Start of NSW snow season missing key ingredient

Seasonal alpine staff seek alternative work amid lack of snow in NSW Fri 19 Jun 2026 at 12:12pm In short: The ski season opened two weeks ago, but snowfalls since then have been sparse. Selwyn Snow Resort has delayed its opening, with seasonal workers across the region now searching for other jobs. What's next? Snow is forecast to fall in the NSW Alps on Friday and Saturday. The start of the snow season in the NSW Snowy Mountains has slowed to a crawl due to a lack of the most vital ingredient. Since the Perisher and Thredbo resorts opened two weeks ago, just 14 centimetres of snow was recorded by Snowy Hydro's snow recording station at Spencers Creek, and none at Deep Creek. Selwyn Snow Resort was due to open this weekend but has pushed it back another week because of a lack of snow. General manager Abi Spackman said casual staff were out of work at the resort, with some picking up shifts in hospitality in the nearby town of Adaminaby. "There's just no work for them because they're all casuals and if there's no snow on the ground, there's no work unfortunately," she said. Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce chair Olivier Kapetanakos agreed it had been a rough start. "It's certainly Mother Nature turning her nose [up] at us, at the moment," he said. "We're having a lot of rain and very ordinary temperatures." Mr Kapetanakos said the lack of snow meant some seasonal workers had sought alternative work. "I know some businesses have lost seasonal workers. They've moved on and are not taking the risk," he said. "Some are hanging around, which is great for the pubs. "Some aren't, which means some businesses are still hiring." The 2025 winter season was hailed as one of the best and busiest in years. Earlier this week, the Bureau of Meteorology declared an El Niño, which means there will be warmer than normal waters in the central tropical Pacific. The situation has caused some public concern, but Perisher local Karen Forsstrom, who owns a cafe at Smiggin Holes and has been frequenting the Snowy Mountains for two decades, said it was too early to panic. "Everyone needs to calm their farm, cool their jets, it will happen," she said. "It's not that uncommon not to have snow until the beginning of July. "I'm not going to say we're all optimists, but we're realists as well, and we know that it's going to happen." Snow is forecast above 1,700 metres today in the NSW Alps, and above 1,400 metres on Saturday, along with cooler temperatures ideal for snowmaking. Locals hope this is the beginning of more to come. "We've got all the [snowmaking] guns ready for us to be able to make as much snow as possible," Ms Spackman said. "I think the vibes are pretty high knowing that we're meant to be getting good temperatures over the next couple of days."