A FROSTY blast over the weekend, dumping 31 centimetres of snow across the mountain on the Saturday alone had snow lovers on Mt Buller thrilled. The biggest winter storm of the season to hit the mountain, snow fell heavily for much of Saturday with gate entry temporarily suspended early afternoon to allow the road to be cleared. The snow started Friday night, with conditions remaining cold for most of the weekend as temperatures in the resort hovered at -3 C, with a feels like wind chill of closer to -10C. Gusty winds and deep snow delayed the opening of some upper mountain lifts on the Saturday and after hours of digging and de-icing Summit and Koflers lifts began rolling to the delight of storm chasing skiers and snowboarders. “This is exactly what we needed,” said resort spokesperson Rhylla Morgan. “Earlier in the week we received 22centimetres and this solid dump is going to transform the experience in resort. "The depths are creeping around the 80cms mark and the flakes are falling beautifully. “Skiers and snowboarders have been patiently waiting for significant snowfall for deeper cover and for our mountain operations team to progressively open more terrain – and it feels like it’s finally arrived. "The hooting and hollering around the slopes is great to hear and local operators are thrilled to have phones ringing and emails coming in as people jump on the opportunity for a winter escape.” By Monday the average snow depth across the mountain ranged from 57 to 83 centimetres, with 11 lifts open and fresh snow giving a soft cover across the ski area. With Mansfield Secondary College heading into the second week of their nine-week ski program, and Mansfield Steiner School, Mansfield Primary School and St Mary's all hitting the mountain this week as part of their snow sports curriculum, the arrival of significant snow fall has been timely. An additional eight centimetres are anticipated for later in the week, with light snow and rain predicted over the next seven days.
