| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Governing body | Snow Australia |
| National team(s) | Australia |
Skiing in Australia takes place in the Australian Alps in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as well as in the mountains of the island state Tasmania, during the Southern Hemisphere winter.
Skiing began in Australia at the goldrush town of Kiandra, New South Wales, in 1861.[1] The first ski tow was constructed on the Mount Buffalo plateau, Victoria, in 1936. Australian skiers competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time in Oslo 1952 and have competed in all subsequent Games, winning medals at every Games since 1998.[2] Malcolm Milne became the first non-European to win a ski race world cup in 1969, and Olympic medalists include Zali Steggall, Alisa Camplin, Dale Begg-Smith, Lydia Lassila and David Morris in skiing and Torah Bright, Scotty James[3] in snowboarding.[4][5]
Australia has extensive skiable terrain during the southern hemisphere winter in the south eastern states and Australian Capital Territory, between elevations of around 1250 m to 2200 m. Elevation of the snowfields in Australia varies with latitude; however, viable winter snows are generally found above 1500 m: Thredbo, near Mount Kosciuszko, has Australia's highest lifted point at 2037 m and its base elevation is 1365 m. Kiandra, in the Northern Skifields, has an elevation of 1400 m, while Mount Mawson near Hobart, Tasmania, is at 1250 m.[6][7][8][9]
Australia has five major downhill ski resorts: Perisher and Thredbo in New South Wales and Mount Buller, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham in Victoria. Smaller downhill resorts such as Selwyn Snow Resort and Charlotte Pass in New South Wales, Mount Baw Baw in Victoria, and Ben Lomond and Mount Mawson in Tasmania provide a more relaxed experience than the busy major resorts and are popular with novice skiers and families. Cross-country skiing is popular in Kosciuszko National Park, the Alpine National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park, Baw Baw National Park, and Mount Buffalo National Park. It is also possible within Namadgi National Park of the ACT and in the Tasmanian Wilderness in the right conditions.
- ^ "Kiandra - Gold fields to Ski Fields" ISBN 0646463373
- ^ "Australia at the Winter Olympics". Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ "Snowboard Beijing 2022".
- ^ Oakes-Ash, Rachael (30 July 2007), "Snow Divide - Australia vs New Zealand", The Age Newspaper Travel Blog, Melbourne, retrieved 4 May 2010
- ^ Australian Olympic Committee, "Winter Olympic Games", Official Website of the AOC, retrieved 4 May 2010
- ^ "Kiandra - Culture and History", Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November 2008, retrieved 4 May 2010
- ^ "Australia Resorts", ski.com.au, archived from the original on 31 December 2012, retrieved 4 May 2010
- ^ Selwyn Snowfields, "History", Selwyn Snowfields Website, retrieved 4 May 2010
- ^ Kiandra Historical Society, "Ski Clubs of Kiandra", Kiandra Historical Society Website, retrieved 4 May 2010