A blizzard has saved Australia's ski resorts from the worst start to a season in decades, just in time for school holidays.
The prayers of enthusiasts were answered on Thursday night, with a 25cm dump across the NSW and Victorian alps, allowing several resorts to open terrain after a long and challenging hiatus.
Snow continued to fall on Friday as green slopes turned to white and skiers and boarders returned to Falls Creek and Mt Hotham for the first time since the opening weekend of the season.
Perisher was boasting 37cm of fresh snow by Saturday, with conditions ideal for a man-made top-up to boot, and the opportunity for the resort's main eight-seater chairlift to swing into action.
Thredbo copped 28cm in the Thursday storm while Mt Hotham in Victoria received 36cm.
Its snow guns are also firing at full capacity and its Summit and Big D chairs are finally spinning for winter 2026.
A favourite of NSW beginners, Selwyn Snow Resort also opened for business on Saturday.
"What a difference a day makes on the mountain," said senior communications manager Dani Wright from Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham owner Vail Resorts.
"There's also colder temperatures in the forecast, which is perfect for snowmaking.
"Our teams will be making snow at every opportunity. Winter is finally here."
Ski resorts have been struggling to attract visitors amid dire conditions, as June ended with zero natural snow cover for the first time since 2015.
That's not uncommon for this time of the year, said Pete "The Frog" Taylor, a veteran snowcaster at snowatch.com.au.
High temperatures and humidity had made this season particularly bad, he said, limiting resorts' ability to run their snowmaking infrastructure.
"A couple of days ago, it was up there with the worst on record," Mr Taylor told AAP.
"But with this snow now, you're not really that far off average for this time of year."
Historical records show a late start to the season can still deliver decent snowfalls.
Recorded snow depth measurements taken by Snowy Hydro at Spencers Creek, near Perisher, show June had ended with less than 10cm of natural snow just seven times since 1967.
In those years, the peak snow depth has averaged 192cm, roughly in line with the long-term median.
But with an El Nino under way and the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting above-average temperatures for July and August, the chances of a better-than-average season are limited.
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In the short term, cooler conditions will allow resorts to top up that natural snow with artificial stuff, Mr Taylor said.
More lifts should therefore begin operating during the week, most notably at Perisher resort, which boasts 45 in total.
The falls have come in the nick of time too, with more than 7000 students set to descend on the alps for the start of interschools snow sports championships in Thredbo this week.
