Snow Report Mt Buller

What a sensational Winter. I was at Buller for three more superb days of Spring skiing from Wednesday last week. This was my third and final three-day stint for the season, having also been in August, and between July 23 – 25. The snow was fresh and powdery on Wednesday morning after good snowfalls on Monday and Tuesday. Really nice to ski on, however softening by mid-afternoon, particularly Thursday. Great weather, with blue skies & sunshine each day – and almost warm enough to ski in a t-shirt.

By Friday, the snow was already soft in the morning, noticeably thinning in large patches, and becoming predominantly sandy-coloured across the mountain. By lunchtime on Friday, the snow was thick and sticky, even on the Southside.

Still, for later September, it’s fantastic to even have snow, and the groomers are doing a brilliant job under difficult conditions now. I can’t see the snow lasting until October 6, which is when the season has been officially extended to. I think it was a little premature to have called that extension a few weeks ago, but after such a cold Winter I guess they anticipated that to continue rather than the sudden leap into Spring conditions that we’ve had. Even after a great snow-dumping on Monday/Tuesday, it took only a couple of days to melt.

Whilst the season is pretty much over, it’s been terrific. I appreciate all those who contributed their reports on this site – both the regulars and non-regulars. I check this site almost every day throughout Winter, but have always just been a lurker for several years - until this public début now - and the public reports are so useful (and probably just a leeetle bit more accurate than the “official” report!).

I hope the site retains these public reports here again now, rather than in the general forum where they were for the previous year or two, and were harder to locate amidst the general conversations there. I like the format of the site this year, and hope it remains this way for awhile now. Each year they seem to change the site, and just as you get familiar with it all, it gets altered again.

Thanks to all the lifties, groomers and Buller staff for another marvelous year, and looking forward to ‘09

Soft snow and still quite a lot of it. North side is pretty much gone. There is still decent cover on the Southside and Summit. Still plenty of fun to be had. Men's Downhill was good, Fast One, Wombat Valley area were all very good. Still some nice lines to be skied from the top of Summit. Excellent cover on Wombat LBS.

Start of day cover icy so it chilled last night.
Softened up as we went (as expected) but not too much by days end.
Cloud clusters moving over top kept direct light off snow for long periods which reduced the melt of the top over the day.

Wind, wasn't any.
By late arvo it was soft but not slop and no slush I saw.

Fed still do-able if you keep eyes peeled for near surface rocks from 2/3rds down.
Thulkes, not too soft early in the day, ok down to second path.
Mens is chopped a bit, late arvo it got messy.
Womens late arvo was good, very few near surface rocks compared to Fed.
Fast one a bit choppy but still good cover all the way.

Cow Camp I avoided (looking from H Hil chair) is grass on the lower runoff with enough on the edges to get to Tyrol T if you're really hangin to go there.
Lower Dam, avoid.
Chalet Crk, avoid
Wombat, Standard, LBS will need a groom.

pick for the day Fall line
Not carved out, firm, grassless rockless.

Overall
Top surface isnt wet.
We are not to slop or slush yet.

It was a Ghost Town.
No-one on the road, mountain is empty.
Think that covers it.

The cover is soft but still extensive. Fall Line was the pick of the weekened. Groomed and no rocks/bushes etc. Firm with nice layer of soft snow. All runs on Southside including Federation still have a great cover. Rain turned to snow as I was leaving on Sunday lunchtime.

Great skiing over the weekend. Nowhere near as busy as I was expecting with the Interschools being on. Softened up a bit in the arvo, still awesome skiing.