Australia’s leading ski resorts of Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham are kicking off the countdown to winter with lift passes, lessons and rentals on sale now, giving snow lovers the chance to lock in great value ahead of the 2026 snow season. 

“This will be a fantastic year to learn skiing or snowboarding and we hope to see more ‘bucket-list beginners’ trying the sport for the first time,” said Emily Smith, Senior Manager – Brand & Experience for Vail Resorts Australia. “Whether guests are stepping on snow for the very first time or returning with renewed aspirations, instructors at our resorts will be able to help them achieve their dreams – big or small.” 

Many of the resort’s snowsports instructors and rental teams work at Vail Resorts’ international resorts, such as Canada’s Whistler Blackcomb, over the summer months in Australia – chasing winter year-round. They bring skills back with them to ensure highly qualified instruction for Australian guests and the benefit of year-round employment keeping their teaching techniques fresh.

“You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy the mountains,” said Emily. “Whether it’s fresh air and a short break from the city, or a more regular ritual to visit and find joy in the winter months, there’s never been a better time to take a mental reset in the mountains, from First Tracks to beginner bundles and après moments, there’s something for everyone.”

Perisher: Australia’s largest ski resort has plenty of space and terrain for all abilities, so every skier and snowboarder can benefit from a lesson – book here. 

Falls Creek: With 450ha of skiable terrain to discover, you can explore picturesque Falls Creek at any skill level – book here. 
Hotham:  Adventure further at Hotham, from first turns to building confidence on Australia’s most exhilarating terrain – book here. 

Looking for the best deal on lift access?         

Save big compared to lift tickets at Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham this winter with Epic Australia Passes. 

• Epic Australia Pass – Unlock unlimited laps at Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham this winter with the Pass that pays for itself in 5 days. Then explore 80+ world class resorts overseas including Whistler Blackcomb in Canada, Hakuba in Japan and more! 
• Epic Australia 4-Day Pass – ski or ride any 4 days this season for $158/day*. 

Pass holders also enjoy exclusive discounts like 20% off lessons and rentals. 

For more information, please visit www.perisher.com.au, www.skifalls.com.au, www.hotham.com.au or www.epicaustraliapass.com.au.  

*(Prices are correct as of the date of publishing and are subject to change) 

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Vail Resorts announced Richard Phillips as its next Vice President and General Manager of Hotham and Falls Creek ski resorts, effective Sept. 14. Phillips currently serves as VP and GM of Falls Creek and will oversee both resorts in his new role, creating new synergies and collaboration between the neighbouring resorts. Tina Burford, the current Vice President and General Manager at Hotham, has been appointed the new Sr. Director of Skier Services at Park City Mountain in Park City, Utah – the largest ski resort in the United States. She will relocate to the U.S. after the closing of Hotham in winter 2025. 

Rich has led the team at Falls Creek for nearly 6 years and has more than 25 years of experience in the ski industry in Australia, including former roles in sales and marketing at both Perisher and Thredbo. During his time at Falls Creek, Rich has developed strong partnerships with the local community, which are critical to resort operations and the success of the resort as a winter destination. He has also been a strong advocate for improved snowmaking on key areas of terrain at Falls Creek to improve access to lodging and village services, enhancing the resort and guest experience. 

“Rich is a driven, thoughtful, strategic leader and community partner, and he is the right person to bring together the leadership of both Falls Creek and Hotham,” said Jody Churich, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Vail Resorts’ West Region. “This multi-resort leadership model has proven successful in our operation of resorts in North America, creating deeper connections, better efficiencies, and encouraging more collaboration across resorts that are closely related based on size, scale, and geography. I look forward to Rich taking on this expanded role for our company in Australia and bringing this model to life for Falls Creek and Hotham.” 

“I am super excited to be joining the Hotham team and community in this new role,” Rich said. “With Hotham being a part of the Vail Resorts family, I have been exposed to the resort in many ways and have been inspired by the passion shown for the mountain and the constant drive to improve the guest experience across all areas of the resort. I am well aware there is much to learn and I’m hungry to better understand all facets of such a unique and beautiful resort. I not only look forward to the opportunity to bring my knowledge and experience to Hotham but also the opportunity to learn from that team and community as I expand my role and impact across our resorts in Australia. Tina has done an incredible job leading the team at Hotham and providing a great experience for skiers and riders, and I am honoured to carry that work forward with the foundation she and the leadership team have set over the last two years.” 

Tina Burford has been a long-time leader in the ski industry with a career spanning more than four decades with 32 years at Perisher, including as the resort services director and two years at Hotham as the VP and GM. During Tina’s time at Hotham, she was instrumental in revitalisation efforts across the resort, including reimagining the overall resort experience and the Snowsports School experience. Specifically, she led the redesign and relocation of the Kids Snowsport School to enhance the beginner and family experience with a fresh indoor space and new dedicated learning areas on snow. At the same time, she and her team successfully repurposed the former learning space to implement a progression-focused terrain park and freestyle zone for resort skiers and riders. 

“I am excited to see Tina take on a critical role for our company and team at Park City Mountain in the U.S. after such an accomplished career in Australia,” Jody said. “Tina has vast experience training and teaching at resort ski and snowboard schools around the world and has even been an instructor at Vail Mountain in the U.S. With this move and her appointment to a key role at one of our North American resorts, Tina is following in the footsteps of another accomplished leader from our Australian region, Belinda Trembath, who has brought her Aussie perspective and leadership to Whistler Blackcomb as the resort’s COO starting in 2023. We are grateful to have such talented leaders share their impact across the Vail Resorts global portfolio of resorts.” 

“I am incredibly proud of the work that we have done at Hotham during my time there as Vice President and General Manager, and particularly our work to improve the Snowsports School experience for our guests,” Tina said. “Prior to leading Hotham, I spent a large part of my career running resort skier services at Perisher, and I am excited to return to these roots at the iconic Park City Mountain. I am incredibly passionate about this sport, its growth for our resorts and our industry, and inspiring the next generation of skiers and snowboarders. I look forward to bringing this passion and drive to the team at Park City.” 

Both Rich and Tina will transition into their new roles towards the close of the 2025 Australian winter season, with Rich’s role as Vice President and General Manager of Falls Creek and Hotham effective starting Sept. 14. Tina will transition into her new role after the closing of Hotham in winter 2025. 

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• Big D ski area to become a dedicated progression-focused freestyle and terrain park zone that will also be home to night terrain park sessions and events
• Big D buildings to be repurposed with the view to expand indoor facilities and services to benefit both guests and staff 
• Kids Snowsports School to move from the Big D to Hotham Central, and surface lifts to be relocated to support the learning experience for both Kids and Adults, bringing snowsports together at Hotham

Hotham is excited to share plans for the 2025 snow season, which will see the Big D terrain evolve into a dedicated progression focused freestyle and terrain park to include a huge variety of jump and rail lines, a permanent mogul course and a mini boarder x course. It will also become home to night freestyle events, with night skiing and boarding also remaining at the Big D, offering both terrain park features as well as a regular ski run option.

“We are so excited to bring this new offering to life at Hotham. We’re creating something unique to Australia that will really appeal to Hotham guests and families, who we know are progression focused and always up for adventure,” says Tina Burford, Hotham’s Vice President and General Manager. “We thank our staff and stakeholders for coming on this journey with us and helping us to provide leadership and innovation in the Australian snow industry.”

These changes will allow for exciting new opportunities for the Big D building, which will be developed over the next few years, for both staff and guest use, as well as space for development programs and camps. It will be an exciting multiyear journey to fully develop and recognise the potential for this space.

“Terrain parks are ever popular with skiers and snowboarders,” says Briony Johnson, Hotham’s Terrain Park Supervisor. “Not only are they a great place to learn skills in a controlled environment but they also create a social hub for riders. We are looking forward to putting our creativity to the test and creating fun and exciting lines for skiers and riders of all abilities. Watch this space as we bring this new part of Hotham to life!”

This progression focused park will also provide the perfect development opportunities for Hotham’s more challenging terrain and the bigger features of the Summit Terrain Park.

Currently located at Big D, the Kids Snowsports School will be relocating to Hotham Central with Mighty Mites (3–6-year-olds) meeting indoors downstairs at Hotham Central and Kids Club (7-14-year-olds) meeting on snow at the back of Hotham Central. 

“Based on both guest and staff feedback around the challenges of Big D being separate to the rest of the resort, we are bringing both adult and children’s snowsports together at Hotham Central to create a seamless experience for guests,” said Chris Lewczynski, Hotham Snowsports School Senior Manager.

Centralising the snowsports offering will improve the guest experience by reducing the amount of bus trips required, increasing the time on snow for both children in lessons and parents heading out on the slopes, while increasing safety by removing the need for kids in lessons to frequently travel on a bus with their instructors or reach the carpets mid-mountain on the Big D.

To support this change, a number of surface lifts will be relocated over the next two years and a new indoor space will be created in Hotham Central for Hotham’s youngest learners. For the 2025 season, the Bunderool carpet will be used exclusively for kids lessons and the Pup’s Playground carpet lift will be moved as an additional lift for the Kids Snowsports School. The Summit Trainer Poma will be removed and replaced with Harry’s, the longer Big D carpet, to better support Hotham’s adult learners. This will significantly improve their learning experience, particularly for snowboarders. Future plans include the potential to relocate the current Summit Trainer lift to the skiers right of the Sun Run, to provide a good intermediate run option when upper lifts are wind affected.

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The snowfalls are about to begin on what will be a major dump in the resorts over the next few days. Snowatch will collect images of the snowfalls and post them here as they come in.

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Already this May we have seen two decent snowfalls turn the mountains white. Below is a collection of photos from the resorts.

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This weekend marks the ‘Official’ opening to season 2019, even though a few resorts are already up and running due to the best early snowfalls since 2000. We take a look at what lifts each resort are planning on running this weekend.

Perisher

Opened last Friday with skiing and boarding on Front Valley. The V8 chair and magic carpet have been running all this week with a terrain park for those who love the jumps. The grooming team have been out preparing more runs for this weekend and we will see skiing and boarding at all of the four resorts that make up Perisher (Perisher, Blue Cow, Guthega and Smiggin Holes). The Terminal and Summit Quad Chairs in Blue Cow as well as the Triple and Double Chairs in Mt Perisher will be spinning with more lifts to be announced shortly. Great news today with the opening of the brand new Leichhardt Chair.

Thredbo

Friday Flat will be opening on Saturday for beginners to have a slide. For the more advanced the Cruiser chair up top will be running accessing the Merritt’s area.

Falls Creek

This weekend will be the BIGGEST opening on record for Falls Creek! 7 lifts will be spinning this weekend:

• Halley’s Comet
• Eagle Express
• Towers
• Drovers
• Gully
• Mousetrap & Pete’s Train

– opening up terrain to suit all abilities and offering the perfect chance to shake off the cobwebs and get your ski or snowboard legs back into action!

Hotham

Hotham will be opening on Friday with the Audi Quattro Chair running from 8.30am. Hopefully after some snow next week and cold nights we can see more area opening very soon.

Mt Buller

The brand spanking new Bourke Street Express chair has been operating since last Friday. This weekend Fox, Skyline, Bourke Street Express, Bourke St carpet and Mercedes-Benz will all be spinning giving skiers and boarders plenty or terrain to explore. Bourke St will also include some small jumps and features.

Mt Baw Baw

Mt Baw Baw has more snow than it probably has had at the start of the season since I can remember, and I’ve been forecasting for over 20 years. There was already a nice base before around 40cm of big fat flakes dropped on Monday. Lifts open for this weekend to be advised.

Selwyn Snow Resort

Selwyn Snow Resort was the first to open last Thursday with the New Chum Chair spinning, and well as snow play and tobogganing.

Charlotte Pass

Charlotte Pass usually opens a couple of weeks after the official opening weekend but this year due to the excellent early snowfalls will be running the Kosi Triple Chair to the top accessing plenty of terrain.

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