Cancelled competitions, poor snow cover and even the premature closure of some ski resorts – this year’s ski season in Australia has disappointed many.

While there have always been good and bad seasons, experts warn that in the future winters will be warmer and shorter, and this could be a sign of a coming crisis.

Traditionally, the ski season lasts from the June long weekend to the October long weekend.

However, this year’s high temperatures have forced an early end to the season at some ski resorts in Kosciuszki National Park.

Selwyn Ski Resort, the lowest resort in the park, announced it will close — due to heavier snowfall — on Sunday, August 25.

On the same day Perisher announced that the lifts at Guthega and Smiggin Holes would also be closed due to recent rain, wind and warmer temperatures.

Several resorts in Victoria also closed early.

For skiers like Canberra’s Martin Fisk, the start of the season has been “really horrendous”.

He was particularly disappointed by the cancellation of the Kangaroo Hoppett, a cross-country ski marathon that was held every year at Falls Creek.

This was supposed to happen the same weekend that the closure of recreation centers was announced.

The event is part of the Worldloppet series and features three races each year, including a seven-kilometer race, a half marathon and a 42-kilometer marathon.

This year marks the second time in more than 30 years that the race, which can attract thousands of participants, has had to be cancelled due to lack of snow.

The first time was last year.

Kangaroo Hoppet event organisers cited “rapidly deteriorating snow conditions” coupled with forecasted warmer weather as the reason for the cancellation.

According to Mr. Fisk, who is an experienced skier, conditions at Falls Creek were not the best at all.

He estimated that of the planned 80–90 kilometres of potential cross-country skiing trails, only two kilometres were suitable for skiing.

But just a decade ago the situation was completely different.

“This year we went hiking on the cross-country skiing trails.”

The length of the ski season is decreasing

Research confirms this is part of a general warming trend.

According to CSIRO, snow depth in Kosciuszki National Park has been decreasing for 70 years.

A report published by the ANU earlier this year confirmed the average length of the ski season had shortened by 17-28 per cent between 1954 and 2012 across most Australian resorts.

The same report predicts that if current climate change trends continue, by 2050 the average ski season will be 42 percent (44 days) to 52 percent (55 days) shorter.

He also warned that additional snowmaking infrastructure, water and energy needed to produce it could make snowmaking more expensive, potentially making it unprofitable.

Professor Adrienne Nicotra, who worked on the report, agreed that the “overall trend” predicted by climate scientists is warming — future winters will be shorter and springs will come earlier.

But she added that it is difficult to predict the future precisely, given the close link between what happens next and emission reductions.

This means that some worst-case scenarios could be avoided.

Professor Nicotra said the aim of the report was to produce material that could form the basis of a constructive discussion on the future of the Snowy Mountains.

“It sparked a huge discussion among the community, industry and even politicians.”

Region ‘turns away’ from snow as sole attraction

For those operating on the ground, changes are already happening as tourism operators seek to capitalise on the potential of different times of the year.

That doesn’t mean this year’s early end to the season “didn’t dampen the spirits,” according to Olivier Kapetanakos, head of the Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce.

“I would have to say that people in the Snowy Mountains are probably quite an optimistic and resilient group because we are always looking to the future,” he explained.

“If we go back 10 years, I would say the next season will be in about nine months, so it will be the start of the next winter season.

Mr Kapetanokos said it was expected to form a significant part of Jindabyne’s transformation from a “16-week ski economy” to an “eight- to nine-month economy”.

He added that the effects of mountain biking are already visible, with some retail outlets seeing as many customers in January as they would have in August.

Mr Kapetanokos admitted that shops selling only ski equipment would suffer and encouraged them to focus on selling mountain biking, camping and other outdoor gear.

Lake Jindabyne and its water sports were another part of the transformation towards what he hoped would be two tourist “peaks” in a year.

While Thredbo had previously been a leader in mountain biking, Mr Kapetanokos said the NSW Government was also committed to looking after the future of summer tourism in the region.

Earlier this year, we committed $196 million for water, tourism and housing projects in the Snowy Mountains under the Special Activation Project.

Some of the money will go towards creating the Jindabyne Mountain Bike and Adventure Park on land that is currently state-owned.

However, the funding announcement represented a reduction of $396 million from what was announced by the previous state government.

Mr Kapetanokos said the local council’s support for tourism was equally needed.