Portillo’s 41cm Dump Sets Stage for Chile’s Imminent Season Start

• Andes & NZ Lead Pre-Season Snowfall as Aussie Resorts Fire Up Snowmaking
• Australia’s Subzero Temps Trigger Snowmaking Surge Ahead of June Openings
• Fresh Powder for NZ’s Mt Hutt as Early Season Kickoff Nears
• Afriski Countdown Begins: Will Lesotho See Opening-Day Snow?

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE INTRO

The start of the 2025 ski season is, at most, just over a week away, with a number of ski areas in Australia, Lesotho, and New Zealand planning season starts around 31st May/1st June—in most cases thanks to all-weather snowmaking machines.

The natural stuff has been falling too, though, raising anticipation levels, while some resorts have also seen temperatures drop low enough to enable conventional snowmaking systems to run pre-season test firings. This week, the Andes have posted the biggest falls, but there's also been more snowfall in New Zealand and a few flakes—as well as subzero temperatures, causing great excitement—in Australia.

AUSTRALIA REPORT

Australian ski areas received the light dusting of snow that had been forecast for the weekend, as well as temperatures dipping as low as -5°C, resulting in snowmaking systems firing up overnight. The temperature dropped to almost -5°C at Hotham on Sunday, and resort staff said their team will be making the most of every snowmaking window thanks to a multi-year snowmaking pipeline project started this summer. At Falls Creek, temperatures as low as -4°C overnight were reported, along with snow flurries, giving the resort the chance to fire up their snowmaking, including new automated TechnoAlpin snow guns on Drovers Dream.

Australia's ski season is due to kick off in just over a fortnight for most of the country's resorts on June 7th—the start of the King's Birthday long holiday weekend in most of the country's states. Mt Buller, with its five TechnoAlpin SnowFactory all-weather snowmaking machines, is one of the most snow-sure options. Corin Forest also now has a SnowFactory unit and is already open for snow play (but not skiing and boarding) on snow produced by that.

AUSTRALIA FORECAST

Some more unsettled weather for the latter half of this week, but temperatures are mostly expected to hover at freezing or a degree or two above, meaning rain, sleet, or (hopefully) snow showers incoming. Drier and sunnier from the weekend onward.

NEW ZEALAND REPORT

There's been more snowfall on New Zealand ski slopes, with Porters and Mount Hutt among those reporting another 5-10cm accumulation to start the week. Mt Hutt has previously announced that it plans to open a week on Saturday, 31st May, thanks to its big May snowfalls, and Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu plans to open limited snow fun and beginner terrain in its Happy Valley sector the same weekend on the North Island—though in its case, that's thanks to all-weather snowmaking.

NEW ZEALAND FORECAST

Mostly sunny weather for New Zealand's mountains for the week ahead. Temperatures will range from -5°C on high slopes overnight to as warm as +10°C in the afternoons at base levels.

ARGENTINA REPORT

Cold and snowy weather has continued on Argentinian ski slopes this week, with the world's most southerly ski area, Cerro Castor, among those reporting fresh snow covering their slopes again. However, we are not seeing the huge falls we did in May last year—just normal pre-season snowfall and temperature drops—so, so far, there's no sign of any resorts opening before their planned openings in 3-5 weeks' time from mid-June onward.

ARGENTINA FORECAST

Overnight lows continue to dip down to -5°C on higher Argentinian slopes, although daytime highs at base levels still climb up to high single figures above freezing. Mostly sunny across the country, but some light snow showers are possible, likely to be heaviest (10-20cm / 4-8" accumulations) around Friday.

CHILE REPORT

Ski areas in Chile saw their slopes turn white once more at the start of the week, with low temperatures and snowfall widely reported. Southerly Nevados de Chillán reported one of the biggest falls. However, as with Argentinian ski centres, we are not yet seeing the huge accumulations that led to resorts opening early at this point last year.

Portillo also reported some sleet and rain at the weekend, which quickly turned into its biggest pre-season snowfall so far—41cm (16") reported by Tuesday morning. Currently, though, several Chilean centres say they do plan to open on the first weekend of June, around the 6th/7th, snow permitting, so the season start may now be just over a fortnight away.

CHILE FORECAST

After the weekend snowfall, it has been largely dry and often sunny across Chile, and those conditions are expected to continue into next week, with just the chance of some light snowfall—most marked on mountains in the south of the country—on Friday.

LESOTHO REPORT

Afriski's season officially runs from June 1st to August 31st, so potentially the start is just over a week away and one of the first in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it will only open its ski runs when conditions and business allow—last year, a week or so into June. There was a good snowfall earlier in the month, but the past few weeks have been mostly sunny, with daytime highs up to +10°C, although overnight lows have been increasingly promising, down towards freezing and lows close to what's needed for that essential snowmaking to fire up.

South Africa's Tiffindell remains "for sale" (as it has been for over a year), according to its official website. The centre has not opened since the 2019 season.

LESOTHO FORECAST

It is mostly sunny still for the week ahead, but there is a midweek temperature drop, with lows getting down to double digits subzero and 5-10cm snowfall expected before things turn back to warmer, drier conditions.