Australia Set for 60cm Storm Surge as July Snow Begins

• Cardrona Opens Soho Basin, Becomes NZ’s Biggest Ski Area Ever
• Argentinian Resorts Catch Up Fast with 59cm Dump This Week
• Chile’s Top Resorts Now Fully Open, Over 100km of Slopes Ready
• Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak Hit 100% Operations in NZ Snow Surge

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE INTRO

Most of the Southern Hemisphere's ski nations have reported some good snowfalls this week as the 2025 season continues to pick up pace. All centres are now open, with those in Argentina—previously reporting the slowest start to the season—seeing a good dump to start this week and now reporting much-improved base depths and significantly more terrain open than a week ago. More snow has fallen over the border in Chile too, where more centres are nearing Valle Nevado, which has been reporting 100% of its terrain open for several weeks. The snow has been falling in Australia for several days, and base depths are now looking very healthy, with more and more terrain opening up. Storm totals look like they could reach 60cm (2 feet) in some areas. There’s been snowfall in New Zealand as well, where again it’s a case of deepening bases and more terrain opening, including Cardrona’s Soho Basin, marking the start of its new status as the country’s largest ski area.

AUSTRALIA REPORT

After a sunny end to last week, conditions have been more unsettled in the Australian Alps since Sunday, with ski areas picking up typical 5–15cm (2–6") snowfall accumulations most days since the weekend—further bolstering what are already pretty good conditions a month into the season. Resorts are expecting totals around 30cm (12”) to 60cm (24”) by the time the current system finishes falling later this week. However, icing has been an issue, reportedly delaying the opening of some lifts at Falls Creek (50/75cm / 20/30") on Wednesday morning as teams battled to de-ice lifts. Once opened, it's posting the most terrain available in the country, with about 60% / 30km / 19 miles of runs available. Thredbo (55/103cm / 22/41") is on similar terrain numbers and is the first to reach the metre (40") base depth this season. The largest resort, Perisher (60/80cm / 24/32"), is about 40% open so far, with 27km / 17 miles of runs available. The resort reported 10cm (4”) of snowfall on the first day of the storm on Wednesday and that it had 35 lifts and 48 groomed runs operating.

AUSTRALIA FORECAST

The current front is expected to continue bringing unsettled weather and snowfall over the next few days, with temperatures down to -5°C overnight and daytime highs around +5 to +7°C. Another 15–30cm (6–12") of snowfall is expected by the weekend, after which skies will clear and sunshine will return. "It's shaping up to be a really snowy July. We've got snow in the forecast for 9 out of the next 10 days, which should set the season up really well," said Emily Smith, Hotham Marketing Manager. "We should see around 20 to 30 centimetres of snowfall tonight and by the weekend up to 40 centimetres of snow. We've had a great start to the season and July is looking even better—we can't wait!"

NEW ZEALAND REPORT

Regular snowfalls throughout June and July have put New Zealand’s ski resorts in solid shape as the season hits full stride. Mount Hutt (110/150cm / 44/60”) has led the charge over the past few weeks and was the first resort to reach full operations after exceeding the one-metre snow depth milestone. However, Coronet Peak (20/70cm / 8/28") probably has the most terrain open now, with 40km (25 miles) of runs—100% open. Cardrona (50/85cm / 20/34") has since expanded its terrain offerings and now boasts the potential to offer the most runs of any resort in the country. That’s thanks to the newly launched Soho Basin, which officially opened last weekend. "This is such a huge milestone for the Aotearoa ski industry," said Laura Hedley, Chief Mountains Officer for Cardrona and Treble Cone. "To get this lift and terrain open, after decades of dreaming of what could be… it's a pretty emotional moment for our entire team." The opening coincided with a fresh snowfall of 15–30cm (6–12") reported across many Kiwi ski areas late last week. Since then, the weather has remained mostly sunny, with temperatures ranging from -5°C to +7°C.

NEW ZEALAND FORECAST

Forecasts suggest more unsettled conditions are on the way, with further snow expected by the week's end. Average totals of 5–15cm (2–6") are forecast across the country’s ski areas through the remainder of this week and the weekend.

ARGENTINA REPORT

Argentina’s ski areas still have a way to go to catch up to the Southern Hemisphere’s other ski nations in early-season accumulations, but they received a big boost at the start of this week with significant 30–59cm (12–20”) accumulations between Sunday and Tuesday. Otherwise, it has been another largely dry and sunny week. Reported snow depths—though still not huge—have definitely improved with the fresh snow. Las Leñas (40/80cm / 16/32”) has jumped from just a few kilometres to 40% of its slopes open. Southerly Cerro Castor (70/80cm / 28/32”) has the most terrain open in percentage terms, with about two-thirds of its runs open, and is the first in the country to report more than half its terrain open this season.

ARGENTINA FORECAST

Sunny conditions are expected to continue in all but the far south of the country. Ski areas in Tierra del Fuego will see temperatures dip as low as -10°C at the weekend, rarely rising above freezing, with regular snow showers. Everywhere else, the rest of the week looks likely to be mostly dry and sunny, with temperatures in the -5 to +7°C range.

CHILE REPORT

Sunny skies have been dominating the Chilean weather this week, with clear skies across much of the country, though some very cold nights on ski slopes—down towards -10°C—and daytime highs not getting much above freezing. Thanks to earlier snow accumulation, things are looking good on most Chilean slopes. The Southern Hemisphere’s largest interconnected ski region—incorporating La Parva (35/125cm / 14/50”), Valle Nevado (30/120cm / 12/48”) and El Colorado (30/125cm / 12/50”)—is now pretty much fully open, with over 100km (63 miles) of slopes available between them. Portillo (60/140cm / 24/56”) has also announced it has opened more terrain this week, with Juncalillo and Caracara coming into operation for 2025.

CHILE FORECAST

Mostly clear skies are forecast to continue through the coming week, with the first signs of change and a snow-bearing front expected to move through in six or seven days—most likely impacting the south first, though it's still too far off for certainty. It will remain cold, with temperatures ranging from -10°C to -2°C and not getting above freezing during the day on ski slopes.

LESOTHO REPORT

Afriski (10/20cm / 4/8") has posted video and got its webcam working again, revealing good conditions on its main slope, which is about a kilometre long. It's been a mostly dry week with plenty of sunshine—typical for southern Africa—with temperatures predominantly in the -5 to +5°C range.

LESOTHO FORECAST

Mostly the usual sunny weather, although the weekend should see some cloud cover. However, it’s not expected to deliver any snow. Temperatures will range from -5°C overnight to +8°C during the day.