Let’s be clear about this from the start, skiing in Australia is a debatable proposition.
The world’s driest, hottest and flattest continent doesn’t leap quickly to mind in discussions about great global skiing destinations.
Addressing obvious shortcomings, snow making machinery pumps white stuff when natural snowfall is lacking. It’s the guarantee during bad years and a reliable back up even during good ones. Hotham sources its water for snow making from a man-made reservoir as do most other Australian ski resorts.
Last year’s was a ripper of a season. Deep snow lasted until the end of September while lucky skiers enjoyed one of the best springs in living memory.
Hotham during one of last season’s blizzards.
Perhaps last year was something of a swan song but I hope not. I love skiing through snow gums. I love the adrenalin rush of Hotham’s challenging downhill runs.
Most of all, I love the feeling of being on top of our old slightly crumpled continent.
Due care is taken in preserving one of Australia’s most delicate eco-systems. Rare flora and fauna (Mountain pygmy possums for example) are integral to this unique alpine ecology.
Strict regulations are in force working in conjunction with a proactive management team. Nevertheless, Hotham’s future as a winter ski destination is totally reliant on a global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. As our climate warms, skiing in Australia is becoming more a contentious business than ever. Consequently, bottom line economic practices speak loudly in Aussie ski resorts while carbon reduction emission schemes take precedence.
Making snow while the sun shines ain’t easy.
Putting portentous predictions aside, when conditions and location come together, right time, right place; skiing in Australia can be damned fine. As the snow falls, Aussie Alpine resorts fill up to the max with powder junkies from around the world. Though true powder is a rarity, in good years up to three metres cover the slopes, more than enough to satisfy even the most ardent ski bunny.
Skiers atop Hotham with Mount Feathertop background.
Which is where Victoria’s Mount Hotham rightly stands out amongst its peers; it’s a skier’s mountain. 320 hectares comprised of 20% beginner, 40% intermediate and 40% advanced separates Hotham from other Australian snow resorts with its preponderance of advanced skiing slopes.
Hotham downhill at its best.
Australia’s other top ski destinations: Perisher Blue, Thredbo, Falls Creek and Mount Buller all offer thigh-burning expert runs but none has such a greater percentage of advanced runs as Hotham. There’s an overall vertical drop of 395 metres, enough to rattle the sturdiest legs while the back bowls present a challenge even to the most expert skiers.
Having skied down a majority of Hotham’s runs, I’m willing to stick my neck out and admit that here is where I feel most like a novice. A cocky skier is an injured skier, so the saying goes. I’m no proto Olympian but I’m a reasonably competent skier. Looking straight down into a black run doesn’t make me want to wet my pants and scream ‘Mommy!’ like it did when I first donned skis and ‘stacked’ spectacularly at least twice a day.
Hotham slopes.
Hotham’s double black runs remind me I’m still on my L-plates but I don’t mind that at all. An award winning ski instructor with whom I fortunately spent a couple days skiing during private lessons in New Zealand told me that ‘you never stop learning when skiing.’ Sage advice I’ve since followed like an obedient child.
Snowboarding on Hotham.
A point of further discussion, Australia versus New Zealand: what’s the difference? All Aussie ski resorts boast an advantage over their cross Tasman rivals which is, quite simply, ski-in-ski-out accommodation. While New Zealand’s mountains are higher and let’s face it, snowier, its resorts are lower. Much as I love skiing in NZ, I’m less enamoured of the drive-in, drive-out access, particularly at day’s end when narrow roads and countless corkscrew turns combine randomly with drivers who’ve soaked up too much alcohol during lunch.
There’s much more to be mentioned in this discussion but for now, I’m talking about Mount Hotham in Victoria.
Hotham is blessed with being very high up (by Aussie standards) so its hotels and lodges have almost universal doorstep lift access. Why waste time commuting? My preference is always for easy slope and lift access. I don’t like driving to a carpark for a short winter’s day skiing. During a recent stay in one of Hotham’s many self-contained units, three main lifts (The Village, The Summit, The Playground) were literally outside my Schnapps flat window. Perfect.
Ski in ski out accommodation at Hotham.
Hotham’s main village is quite small with a rather narrow selection of evening activities. Zirky’s hotel is the stand-out amongst a larger assortment of rental accommodation (all self-contained, 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms) and a smattering of pubs/restaurants strewn along the main drag, the Great Alpine Road. Zirky’s is the non plus ultra of Hotham’s boutique hotels with a fine selection of dining options. At Hotham Central’s White Crystal Apartments, the White Bar is the place for imaginative cocktails and food. Snowbird, Avalanche, Jack Frost and the Last Run Bar all compete in attracting the serious après-ski crowds, the Last Run Bar being the favourite with permanent residents and employees.
Hotham Central during a blizzard.
Dinner Plain is linked to Hotham Village by the Great Alpine Highway, approximately ten kilometres away. Free shuttle buses operate between the two villages as well as linking all lift access points in Hotham itself, eliminating the need to drive.
Dinner Plain offers a more varied selection of restaurants, cafes and bars. The best meals I’ve eaten have been at the Japanese inspired Tsubo Bar & Restaurant in the Onsen building. Even if you don’t ski, a meal at Tsubo is worth a trip to Hotham/Dinner Plain in itself. Chef Hamish Nugent worked with Beechworth’s Provenance chef/proprietor Michael Ryan. With that kind of mentoring behind him it’s no wonder his food is so bloody excellent.
Cilantro Tapas and Wine bar recently changed management and is now called Sola Copa (‘Only Glass of Vino’ is a rough translation). We haven’t tried it yet. Peppers Rundells Alpine Lodge’s Graze Restaurant and Top Paddock Bar is also highly recommended.
Dinner Plain bird feeding post.
The Onsen at Dinner Plain is more than just a touch of Japan. With a comprehensive range of massage treatments, it’s a godsend to any weary skier. The Onsen’s totally enticing open-air hot pool resembling Japanese thermal springs is pure delight. I’ve rested in this pool while snowflakes were falling gently on my head, thinking of Japan’s famous hot-pool loving macaque monkeys, convinced they’re smarter than most humans.
Dinner Plain town centre.
Naked Facts:
See www.mthotham.com.au for all information pertaining to accommodation, lift tickets, holiday deals, weather and ski conditions and trail maps.
See www.hothamholidays.com.au for accommodation options, flights and transfers, ski passes, equipment hire, snowsports lessons, grocery deliveries and activities.
Naked Short List:
When skiing or boarding isn’t enough, try one of these off-piste activities:
Snow Grooming Tour. Ride one of the snowcats during a night time grooming run, getting up close and personal with very high-tech machinery that keeps the slopes in mint condition.
Sparkling Sunset Tour, just as it says, sunset from atop Mount Hotham (1,861 metres), lots of Brown Brothers sparkling wine or beer, gourmet nibbles and a view to die for taking in Mounts Feathertop, Bogong, Blowhard and Buffalo. On very clear days, you can see right over the border to Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest elevation (2,228 metres).
Snowshoe Tour, is something for everyone who can walk. Ramble through the backwoods of Dinner Plain made easier in snowshoes. It’s a tour with a strong ecological focus, prime opportunity to get to know better the local flora and fauna.
Sled Dog Tours, in and around Dinner Plain are great ways to see Aussie back country in excellent canine company, human minders included.
For expert skiers, the Kat Skiing Adventures includes the inaccessible back bowls of Golden Point.
For all kids at heart with some advanced ski and snowboard experience Hotham boasts four, count ‘em, four very fine terrain parks.
Cross-country (Nordic) skiers won’t be disappointed either. Hotham/Dinner Plain has 35 kilometres of cross country trails with circuits ranging in length between 2 and 15 kilometres. The Pub-to-Pub cross country race between Hotham’s General Store downhill to Dinner Plain’s Hotel takes place annually. It’s a blast.
Mount Hotham also offers Australia’s only biathlon range, designed specially for Olympic athletes and Defence Force events. See www.biathlon.asn.au