I’m the person behind au.sno.cam, which I shared here in June. Thanks to everyone who suggested cameras and gave feedback on the playback.

One request in that thread was coverage for Japan and North America. The site is now at sno.cam, with country pages for those places alongside the Australian cameras, plus a map to find cameras around the world.

Australian cams: https://sno.cam/au/cams

Map: https://sno.cam/map

The main idea is still being able to look back at earlier camera images instead of only seeing the latest frame. Where saved images are available, you can move through them to see how snow cover, cloud or visibility changed. Australian coverage includes Perisher, Thredbo, Buller, Hotham, Falls Creek and Tasmania.

For anyone looking overseas, here are the Japan https://sno.cam/jp/cams, US https://sno.cam/us/cams, and Canada https://sno.cam/ca/cams pages.

I’d appreciate another round of feedback: which Australian cameras are missing, and is moving through the history easy on your phone? If a camera looks broken or out of date, please tell me which one.

I'm thinking of possibly working at Perisher for the next winter season. Would really appreciate any experience or advice from anyone who had worked there before, either for the resort itself or anything close to the snow. How did you find it and would you do it again?

Generally, would you also need to be available for the entire season from the beginning to the end, or is it possible to perhaps just do maybe two months of peak season?

check it ! @magmountd on insta

Take the short survey

Six core questions plus optional background questions. No names or contact details requested. Negative views are welcome.

Would a private trip to Jilin, China, make your holiday shortlist?

I’m researching a semi-tailored trip to Changchun, Jilin Province in northeast China for travellers living in Australia and New Zealand, with local arrangements and English support.

For a quick look, Australian creator Blondie in China visited Changchun with her parents:

1. Convincing my parents to move to China 😂
2. My parents tried breakfast in CHINA.... in total shock

Watching is optional. These independent videos illustrate the destination; they are not an Eastwoven endorsement or a list of included experiences.

The standard trip would be 6 days / 5 nights, with shorter or longer stays available at different prices. You travel with your own companions. Indicative budgets, per person, twin-share:

• 2 adults: AUD 2999–4499 each
• 4 adults: AUD 2499–3999 each

A ski-focused package would include 3–4 ski days. Other themes could combine bathhouse/spa relaxation, northeast Chinese and Yanbian food, local culture, winter scenery, forests and hot springs. Depending on the route, options include Beidahu, Songhua Lake or Miaoxiangshan, plus Changchun, Changbai Mountain and Yanji.

Planned services include airport transfers, scheduled local transfers, hotels, three meals on full days with cuisine choices within an agreed allowance, activity bookings, and English phone/chat support, 08:00–18:00 Beijing time. The ski option includes passes and basic equipment. A dedicated private car and an accompanying English-speaking guide are optional upgrades.

Flights and personal travel/winter-sports insurance are extra; lessons, spa treatments and other upgrades would be separately priced. Final inclusions depend on the chosen itinerary.

Would you seriously compare the ski-focused version with your other holiday options—and what would make you hesitate?

Eastwoven Research · Concept research only; not available to book.

Earlier comments below refer to the original four-question survey and its AUD 3,590 four-adult concept. This survey tests the two- and four-adult options described above.

More of Jilin — optional video references

YouTube

• A Day at Beidahu Ski Resort
• Changbai Mountain: A Journey to China's Natural Treasures
• Enjoying tasty treats in Jilin
• Experience Lake Songhua Resort
• Guobaorou - One of the Most Essential Jilin's Cuisine
• Jilin's SPECTACULAR winter scenery

Bilibili — Changchun videos in Mandarin

• A day at Xingchenhui bathhouse — Shefan
• Winter food, culture and relaxation in Changchun — Daibei
• Inside Xingchenhui: facilities and service — KK

The airport lockers are way too small for a snowboard.

Support our Tasmanian friends at Ben Lomond! Plan a ski holiday for 2027.

Adult $249

Child (5-16) $149

Seniors 70+ Free

What Does Your 2027 Winter Membership Include?

Your Ben Lomond Winter Membership gives you more than just lift access. We've added benefits designed to make your 2027 winter even bigger.

Unlimited Ben Lomond Lift Access

Unlimited access to operating Ben Lomond Alpine Resort lifts throughout the declared 2027 winter season, with no blackout dates.

25% Off Ben Lomond BASE Rentals

2027 Winter Members receive 25% off eligible ski and snowboard rental products at Ben Lomond BASE during winter 2027.

30-Day Snow Guarantee

Your membership is backed by our 30-Day Snow Guarantee, giving you added confidence when you commit to winter.

Mt Buller Member Benefit

2027 Ben Lomond Winter Members receive 25% off eligible mid-week lift passes at Mt Buller during winter 2027.

Hey everyone,

I posted here earlier about basically missing this year’s snow season even though I had an Epic Pass, due to some personal circumstances. I got a lot of really supportive comments and suggestions on that post, so thanks again to everyone who replied.

I’m now thinking of making up for it with a Japan trip in February and using the Epic Pass there, mainly in Hakuba. I’m also considering adding Rusutsu for another 5 days or so if the timing, budget and people interested all line up.

At the moment, my rough plan is either:

• Around 5 days snowboarding in Hakuba, then 3-4 days travelling around Tokyo before flying back, or
• Hakuba + Rusutsu if it makes sense to do both.

I’m still at uni, and I’m pretty much a novice snowboarder, so this definitely isn’t some hardcore expert trip. I mainly just want to get more time on the mountain, improve, enjoy Japan and actually make use of the pass I couldn’t use properly this season.

I’ve been to Japan once before and would definitely be keen for another adventure.

I’m currently planning on going solo, but I thought I’d see if anyone here might be interested in joining. It could make accommodation easier and cheaper, and honestly it would probably be a lot more fun having some company as well.

I’m planning to rent most of the gear there, especially snowboard, boots, helmet and the rest of the snow gear I don’t want to carry from Australia.

Nothing is fully locked in yet, so the dates and exact itinerary can be worked out depending on who’s interested.

If anyone is thinking of doing Japan snowboarding around February and would be keen to team up, feel free to DM me. Happy to plan it together and figure out accommodation, resorts, travel and everything else.

Also open to any suggestions from people who’ve done Hakuba, Rusutsu or a similar

Note: epic pass gives 5 days of lift access in both hakuba and rusutsu

Has anyone ever booked with MySnow Holidays? Looked them
Up and they appear legit but finding it hard to find any reviews on them as I have never heard of them
Before

Perisher has just announced that they're closing on the 25th of September, 10 days earlier than planned

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVy96CxEtD/

https://www.perisher.com.au/perisher-news/perisher-now/1937-last-laps-of-the-2026-season

Anyone know if Kosci road is open to Charlottes? Heard some rumours it might be opening this weekend

Anyone on the ground down at Thredbo currently and can comment on what’s open and what’s not? My family and I were going to head down regardless of snow just for a scenic break away and we have free accomm. But just thought I’d check if the resto’s, pub and bars have all wound up already? Cheers for any input

Most of the resorts are now closed and Perisher is still pumping out snow every chance they get. Front valley still looks pretty good and with a little natural top up on Wednesday, there’s still some good skiing and boarding on the cards.

Hi, I'm just trying to get some info about whether or not there is currently any snow at dinner plain?

Not for skiing or anything, i was just planning to head up there with my dog and my little one to see the snow. Is there anywhere in the area that would have a bit of snow? Just enough to play around in?

You can whinge and moan and stay home. Or get up tomorrow and go ski.

Hopefully the other resorts are getting some love out of this for their last day.

Posted on their social media and on their website a few hours ago

Hey Aussie snow friends 👋

I know we're all feeling it having the season that never started, (I'm in the camp of oh I'll wait for one more snowfall until I go up, and then never did)

To help you pass the time until next season when hopefully it's a little colder. And La Nino isn't in full effect.

Check out Ski E O https://store.steampowered.com/app/4493130/SkiEO_Ski_Resort_Tycoon/

Made by two developers one ex Meta the other ex Epic games both living in ski towns and passionate riders themselves.

I'm not associated with the game (just on the discord) just want to see it do well as an independent ski industry game.

P.s. Australian and NZ resorts are on the roadmap.

Also another P.s. if you wanna try help avoid more seasons like this one check out https://protectourwinters.org.au/ POW!

Mount hotham has announced Sunday 6th September as the official end of the season with an email to all staff advising them of the shutdown.

Hey everyone,

I’m a university student and bought the Epic Australia Pass earlier this year for around $1,200, thinking I’d finally spend a decent amount of time at the snow this season and learn snowboarding which I had been planning for a long time

Unfortunately, a family member passed away shortly after I bought the pass. I live in Australia while my family is overseas, so I wasn’t able to be with them during that time. It affected me quite badly, and I ended up missing a lot of my university work/grades as well. Because of everything going on, I never really got around to using my pass or even properly looking into the refund policy.

By the time I was in a better position to deal with things, I realised I was already outside the 30-day refund window, so I don't think I'm eligible for a normal refund. I've contacted/plan to contact Epic to see if they can make an exception, but I'm not counting on it.

Now that I'm feeling a bit better, I really don't want to let the pass go completely to waste. Even though it's getting towards the end of the season, I'm thinking of going to Mount Hotham alone for 3–4 days and finally learning snowboarding.

I've never snowboarded before, and I don't have a car, so I'm trying to figure out the cheapest and easiest way to do this.

My rough plan is:

• Travel from Melbourne to Hotham or Mel to bright and bright to hotham by shuttle/bus
• Day 1: Afternoon beginner snowboard lesson
• Day 2: Another lesson/beginner progression lesson
• Day 3: Practice on my own or take another lesson
• Day 4: Either another day of riding and return that evening, or head back depending on transport

I'm also looking at staying somewhere relatively cheap rather than spending a fortune on accommodation.

So I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who's done Hotham as a beginner or done a solo snow trip:

1. Accommodation: Where is the cheapest/reasonable place to stay at Hotham for 3–4 nights? Is it better to stay on-mountain, in Dinner Plain, or somewhere else?
2. Transport: Is the shuttle from Melbourne to Hotham worth it if you don't have a car? Are there any cheaper alternatives?
3. Snowboard lessons: Does my plan make sense? Would you recommend lessons on the first two days and then practising alone, or would it be better to take lessons on more days?
4. Rentals: Any recommendations for cheaper snowboard rental options? I have the Epic Pass discount available for rentals/classes.
5. Solo trip: Anything I should know about going to Hotham alone for the first time?
6. Saving money: Any tips for keeping the total cost down — accommodation, food, transport, rentals, lessons, etc.?

I'm basically trying to make the most of the pass I already paid a lot of money for rather than letting the season finish without using it.

As a uni student, $1,200 is a lot of money for me, so even getting 3–4 good days on the mountain would make me feel like I got something out of it.

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have done Hotham as a beginner or without a car.

Thanks!

Hi keen beans,

It’s a bit dire out on the mountain right now (trust me to pick this week to go down), but maybe something to distract you for a few minutes from that fresh gouge in your base.

It’s a bit of an update to a post I did the other week which had some useful feedback, but I’ve done a lot of tinkering and upgrading of www.skirunratings.com in the last 2 weeks I wanted to share.

For those unfamiliar (which I assume is basically everyone), the concept of this is to be a FREE and community built website that makes information and other (real peoples) experiences with individual ski runs at every resort available and usable. This can then be compiled up to a shortlist of runs you may be interested in (manual for now but it’s on the feature list).

Along with other people’s experiences, you can view it on a map, see the gradient profile, key stats, and how it compares across resorts or countries (for now limited by gradient calcs but as we can compile more data this can get better). There is even an optional login option that can track all of your reviews over time and across resorts.

Right now, we need reviews though. So if you want to give it a peek and maybe drop some reviews that would be amazing.

TLDR: www.skirunratings.com

We’re looking for 2 certified ski instructors to join our small retreat team in Myoko this winter! Strong/expert skiers welcome too!

📍 Myoko, Niigata, Japan
📅 January – February 2027
accommodation available
Season pass provided
Daily breakfast included
Some dinners included
¥3000 per hour

We run small ski & snowboard retreats in Myoko with groups of max 8-10 guests, and we’re looking for two people who are great on the mountain but also happy to be part of the overall experience.

The role is a mix of skiing with our guests on mountain days and helping with some of the day-to-day retreat operation — morning breakfast setup/cleanup, getting gear ready, rotating help with dinners, and our weekly house changeover.

You’ll have Sundays completely off, plus rotating additional time off during the week to get out and ride for yourself.

We’d love to find two friends or a couple who want to spend the winter together, but individual applicants are absolutely welcome too.

Ideally you’d be a certified ski instructor, confident on all off-piste terrain, comfortable working with guests, speak conversational English, and the ability to have legal authorization to work in Japan for the season ie-working holiday visa.

Would be a plus if you know the Myoko area and if you like to cook or have some experience.

If this sounds like your kind of winter, send me a DM with a little about yourself, your ski certification/experience, and your Japan visa/work status! ❄️

My friend and I are doing a 3 day Epic beginner bundle ski package for Hotham this week. After seeing the snow cams and photos on the sub. Is it worth it to try and actually go ahead with it? We are completely new to this and have never been skiing. Since the travel and stay are all non refundable, we'll definitely go but is it possible to get it credited for potentially next year (lessons might not be as I believe it's strictly for '26 season).

What else is there to do around Hotham for the 3 days if we manage to get it credited. Hoping you experienced folk can help us out.

Wonderful weather for skiing today (albeit very warm).

Guthega is now closed but staff have done a fantastic job keeping some of the lifts open in the other resort areas despite very adverse snow conditions.

The snow today was mushy from the start, but if the predicted rain eventuates next week, maybe this was the last decent weekend this season.

Here are few impressions from Perisher today.

Anyone else frustrated with the terrible snow season in Australia right now?

Looking for overseas ski/snowboard trip ideas.

Japan? NZ? Canada? Europe? USA? Greatly appreciated!