Victoria’s Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, and Mount Buller will be open to skiers and snowboarders on Saturday, a week earlier than planned, along with Perisher in NSW.
Anton Grimus, co-operations manager at the Mount Buller-based Grimus Ski Centre, has called on the state and federal governments to provide more clarity and a smoother process for getting working holiday-makers, who usually make up about one-third of his staff, back to the mountain.
Anton Grimus, a former Winter Olympian, says backpackers play a key role in the Australian ski industry.“Staffing shortages has been a big issue – there just hasn’t been the inquiry,” he said. An adult day pass at Mount Hotham costs $120 on Saturday, before rising to $148 for the following two weekends and $185 on June 25.
But Thredbo general manager Stuart Diver doesn’t believe cheaper lift prices in New Zealand will hurt Australian operators.“Skiing in New Zealand is a very different market because you can’t stay on the mountain – you have to drive up every day,” he said.