Snow Sport at Falls Creek in Australia

Located in the Alpine National Park in the north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, Falls Creek offers world-class snow skiing facilities during the country’s winter months.

Lying at an altitude of between 1,210 and 1,830 meters the ski-in, ski-out resort has lift facilities to take snow sport enthusiasts to a level of 1,780 meters, with snowcat access to the nearby peak of Mount McKay at 1,842 meters high. While the majority of skiers and snowboarders visiting Falls Creek are from within Australia, the resort draws large numbers of international cross-country skiers for the annual Kangaroo Hoppet, and international snowboarders for the Australian Slopestyle Championships, dubbed Stylewars, as well as for the Australian leg of the TTR World Tour in early September.

Held annually on the last Saturday of August, The Kangaroo Hoppet is a long distance cross-country skiing race regulated by the Worldloppet Ski Federation. The day’s activities include three main events – The Kangaroo Hoppet, the Australian Birkebeiner and the Joe Hoppet. The Kangaroo Hoppet covers a distance of 42 km and is an official Worldloppet main race, while the Australian Birkebeiner covers half the distance and is counted as a Worldloppet short race. The 7 km Joey Hoppet offers skiers the opportunity to experience a taste of the larger events, but is not counted as a Worldloppet race. This popular event has been taking place annually since it debuted in 1991.

A new ski resort has opened its doors at Falls Creek for the 2013 snow sport season, offering 63 one, two and three-bedroom apartments with panoramic views of the spectacular scenery the area is known for. Most of the apartments have hot-tubs on their balconies, screened off from neighbors for privacy while making the most of the view. QT Falls Creek will have the chain’s signature StingRay lounge for esprit-ski activities, as well as the SpaQ wellness center for some serious pampering.

As Australia heads into snow sport season, a leading Australian climatologist has noted that each year the snow season is shrinking, and predicts that this winter will be no exception. As the Australian Bureau of Meteorology monitors the situation, it has been observed that particularly high temperatures have been recorded over the past nine months, with every indication that above-average temperatures will continue during winter. However, thanks to modern snowmaking technologies, snow sport fans are assured that they will be able to enjoy their Australian skiing vacations as usual.