South of the Equator — The 2024-25 ski season in the Northern Hemisphere has all but concluded. Although a few options remain at inside facilities and mountains in the Northern Hemisphere, most skiers and riders have hung up their gear until this fall. However, ski season is well underway south of the Equator.
Because the Southern Hemisphere’s ski season is approaching its final stretch, it seems like a good time to review how winter has been for their various mountainous regions. After all that exposition, let’s dive into the ski season down south.
Argentina: South America couldn’t have started its ski season better. Huge snowfall totals before their projected opening dates led to a few ski areas, like Catedral Alta Patagonia, having early opening weekends. Las Leñas received its most early snowfall in decades but stuck with its original opening date of June 29th.
Snowfall has been less frequent in July and August, but the base depths are still in good shape.
- Grade A: A historic start led to some excellent conditions. While new snow has been harder to come by over the past few months, conditions are still mint, and more snow is on the way.
Australia: The season in the Land Down Under started bleak, and it wasn’t just because many ski resorts had delayed openings. A scientific report called into question the future of winter in Australia, as a research study by the Australian National University (ANU) and Protect Our Winters Australia predicted that the ski season days would drop by over 50% in the worst-case carbon emissions scenario. This fear was heightened by a dry start to winter, leading some mountains to delay their openings.
However, things slowly picked up. Snowfall in July helped the Australian ski areas open more terrain, resulting in accomplishments like Selwyn opening its advanced terrain for the first time since 2019.
However, things have slowed down again, with warm and wet weather diminishing their snowpack over the past week. Some snowy weather may return at the end of the month.
- Grade C: It hasn’t been a deep winter for the Aussies, but decent snowfall totals and solid comeback stories like Charlotte Pass and Selwyn are making things more positive. Unfortunately, this warm stretch makes the situation for the rest of the season look grim.
Chile: Like Argentina, Chile also had a fantastic start to its season. Deep early-season storms resulted in many ski resorts, including Ski Portillo and Valle Nevado, opening earlier than anticipated. Snow has been less frequent in July and August, but things are picking up again.
- Grade A: Deep early-season snowfall set them up for some glorious riding to start the winter off. While things have slowed down, recent snowfall is setting them up for an excellent finish to the season.
Lesotho: Yes, it’s possible to go skiing in Africa. Located in the country of Lesotho, which has the sick nickname of The Moutain Kingdom, is Afriski Mountain Resort. After being closed for all of the 2023 ski season, it’s reopened for skiing and riding this winter. However, the amount of open terrain has been limited due to insufficient natural snowfall.
AFP recently traveled to Afriski and discovered they’re dealing with a lack of natural snowfall and rising operational costs. The owners described the situation as stable but feared what could happen if a COVID-type disaster occurred in the coming years.
- Grade: C. While the lack of snow is a bummer, the fact that it is open after the water issues last year and is currently the only African ski area operating in the Southern Hemisphere is a major positive.
New Zealand: It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for the Kiwis this season.
Snowfall has been minimal on the North Island this season. The two biggest ski fields on the Mt Ruapehu volcano, Pure Tūroa and Whakapapa, have experienced financial difficulties recently. While Tūroa has found a new operator, Whakapapa’s future is more uncertain, with a bidder yet to be picked.
On the South Island, things have begun to pick up. The season did start slow, but a set of storms over the past few weeks has begun to create quality conditions at the most prominent ski fields, like Cardrona, Mt. Hutt, The Remarkables, and Cardrona. The club ski fields that rely on rope tows and natural snowfall, like Broken River and Craigieburn Valley, only recently opened for the season on thin bases.
- Grade: C. Uncertainty for one of the North Island’s ski fields and an inconsistent winter have made this ski season a mixed bag. Wetter weather ahead makes the outlook for the rest of the season uncertain. On the bright side, at least Uber is offering cat skiing trips!
Image/Video Credits: Craigieburn Valley Ski Area, Catederal Alta Patagonia, Hotham Alpine Resort, Ski Portillo, Afriski Mountain Resort, Broken River Ski Area, Mt. Hutt
