We all know that 2023 was a warm winter across most of Australia, with one of the warmest areas being the snowfields of Tasmania and the mainland. 

So how are things looking on the first day of spring?

We'll go glass half full here and report that Australia's largest resort Perisher still has 26 of its 47 lifts open, which isn't a bad effort given the lack of a truly heavy snowfall since early July.

Image: Upper Perisher is not so bad right now. Lower Perisher relies a lot on these vehicles and their fearless drivers. Source: Normo, king of the Perisher leaderboard via ski.com.au.

Elsewhere in NSW, Thredbo is looking pretty threadbare but still has an impressive 13 of 15 lifts open, Charlotte Pass has three of five open, while Selwyn Snow Resort remains snowless and closed.

Image: Underneath the chairlift on Thredbo's lower slopes in late August. Upper slopes still have a good cover with 13 of 15 lifts open. Source: Supplied.

In Victoria, you'd have to say the glass is half empty rather than half full. The peaks of the big two NSW resorts are about 200 metres higher than the highest Victorian ski hills, and in a lean season like 2023, the elevation of the upper slopes makes a big difference.

Victoria's highest resort Mt Hotham has been forced to close its popular Heavenly Valley chairlift, which means skiing is restricted to beginner and intermediate slopes. The images below of the Heavenly Valley area tell you why it's closed.

Image: Heavenly Valley looking slightly less than heavenly. Source: Hotham.

The second image is interesting because if you look closely, you can see a distinct line in the snow down low. That's a result of "snow farming", where snow cats gather snow from closed runs and push it onto high-traffic areas where it's most needed.

Image: Black runs are becoming yellow runs with grass. Source: Hotham.

If there's a medal to be awarded in this season when many nights have been too warm for snowmaking, it definitely goes to the snow groomers who have tirelessly pushed snow around to cover the bare spots.

Hotham does still have five lifts open, while nearby Falls Creek is faring the best of the Victorian resorts with 10 of 15 lifts open. However, most of the terrain for advanced skiers and boarders is closed, with the Village Bowl side of the mountain entirely out of action.

Elsewhere in Vic, Mt Buller has 7 of its 19 lifts open while Mt Baw Baw struggles along with one lift open on the thin, muddy remnants of old snowmaking snow.

How long will the season last?

It's doubtful that most resorts will make it to the traditional first weekend in October closing, although Perisher and Thredbo might keep their uppermost lifts spinning. Mid-September closures (or earlier) are more likely at most resorts.

There's the chance of snowfalls developing later next week, but they are unlikely to make a huge difference because of the abundance of grass, shrubs, and rocks poking through on all slopes.

Fresh spring snow will bond to an existing snowpack in Australia. For example, in 2022 there was still a consistent September snowpack, and when a late blizzard arrived, Spencers Creek in NSW registered its peak season depth of 232 cm (measured by Snowy Hydro) on September 20.

Image: 2023 was not a patch on 2022. Source: Snowy Hydro.

When snow falls on grassy slopes, it's a different story. Even a big dump of 20 cm or more will melt away extremely quickly. That means there's not much hope of resurrecting the disappointing 2023 season.

We'll keep you posted if there are any major changes, and don’t forget to check our snow page for the latest cams, forecasts, and more.

You can also click here for the latest conditions at Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass, Selwyn (NSW) and Mt Buller, Hotham, Falls Creek and Mt Baw Baw (Vic).