Dinner Plain, Victoria near
Mount Hotham.
Cross country and back country skiing . in Tasmania's UNESCO World Heritage Wilderness Area The
Kosciuszko Main Range in the
Snowy Mountains of New South Wales offer some of the most challenging cross-country and back-country skiing in Australia, notably
Watsons Crags and
Mount Twynam on the steep Western Face of the Range. The
Mount Jagungal wilderness area provides some of the most isolated back-country ski terrain. High country huts, often a legacy of the era of cattle grazing in the mountains, provide emergency shelter in these regions. Dedicated Cross Country ski resorts are located at
Lake Mountain,
Mount Stirling and
Mount St Gwinear in Victoria and popular areas for back country skiing and ski touring in the
Alpine National Park,
Yarra Ranges National Park and the
Baw Baw National Park include:
Mount Bogong,
Mount Feathertop,
Bogong High Plains,
Mount Howitt, Mount Reynard and Snowy Plains. The
Kangaroo Hoppet is a leg of the Worldloppet cross-country race series which is conducted on the last Saturday of August each year, hosted by
Falls Creek in Victoria. The showpiece 42-kilometre race attracts thousands of spectators and competitors. Cross country skiing can be possible in the
Brindabella Ranges which rise to the west of
Canberra, in the A.C.T, and include the
Namadgi National Park and
Bimberi Nature Reserve.
Mount Franklin Chalet, built in 1938, in the A.C.T. played a pioneering role in providing lifted ski runs in Australia, however the chalet was converted to a museum and subsequently destroyed by fire in 2003, so today only cross country skiing can be practised in the area (when conditions allow). Cross Country skiing is also practised at
Mount Gingera, elevation 1855m, a prominent snow-covered peak above the city of Canberra. When conditions allow, Australia's rugged island State of Tasmania also offers cross country skiers some scenic terrain - notably in the
UNESCO World Heritage area around
Cradle Mountain. Tasmania has 28 mountains above 1,220m and much of the island is subject to at least occasional winter snow. however Australia has extensive
cross country skiing terrain.
Snowboarding of
Cooma, NSW, the winner of the women's halfpipe snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics The sport of
snowboarding is also popular in the Australian skifields and Australia has been represented at the Olympics in this sport ever since it debuted at
Nagano in 1998.
Torah Bright, of the
Snowy Mountains town of
Cooma, New South Wales, won gold for Australia at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 in the women's
snowboard halfpipe event. Australia finished on top of the medal tally at the
snowboarding world championships in 2011. Bright's gold medal - combined with the gold and silver skiing event medals – made 2010 Australia's most successful winter Olympic Games.
Sliding sports Australia lacks any bobsleigh tracks (used for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton), but there is a bobsleigh push track in the
Docklands area in Melbourne. == Ice sports ==