Most people back in America I speak to are always surprised to learn that in snows it Australia when I speak to them. The perception of pristine beaches and remote desert outback is what most Americans think of when they think of Australia. However, as I have shown before with Mt. Hotham, snow and skiing is also part of Australian life and no where more so than at Thredbo Ski Resort.

Thredbo is located just up the road from Jindabyne at the end of the Monaro Highway running from Canberra. The road up to Thredbo is extremely scenic and lined with beautiful mountain peaks:

As you can see the Snowy Mountains live up to there name and are packed with snow:

Of course I had to get the obligatory picture of my Jeep silhouetted by these beautiful mountains:

Eventually the road begins to run parallel to a creek which contains some of the cleanest water you can imagine. This creek also means you are getting close to the Thredbo Ski Resort:

The Thredbo Ski Resort is huge and with multiple ski runs from beginner to expert. This facility is the first ski run you will see that is located near the main parking lot:

Here is the Australian flag flying among the snow covered peaks of the Snowy Mountains:

Like I said before the ski resort is huge and has 14 lifts and 30 trails for skiers to try out:

The longest run at Thredbo is 5.9 kilometers long and begins near the summit of Australia’s highest peak, Mt. Kosciuszko which looms over the area at 2,228 meters (7,310 ft). You can read more facts and figures about Thredbo here. Thredbo may not be the Rockies or the Alps but it is not bad considering you are in Australia.

Due to the good ski conditions found at Thredbo the resort can get quite busy at times as my wife and I found out:

Besides being busy the resort is also expensive with lift tickets averaging around a $100 a person and renting equipment at the resort is extremely expensive as well. Make sure if you need to rent equipment that you do it outside of Thredbo.

The snow levels around the resort aren’t to bad but the ski trails do have some spotty areas on the lower slopes:

The resort receives on average 203 centimeters of snow a year and has an extensive artificial snow making system in place the keeps most of the ski runs covered in snow:

Thredbo is easy to get to on the Monaro Highway and can be reached from Sydney in about 5-6 hours, Melbourne in 6-7 hours, and Canberra in 2.5 hours. There are lots of accommodations available at the resort and even more back in Jindabyne. So if you live in Australia or are holidaying in the country during the winter months I highly recommend taking a trip up to Thredbo and the Snowy Mountains even if you don’t ski because it is a beautiful part of the country that is underappreciated by just about everyone including Australians.