Winter 2020 – An Unforgettable Season!
Posted on 20 Sep, 2020 in On the Slopes
As the mercury dropped, the snow flurries started to fall, and the snow guns cranked into gear, it was time for Winter 2020 to launch and we couldn’t have been more excited!
The season kicked off in sensational style with sunshine and blue skies awaiting skiers and snowboarders as they took their first tracks this winter in The Cruiser area.
Snowlovers were all smiles as they boarded the brand new Merritts Gondola and travelled up the mountain in style! Australia’s only alpine gondola was a multi-million dollar development two years in the making and well worth the wait.
Skiers and snowboarders enjoyed the 6-minute ride up the mountain in the comfort of European style cabins to the base of The Cruiser area where it was time to lay down those long–awaited first tracks of the season.
The skis were tuned, the boards were waxed and the corduroy was looking fresh!
Before long, it was time for High Noon to see some action with intermediate and advanced riders treated to steep and fast turns down one of the longest runs in the country.
July saw the first freshies of the season with Thredbo transforming into a winter wonderland after receiving 15cm of fresh snow.
Pockets of powder were found all throughout the resort providing ample fun for riders.
And the fun didn’t stop there with the Winter School Holidays seeing plenty of happy faces out enjoying the slopes! The end of the school holidays was marked by a spectacular firework show and flare run to entertain the whole family, a weekly winter tradition lighting up the village every Saturday night!
With skiers and snowboarders keen to progress their riding it was time to unveil our new Max5 Lessons for adults and kids to improve those skills with some of Australia’s best instructors!
After Thredbo had its taste of white gold, we were hungry for more and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint with a huge storm arriving mid-July bringing a delivery of 85cm of fresh snow.
Early risers scored deep pow turns with tracks resetting all day and stoke levels up to the max.
The pow days transformed the mountain and meant more terrain could open up with Thredbo’s iconic Supertrail making its season debut and giving riders the chance to carve turns down Australia’s longest run.
The T-Bars were next in line with Antons and Basin T-Bars opening up mid-July for turns in the popular Central Spur and Basin areas.
With winter well and truly here it was time for Karels T-Bar to make its season debut as snowlovers headed up to Australia’s highest lifted point at 2037 metres elevation.
As the sun started to rise skiers and snowboarders celebrated by ringing the famous community bell and taking in the stunning views of the Snowy Mountains whilst giving a friendly wave to our friends over in Victoria.
Skiers and snowboarders could now explore the newly renamed Frank’s face, named after Australia’s oldest living Olympian and Thredbo legend Frank Prihoda. It was the perfect way to celebrate Frank’s 99th birthday as the next generation of shredders carved tracks down the iconic run in The Basin area.
In August we released our Backcountry Tours for 2020 with Thredbo teaming up with The North Face to take skiers and snowboarders beyond the resort boundaries.
Adventurers explored the vast and beautiful Main Range with some of the country’s most knowledgeable and experienced guides traversing incredible terrain on a mission to score perfect lines.
For the ultimate adventure, skiers and snowboarders toured to Mount Kosciuszko to stand at the top of Australia.
By mid-August a storm was brewing with weather models giving snowlovers plenty of reasons to smile.
The storm arrived just in time for Thredbo Environment Week as we celebrated our natural playground.
The storm of the season created powdermodium in Thredbo with more than 80cm falling over a few days.
With the whole mountain to explore, riders got adventurous in The Bowl in The Cruiser area and The Bluff in the Crackenback area where freshies were aplenty.
The snowpack was incredible with light and dry snow offering beautiful powder turns and windblown stashes keeping the good times going for days.
As the storm rolled out of Thredbo, bluebirds took its place with early risers looking up at the sky expecting snowflakes and instead being treated to two bright coloured hot air balloons!
It was the first time hot air balloons had flown across the Snowy Mountains from Thredbo to Jindabyne and it was a spectacular sight in the skies as the beautiful balloons floated down the valley.
With the storm giving us incredible coverage from top to bottom skiers and snowboarders enjoyed 10/10 conditions, with dry snow and pockets of powder throughout the resort offering the best turns of the season.
A streak of glorious sunny days took us into September where it was time to get out and enjoy Spring time riding!
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Even Thredbo’s resident wombats were loving the beautiful conditions on the mountains.
By mid-September Mother Nature wasn’t on our side with unseasonably warm temperatures shrinking the snowpack and skiing and snowboarding coming to an end earlier than planned.
It’s time to pack up the skis and snowboards and get the mountain bikes and hiking boots ready for action as the mountain starts its transformation into the ultimate summer playground!
But first… a big thank you to all of our guests and staff who made Winter 2020 an unforgettable season!
We feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to deliver skiing and snowboarding this winter during such challenging times.
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Thredbo sits on the traditional land of the Monero – Ngarigo people who have looked after this land, water and community for over 60,000 years. We thank them for all they have done and continue to do to look after their country, a special place which we all love and respect.
