Snow sports were out in force last weekend as the first ski areas opened in the Southern Hemisphere for the official start of the 2012 winter season.
An overnight snowfall, cold temperatures and blue skies made for a great season opening with up to 65 cm of snow in Mount Hutt.
Coronet Peak (NZL), the closest of Queenstown’s six commercial ski areas opened with a crowd of more than 1000 skiers and boarders lining up from 4.30 am onwards for the official day one. Further north, Canterbury’s Mount Hutt celebrated the 2012 launch with early morning snow fans arriving from 4.55 am onwards and counted close to 1400 skiers and snowboarders over the day.
Openings for further ski resorts in New Zealand including Snow Park, the Remarkables, Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone are scheduled for the second half of June.
In Australia, the country's largest ski resort Perisher was the first to kick off the 2012 ski season. Skiing opened 2nd June, one week ahead of schedule, thanks to cold weather and early snowfalls. Another seven resorts, from Mt Buller to Mt Hotham, Thredbo, Falls Creek, Mt Baw Baw, Dinner Plain and Selwyn Snowfields also opened last weekend with good conditions.