Best winter holiday escapes: Snow
By Jim Darby
Cold weather spells one thing for skiers and snowboarders: holiday time. Here are 10 places to enjoy the white stuff across Australia and New Zealand.
Ski or snow play at the newly reopened Mount Selwyn, NSW
If there’s Murphy’s Law in the snow, Selwyn Snow Resort embodies it. Virtually razed in the Black Summer fires, its owners began the painstaking rebuild, only to encounter a pandemic and then, last year, on the cusp of completing the work, flooding rains. They’re now through those Biblical challenges and back to full speed with an improved base area, more snowmaking and dedicated toboggan slopes. On the northern edge of the Snowy Mountains, this is an ideal area for beginner skiers and snowboarders and people who simply want a visit to the snow. See selwynsnow.com.au
Hit the slopes, Kiwi-style at Mount Buller from the Delatite Valley, Victoria
Mount Buller, seen through the vines at the Delatite Winery.
Follow the river down from Mount Buller. Either side of it is rich in accommodation options and food and wine offerings. Ski the way the Kiwis do – stay off-mountain, ski when the weather and conditions are good and when they aren’t, explore the local area. You don’t need to go far – the Delatite Winery, about 10 minutes from Mansfield, has a smart timber and glass cellar door and dining room for wine tastings and long lunches with a local and seasonal emphasis in the menu. See delatitewinery.com.au, mansfieldmtbuller.com.au
Make like an old-time mountaineer at The Hermitage, New Zealand
This is alpine accommodation from an era long ago – of mountaineers smoking pipes and wearing tweed jackets and contemplating the peaks that soar away in the distance. But the Hermitage has been well-nurtured from that era to this, acknowledging its heritage while offering excellent food, sunny terraces and its luxurious Aoraki Wing reopening in August after a thorough refurbishment. This is the base for flights and other adventures into the nearby mountains and is also home to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Museum, acknowledging the exploits of that Kiwi great and others. See hermitage.co.nz
Downsize to Guthega as your Perisher ski base, NSW
Perisher, Australia’s largest ski field – by size and visitor numbers – can seem overwhelming if you arrive at its main base. The small village of Guthega on the other hand, is connected to Perisher’s lift network but has nothing like the crowds. There’s good food and shelter at Base Camp Cafe, at the base of the Car Park chairlift; and a little further along at the Guthega Inn which also offers accommodation. Guthega is also a perfect launching point for ski tourers, with Snowy Mountains Backcountry offering gear and guiding services. See guthegainn.com.au, snowymountainsbackcountry.com.au
Gaze at the stars above Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Among the many advantages of being beyond the crowds is the absence of light pollution. Three hours south-west of Christchurch, the people at the Dark Sky Project call themselves “leaders in astro-tourism” and they deliver. Their “Summit Experience” tours ($NZ159/$146) go to the Summit of Mount John, at 1029 metres, with 360-degree views to the skies from what is the world’s biggest International Dark Sky Reserve. Warm jackets and telescopes are provided, along with expert guides. Never is the Milky Way this close. See darkskyproject.co.nz
Be dazzled by the fireworks and flare runs, NSW and Victoria
Fireworks at Falls Creek, Victoria
With their villages at the foot of the slopes, Thredbo, NSW, and Falls Creek, Victoria, are ideal venues for firework displays. With its village at the top of the ridge, Mount Hotham, Victoria, isn’t a bad choice either. We’re not sure what the wombats make of the noise, but the spectacle of fireworks on the white backdrop is something else. It all happens on Wednesday nights at Mount Hotham, Thursday nights at Falls Creek and Saturday nights at Thredbo, where the fireworks are complimented by a flare run down the mountain. See thredbo.com.au, fallscreek.com.au, mthotham.com.au
Power up for a drive down the Powder Highway, New Zealand
Snowboarding at Mount Hutt, near Methven, with the Canterbury Plains in the distance.
The famed Canadian Powder Highway links some legendary ski fields and ski towns in British Columbia’s Kootenay Rocky Mountains, so the Kiwis thought “we have the Southern Alps, why not us?” This self-drive adventure of a lifetime runs from Christchurch to Methven, down through Mackenzie Country and Lake Tekapo and on to Queenstown. Ski fields include Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak at either end and Mount Dobson, Roundhill, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Ohau in between. See newzealand.com.au
Try out some cool night moves, NSW and Victoria
Skiing or boarding the whole day still isn’t enough? Night skiing or boarding is something else - with the light bouncing bright off the snow and the darkness above, it’s like being in a massive outdoor theatre. At Falls Creek in Victoria, the long and cruisy Wombats Ramble run is lit up on Wednesday and Saturday nights from 6pm to 8.45pm. Over at Perisher in NSW there are two venues. At Smiggin Holes, they run a snow carpet lift for children from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesdays (it’s free) and over on Front Valley at Perisher, the slopes are lit up from 6pm every Tuesday and Saturday. Night skiing at all these areas is free for Epic Australia pass holders, from $24 for others. See skifalls.com.au, perisher.com.au
Ski Queenstown’s less hectic cuz, New Zealand
Treble Cone Wanaka, New Zealand, offers challenging terrain for the adventurous.
It has everything Queenstown does but isn’t quite as hectic; if Queenstown is the Gold Coast, Wanaka is Noosa Heads. It has two main ski fields – Cardrona, with its long groomed runs and world-class halfpipe and terrain park and Treble Cone with a beautiful mountain drive for access and challenging terrain for the adventure-bound. They are now commonly owned, so the one lift pass works for both. Good bars and restaurants abound, Alchemy is one of the better and for a boutique brewing experience, head out to b.effect (beffect.nz) in the industrial estate. See lakewanaka.co.nz
Go for broke at Broken River in the Canterbury club fields, New Zealand
Cantabrians are spoilt for choice when it comes to ski fields – sure, they have the big commercial offering of Mount Hutt close at hand, but they also have a half dozen or so club and smaller commercial fields for a rich mountain experience. Among the better is Broken River on the Craigieburn Range, complete with on-mountain accommodation – unusual in the South Island. The three lodges at the tree line have shared bunk rooms and living areas and catered (from $NZ120/$110 a night) or self-catering (from $NZ70) accommodation. The season is long, the ski lifts are rope tows, there’s no snow grooming and the adventure runs deep. See brokenriver.co.nz
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