Two and a half years after bushfire destroyed the base buildings and much of the infrastructure Mt Selwyn, or Selwyn Snow Resort as it’s officially known these days, is back from the ashes. Which is great news for NSW snow lovers looking for a cheaper alternative to the big two.
There is simply no better, or cheaper, place to start yourself or your family skiing or boarding in NSW.
We know – four generations of the Snow Action family have done just that here. Yep, I even took my mum to have a go once. Mistake, she whinged. But us, the kids, and the grandkids, have all loved it. For all the Legomasters fans out there that’s Titanium Brick World Record holder and finalist this year Nic (from team Nic & Gene) in the pic below – no wonder he was flash building lego snowmen!
Having skied the world for work and pleasure for the past 35 years, I have to say those early days at Mt Selwyn, when getting down Racecourse without a stack was an achievement and dropping into The Quarry was terror-inducing, were as happy on-snow times as we ever had subsequently. It’s all relative.
That’s the secret of snow sports, you really do have fun from day one. We never had lessons in the 80s, it was a stretch for us just to afford gear hire and lift passes. Better to speed the process by having a lesson or two these days though. The Snowsports learning area has moved to a new location, providing expansion in terrain for skiers and snowboarders to learn the ropes of the slopes. You’ll find two new snow carpets in the learning area along with dedicated snowmaking.
The value was why we started at Selwyn. As a chef/restaurant manager in Canberra, a few Sundays and Mondays a season was our limit time and money wise, so Mt Selwyn was our go-to option for our first couple of seasons as skiers.
Then later for many years I used to give away several family passes a year for my ‘Ask Doc Mogul’ section in my Canberra Times snow columns. The gratitude was palpable from people who struggled to get their kids to the snow who won those passes.
For the Guthega feature in the current issue of Snow Action I dug out some old lift pricing from 1990, when a day pass at Guthega was $38, it was $46 at Perisher and Thredbo, but Selwyn only $35.
Not much has changed. Selwyn still has the cheapest lift passes in NSW, from $79 – $109 for an adult day pass vs $179 – $189 at Thredbo, $184 – $194 at Perisher.
For most of the season the adult pass is $109, so in fact the relative differential is actually much higher now.
Selwyn Snow Resort day lift passes are about 42 – 60% of the cost at passes at Perisher or Thredbo in 2022, vs 75% in 1990.
That’s twice as many day trips for stretched budgets.
You get more for you dollars at Selwyn now with their totally new base complex, improved snowmaking, and all new lift infrastructure installed after the bushfire destroyed everything in its path. Guests will find a full upgrade of the New Chum Double Chair and the expansion of Township Triple Chair that is replacing the Powerline Poma. That adds up to a significant increase in lift capacity, and will extend the operating season of Long Arm and Kangaroo Ridge snow trails.
For non-ski snow fun the new Selwyn has the biggest toboggan park in Australia. Purchase a ticket and enjoy a ride on the whopping 150 metre snow carpet for effortless laps of fun. The snow carpet is brand new, paired with an exclusive slope right next to all Selwyn Centre facilities.
The plan is to create a brand-new ‘Winter Wonderland’, the first of its kind in Australia, will see the introduction of a range of exciting new snow play products in the coming years including a tubing carousel, skating rink with bumper cars, kids snowmobiles, and a miniature enchanted village.
For 2022 – July 02 to be precise is the scheduled re-opening date, we will all be happy just to have Mt Selwyn back again. Enjoy!
Check the latest/book everything you need on their website here.
