...and that's a wrap for snow season 2026

…and that’s a wrap for snow season 2026

There’s no way to sugar-coat it. Mother Nature and Senor El Nino conspired to deal us a tricky hand this season. So, it was an opportunity to put Mt Buller’s adaptability to the test and ‘make lemonade’ with those pesky lemons.

Looking back on a short season we’re reminded there was a mountain of sweet moments packed into the 93 days since June, and that a good time on Mt Buller isn’t directly linked to the amount of centimetres of snow that falls from the sky.

Working smart and making it happen

This was a season to celebrate the snowmaking team and the investment Mt Buller has made over decades to ensure the resort can efficiently make snow, even at higher temperatures than usual. The fleet of 5 Snow Factories were more important this year than ever. They ensured steady stockpiles of snow to get Bourke street open for the long weekend and underpinned the ‘highways’ around the resort to keep us skiing continuously until closing day. The factories ensured toboggan laps for families in school holidays, lessons and fun experiences when some of our neighbouring resorts couldn’t ski at all.

Those who can remember back as far as 1982 will appreciate the parallels – that season had many similarities to this one with warmer than usual temperatures and lower than usual snowfall. Except the resort didn’t have the backing of snowmaking to the extent it does now. The difference? A whole 30 days more skiing this year compared to what our gel-haired, flouro-wearing ski friends enjoyed back in the 80’s on their skinny skis.

Always time for a good time

As we reflect on the season we’re reminded of the many new and fun experiences that will be part of our mountain of memories from 2026 – like the inaugural Winter Night Markets. If you squinted just a little you could easily believe you’d been transported to Europe for the night with a delicious and magical mash-up of twinkling lights, glühwein, firepits and live music, with local makers and producers from Mt Buller and the valleys below setting up stalls and serving good cheer along with every tasty morsel. Other highlights from the packed après calendar this year were Soirée at the Summit (those flames and sax solos!), Red Bull Winter Vibes (more flames and possibly the best sunset of the season), and SNOVA après again bringing “le Roof” to life with the NOVA breaky crew leading the party. Let’s not forget the delicious sold-out return of Chin Chin to the Whitt!

What was your favourite event? Perhaps sipping sparkling while you watched the thrills of FreeBom after dark, progressive après at the start of season, 3am nights at the Kooroora or the delights of the pop-up ice bar on Bourke Street? Seeing your kid race training in the early morning? Christmas celebrations at Pension Grimus? Demo-ing fresh skis for a day? Wing night at Moosehead Bar? Hearing from your Olympic heroes at the Chairlift Chats in the museum?

And the events weren’t all about DJ’s and cocktails either. Things got seriously cool on the slopes with the Bounce Rail Jam and Big Air, JNats had kids fearlessly flying down the bumps course, and Interschools welcomed 255 schools from across Victoria for eight days of competitive racing.

Buller Ski Lifts opened the runs early for some special "First Tracks" access and unlocked some of the best runs of the season for Season Members in August - worth getting up early for!

The Legends that Made it a Season to Remember

Jakara Anthony came home to plenty of fireworks and applause and brought her gold medal with her so we could all get a peek. After Milano Cortina, the Mt Buller community welcomed our ‘golden girl’ back with a night that brought together everyone who'd shaped her journey and had waited eagerly to celebrate with her since January! In a special gesture Jakara donated her competition uniform to the National Alpine Museum of Australia and spent a lengthy session talking with local kids about her road to the Olympics from Mt Buller’s magic forest all the way to the podium.

Meanwhile, local Winter Olympian Anton Grimus took the iconic Melbourne Cup for a thrilling lap around the mountain, even skiing the priceless trophy down a summit racecourse in a first for the Melbourne Cup tour. The 18-carat gold trophy has travelled over a million kilometres around the world but had never been on the snow – until now!

The Numbers

• 5 snow factories cranked a staggering 56,000 cubic metres of snow
• The groomers smoothed out approx 3,850 hectares of snow this winter – that’s 1,925 MCGs worth of corduroy
• Busiest day of the season? 15 August, hands down
• Ski Patroller Allan Terrens recorded an incredible 55 years of service
• The Snowmaking Team tallied up 384 hours making snow (mostly overnight) fuelled by 16 cases of Red Bull
• Harro's photo crew snapped roughly 60,222 photos from the opening weekend to close
• Wombat chair rolled to deliver 22 days of long leg-burning laps on Little Buller Spur
• Almost 700 kids and families dove into seasonal programs, many tallying up 30 days on snow as they honed their skiing and snowboarding

Onward to Green Season

As the last of the snow melts gently into our precious alpine bogs and down to the Delatite River the crew is already rolling up their sleeves for the green season.

If you’ve never experienced Mt Buller in Spring, Summer and Autumn – you’re missing out.

Come and experience Australia's first alpine via ferrata - RockWire - for thrilling climbs beyond the edge of the summit, be ready for some fresh new mountain bike trails opening this ride season down to the Plough Shed, take a stroll along some of the most beautiful alpine walking trails on the planet (maybe see a wombat!) and soak in the cool summer views.

There’s a whole other side to your favourite mountain up here – and it’s ready when you are. Your Mountain of Moments awaits whether she's wearing snow or in her stunning summer colours!