Southern Hemisphere Weekly Snow Roundup #283

• Big closing weekend caps bumper Aussie season
• Argentina wraps a lean winter; World Cup stars trained south
• New Zealand keeps turning; Ruapehu eyeing last lifts late October
• Chile extends spring laps with broad terrain still open

Southern Hemisphere Overview

Last weekend marked a significant closing weekend in the southern hemisphere, with approximately 20 still-open resorts calling it a day on their 2025 seasons, leaving just a dozen still open for a few more weeks of spring skiing and riding.

The final five ski areas open in Australia were amongst those calling it a day on their 2025 seasons. There was a final bonus in what has been a bumper snowfall season, by Aussie standards, with another 4-8cm (2-3") of snowfall reported ahead of the final weekend, before which sunshine returned.

"Winter isn't done with us yet! We've had 3cm of snow overnight, with more snow set to fall throughout the day. Come and get those last laps in and enjoy the fresh October snowfall before the season comes to a close on Sunday. The fresh snow is a perfect way to head into the weekend, with sunshine forecasted for Saturday and Sunday. We're heading into our final weekend with seven lifts spinning and plenty of great turns to be found."

Said Sarah Gamon, Falls Creek's Field Marketing Coordinator, on Thursday.

The last two ski areas that had been operating in Argentina for 2025 also concluded their seasons on Sunday, marking the end of what has been a relatively poor, low-snowfall season there. The largest centre, Cerro Catedral near Bariloche, as well as the world's most southerly ski resort, Cerro Castor at Tierra del Fuego, had been the last to open. Numerous ski world cup racing stars had been at Cerro Castor last week for training ahead of the start of the 25-26 Olympic-year world cup season later this month up at Solden in the Austrian Alps.

A handful of southern hemisphere ski areas do remain open, though, for 1-3 weeks more, even as we fast approach the mid-point of meteorological springtime.

New Zealand

Four ski areas remain open in New Zealand, with Mt. Ruapehu’s Whakapapa and Tūroa on the North Island, now separately operated, expected to run until the final Sunday of October, the last in the southern hemisphere as usual. Meanwhile, Mt. Hutt and The Remarkables on the South Island wrap up this Sunday. Conditions are springlike but variable, with fresh snow, sunshine, and occasional storms. Mt Hutt saw fresh snow at the weekend but then faced drizzle, sleet, and limited visibility, with highs around +4°C and lows down to –6°C. On Mt. Ruapehu, the conditions are primarily soft snow and changeable visibility, with strong winds being an issue at times; however, increasingly clear weather is expected. Conditions are increasingly mild across New Zealand's ski areas, but with overnight freezes continuing in high terrain, delivering good morning conditions on the groomers.

Forecast
Settled spring conditions are forecast across New Zealand's ski areas, with sunshine and mild temperatures expected to prevail. On the South Island, it will be sunny and dry, with freezing levels rising above 2,500 m. Daytime highs at altitude range from –2°C to +4°C, with little to no new snowfall expected. On the North Island, there'll also be clear skies and warmer air, with temperatures reaching +6°C at upper elevations.

Forecast
Settled spring conditions are forecast across New Zealand's ski areas, with sunshine and mild temperatures dominating. On the South Island, it will be sunny and dry, with freezing levels rising above 2,500 m. Daytime highs at altitude range from –2°C to +4°C, with little to no new snowfall expected. On the North Island, there'll also be clear skies and warmer air, with temperatures reaching +6°C at upper elevations.

Chile

Three Chilean ski areas remain open until Sunday, 12 October, offering a final taste of spring skiing. Valle Nevado (40/140cm / 167/56”) has the most terrain still available, with 100% of slopes still skiable, it reports, along with La Parva (30/130cm / 12/52” / 50% of slopes still open) and Corralco (40/110cm / 16/44” / 85% of slopes still open). Conditions are typically spring-like, with clear skies, softening snow, and daytime temperatures ranging from 5 °C to 15 °C. Coverage is best on upper pistes, with early starts recommended to catch firmer snow before the afternoon thaw.

Forecast
Dry, sunny spring conditions are expected across Chile’s still open ski areas, with no significant snowfall forecast. The Central Andes should see clear skies and mild temperatures, with highs around +11°C to +15°C at altitude (2,500–3,300 m). Nights will only see the numbers dip to +5°C to +6°C. Further south, it will be partly cloudy, with slightly cooler air and light winds. The snowpack will continue to melt, with no fresh accumulation expected.

Australia

The final five ski areas open in Australia closed after a late 4–8cm (2–3") top-up and a sunny send-off to what has been a bumper snowfall season by Aussie standards.

Argentina

Cerro Catedral and Cerro Castor concluded their seasons on Sunday after a relatively poor, low-snowfall winter. Training by ski world cup stars at Cerro Castor wrapped ahead of the 25-26 World Cup opener at Solden.