Crunch time this week for Thredbo snowmaking rebuild
After a cool, wet summer it sure feels like winter is not far away at Thredbo, where it’s crunch time this week for the snowmaking pipeline rebuild. The scope of the works shows why after the attempted patch job failed last winter there was not much they could do till summer.
Road closures kicked in today, 15 February, with Friday Drive close to all traffic through Wednesday with access to the village by the upper road entrance. Pedestrian traffic will be able to pass the site.
From Thursday to Sunday one lane should reopen to traffic with a signal in place.
Next Monday the Gunbarrel Chair shuts for 3 days to allow excavation there to connect the main snowmaking pipeline to the Friday Flat branch. It’s scheduled to stay closed through Friday the 26th.
The longer vertical is the key factor that sets Thredbo skiing and riding apart from other Aussie resorts for many aficionados, and that depends most of the time on the snowmaking operating to capacity when conditions allow.
If this super busy summer season is any indication, winter will be busy so bring on the fix!
As for the costs, speculation is rife on what season passes will cost – in our reader poll nearly half voted for $999 which 25% are prepared to pay $1,999 or more .. we’ll see soon!
