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Ski Australia - Victoria

Mount Buffalo Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Mount Buffalo Ski Resort

Mount Buffalo Ratings

Overall: 2.4. Based on 3 votes and 5 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.0

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Mount Buffalo is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.5

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Mount Buffalo has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.0

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 3.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.0

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Mount Buffalo.

Public Transport: 1.0

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Mount Buffalo, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 1.5

(1) No places to stay in/near Mount Buffalo, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 1.0

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 1.0

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Mount Buffalo.

Ski in/Ski out: 1.0

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 1.0

(1) There are no child care facilities at Mount Buffalo, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 1.0

(1) Mount Buffalo relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 2.5

(1) There are no snow groomers at Mount Buffalo, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Mount Buffalo are groomed daily.

Shelter: 5.0

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Mount Buffalo is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.0

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Mount Buffalo, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.5

(1) Mount Buffalo usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.5

(1) The staff at Mount Buffalo are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Mount Buffalo are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.0

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 2.0

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 1.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.5

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.0

(1) No intermediate terrain at Mount Buffalo, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 1.0

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 1.0

(1) Not even a kicker at Mount Buffalo, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.5

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mount Buffalo, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.0

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Mount Buffalo has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 1.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 1.5

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 1.0

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 1.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.0

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 4.0

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 1.0

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 2.5

(1) Overall, Mount Buffalo is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 2.5

(1) Overall, Mount Buffalo is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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June 03, 2019
Jim Faulkner from Ski Australia Australia
Early snow in 2019 season posted on snow-forecast so off we went to see the snow..The highest point on the mountain one can access is 'The Horn'. The last kilometer of muddy track ends at the parking area. Light fine rain with a 30kph wind was not much fun. The local authorities have not done much of a job keeping the climbing track up to The Horn very clean. Every few metres, from the beginning of the track, lie used tissues where people have not even bothered to cover up their crap or tissue piles. There are 2 main ski areas (free access is unusual for Australia); the upper most being 'Cresta' is a carpark where once a kiosk/ski shop was burnt down and dozed years ago. Silent rusting ski lifts stand testament to happier days gone by. An 'emergency shelter' (a container sized shed) is on the car park but securely locked. There is no phone service here as a sign on the shelter warns. 'Dingo Dell' is the first ski area you come to as you ascent the mountain road. It has a small kiosk and ample parking. No lifts there. Staff not hospitable either. So, all in all, the best part is, it's free..
August 08, 2018
David Chitty from Ski Australia Australia
Mount Buffalo Snow Season 2018 Mount Buffalo has some of the best and most accessible snow in Victoria and it’s free as there are no resort fees to enter the park. Located only a 45 minute drive from Porepunkah and Bright, Mount Buffalo is “North East Victoria’s Winter Wonderland” and has extensive areas of snow at both Dingo Dell and Cresta Valley for snow play and tobogganing, cross country skiing or simply enjoying the amazing views. There is a warm and friendly café and day shelter at Dingo Dell where the Mount Buffalo Ski School is based and where there is excellent tobogganing for children and families. The ski school has a range of affordable snow clothes for those that might have forgotten winter warmers and also has toboggans for hire. Cresta Valley has extensive areas available for tobogganing as some of the old ski runs are now available to use for snow play and Cresta is also the hub for cross country skiers to access the groomed Cresta Beginners trail, Bogong Loop and Horn Road ski trails. There are also the longer ungroomed four and six kilometre trails (accessed off the Bogong Loop) and the Lyrebird Plain back country trail from the Horn Road. There is no café at Cresta Valley but there are portable toilets and a small day shelter (unheated). Take your winter woollies and wet weather gear. There is plenty of parking at both Dingo Dell and Cresta Other backcountry ski trails include the longer reservoir road trail. While the Mount McLeod and Rocky Creek ski trails take you further out backcountry. Mount Buffalo Ski School offer daily cross-country ski lessons at Dingo Dell plus half and full day ski tours. The mountain has snowshoe trails (and snow shoes for hire at the Ski School Shop) plus amazing snow hikes to the top of the Hump and the lookout at Dingo Dell. Mount Buffalo Ski School also run regular snowshoe rambles each Wednesday and Saturday afternoon at 2.30. The gorge precinct with its amazing views of the valleys below and the Alps is well worth a visit and the historical Mount Buffalo Chalet covered with snow is a great photo opportunity. Snow camping is available at Lake Catani and Mt McLeod camping areas While there are no ski lifts at Mount Buffalo (the old resort having burnt down in 2006) there are still areas at Cresta Valley where you can back country style alpine ski or snowboard by simply hiking uphill with your skis or board and then traveling back down the old ski runs and of course it is free!
August 21, 2015
Jamie from Ski Australia Australia
We are in the process of working to reopen the Cresta ski lifts at Mt Buffalo as some of the most affordable skiing in Australia. Please check out our facebook page, "Mt Buffalo Snow Resort" or our website mtbuffalo.com for more detailed information. The more support we get from the wider community, the more likely it is to happen.
July 12, 2015
Paul from Ski Australia Australia
A correction: the Mt Buffalo Chalet did not burn down in 2014, it is closed but has received a grant from government for restoration. A fire burned parts of the summit and destroyed some of the ski facilities at Cresta. There is no downhill skiing from the summit now. Trails still exist. The degree to which they are groomed is unknown. Mt Buffalo is popular with sight-seers, campers, climbers and walkers. [note from the editor: some alterations to make sentences.]
July 07, 2014
Brook from Ski Australia Australia
It burnt down. There is no lifts. That picture is ancient. You can cross country ski on some groomed trails and toboggan at two locations. There is a small cafe at Dingo Dell only. The chalet has closed too. Free entry to mountain and great for family with small kids. [note from the editor : thank you for providing updated information on this ski area.]

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