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A ski area in Tasmania, the large island of Australia's southern coast, has opened a week early after big June snowfalls that locals are describing as 'unprecedented.'

Normally Ben Lomond ski area, one of the world's most southerly, aims to open by mid-July but staff said they were full prepared to open early once the snow arrived, and that's what they did at the weekend.

Heavy snowfall across Australia overt the last five days has dramatically improved conditions after a slow start to the season three weeks ago when only one run in the entire country was able to open on opening day.

All of the country's main centres are now open with Perisher, the largest, reporting 50cm of snow in recent days and another major resort, Thredbo, 40cm.

The snow has continued falling, if in smaller volumes now, with 2cm in the last 24 hours at Charlotte Pass and good conditions for snowmaking too. It has the deepest base in Australia at present with 50cm lying.

A few cold dry days are expected now before the snow is due to return on Thursday.

There's been heavy June snow on mountain tops across North America in the past week, even Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the world's tallest mountain from its under-sea roots, has reported a dusting of June snow on its summit (below).



However Boreal Mountain in California (top), which opened yesterday and plans to re-open next Saturday 25th June, did so thanks to investing in an 'all-weather' Snow Factory snow making machine from Techno Alpin. The machine, similar in size to an articulated lorry, makes snow within the body of the unit which can then be sprayed on to the slope.

Although open to the public for 'Summer shred' sessions, the unit will mostly be used for snowsports summer camps that use the resorts 'Woodward at Tahoe' facility, an indoor freestyle sports training centre. Similar facilities exist at Laax in Switzerland and at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the latter, one of the world's highest areas, offering snow sports for campers on snow in summer too, but able to use natural or snow made with normal snow making equipment because of the altitude and low night time temperatures.

Elsewhere in North America glacier skiing is currently underway (until July 18th) at Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada, and Mammoth Mountain is still open for snowsports and plans to stay open in to July too. The summer snowsports operation at Mt Hood in Oregon is also open.

Although not officially open for snowsports some skiers have been using summer lift operations to access the fresh snow that has been falling, former Olympic skier Martin Bell posted pictures of skiing in mid-winter blizzard like conditions at Mt Bachelor in Oregon on his Facebook page this weekend.

There's been heavy June snow on mountain tops across North America in the past week, even Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the world's tallest mountain from its under-sea roots, has reported a dusting of June snow on its summit (below).



However Boreal Mountain in California (top), which opened yesterday and plans to re-open next Saturday 25th June, did so thanks to investing in an 'all-weather' Snow Factory snow making machine from Techno Alpin. The machine, similar in size to an articulated lorry, makes snow within the body of the unit which can then be sprayed on to the slope.

Although open to the public for 'Summer shred' sessions, the unit will mostly be used for snowsports summer camps that use the resorts 'Woodward at Tahoe' facility, an indoor freestyle sports training centre. Similar facilities exist at Laax in Switzerland and at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the latter, one of the world's highest areas, offering snow sports for campers on snow in summer too, but able to use natural or snow made with normal snow making equipment because of the altitude and low night time temperatures.

Elsewhere in North America glacier skiing is currently underway (until July 18th) at Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada, and Mammoth Mountain is still open for snowsports and plans to stay open in to July too. The summer snowsports operation at Mt Hood in Oregon is also open.

Although not officially open for snowsports some skiers have been using summer lift operations to access the fresh snow that has been falling, former Olympic skier Martin Bell posted pictures of skiing in mid-winter blizzard like conditions at Mt Bachelor in Oregon on his Facebook page this weekend.

Glencoe ski area in the Western Scottish Highlands plans to re-open tomorrow, Saturday June 18th, for its traditional midsummer skiing day.

This weekend is closest to midsummers day on Tuesday when daylight hours are at their longest and it hardly goes dark in the northern Highlands.

Usually a few hundred die-hards ski on remaining patches of snow, often some walk from the ski lifts, which are briefly turned on to allow for access.

This year Glencoe staff report that, "It looks like sunshine and light winds are forecast for the annual midsummer ski and the largest snow patch is still around 300m long so should still be some fun to be had."

Experienced skiers and boarders are encouraged to meet in Glencoe's base station cafe at 9am then then head up after breakfast.

The area's Cliffy lift will run at around 10am for just long enough to get everyone up nearer the snow – which will not be groomed.

"From there you are on your own to hike for some turns. Normal plan of action is to head to the Main Basin to build some features to play on. Later in the day many people traverse round the mountain to check out the patches on the Spring run or the Flypaper," a resort statement reads, continuing, "Currently the snow is lovely firms Spring snow so providing some pretty good turns."

Access up the mountain is free for all season ticket holders and £10 (the normal Access chair cost) for everyone else. Glencoe also ask skiers and boarders to note that the Cliffy lift will only provide uphill transport so anyone using it will need to ski/board or walk down.

The cost of a six day adult lift pass at some of the world's largest ski areas is creeping closer to the 300 Euros mark for winter 2016-17.

The Paradiski area which is also one of the world's three biggest will charge €298 for a ticket this winter.

Children aged 13 to 18 pay the adult price, younger children aged 5 – 12 pay €238.50. There are discounts though for families, in low season, or when two or three people buy the same type of ticket at the same time.

Skiers and boarders can also pay less by buying a pass for the la Plagne or Les Arcs sides only. The rate applies from 17th December 2016 to 14th April 2017.

The world's largest ski area, the 3 Valleys, will charge a headline rate of 294 Euros for a six day pass for adults as well as for children aged 13 to 18. The charge for children aged 5 to 12 is €238.10 although family discounts are available. The rate also applies from 17th December 2016 to 14th April 2017.

Before those dates there are lower prices and throughout the season the region offers discounts in the region of 10-20% when two or three people buy the same ticket at the same time, and for families.

It also remains possible to buy tickets for individual valleys rather than the full area and again a considerable saving. The low season family price for a St Martin/Les Menuires pass is almost half the maximum 3 Valleys price for example at 167.70 Euros.

The price for the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass for the wider region around Chamonix was 293 Euros last winter but the 16-17 price has not been released yet. Again lower priced versions are available.

Exactly how much that equates to in pounds sterling is likely to depend a lost on the impact on exchange rates of the result of the EU referendum next week.

Heavy snowfall is currently being reported in southern Africa.

The two commercial ski areas in the region – Tiffindell in South Africa and Afriski in Lesotho - both say it is snowing heavily this morning (13th June). Afriski (pictured above this morning) say that 23cm/9 inches has fallen so far.

The two resorts officially opened almost a fortnight ago but had not been Able to open, other than on short patches of machine made snow – due to lack of cover. This now looks set to change from today onwards.

A statement on social media from Afriski said, "The highly-anticipated cold front has delivered what it promised and we have experienced heavy snow fall from last night through to this morning. We sure do love a snow day here at Afriski."

Southeren African ski areas are typically among the first to open in the southern hemisphere each winter and also close in late August, a few weeks before ski areas in other countries south of the equator.

The 2016 ski season got underway in Australia and New Zealand today.

Fortunes were mixed with cold temperatures and fresh snow in Australia – but not enough to open more than one run in the whole country – whilst New Zealand's Mt Hutt had had to delay its planned opening yesterday due to extremes of weather (strong winds). However snow cover was largely good at the three Kiwi ski areas opening today – Cardona, Coronet Peak (pictured above) and Mt Hutt.

Queenstown's Coronet Peak saw 2,500 people turn out in force to support opening day, around 300 people of them first through the gates at 9am, many fuelled by free breakfast baps, coffee and hot chocolates handed out by ski area staff.

22-year-old Angelique Vinnedge from Canada was among the first on the slopes having arrived at 6am. Describing her first run down the M1 as "splendid", Angelique said the weather had been the deal breaker, adding, "It was definitely worth getting up early to see all the stars out and a great sunrise."



In Australia the ski season traditionally gets underway this weekend, the Queen's Birthday long holiday weekend there, whether or not there's any snow. And though it has been snowing and is cold only the largest resort, Perisher (pictured above), has been able to open any runs so far, and there it's just one from their 130+ trails, pictured below earlier today. So almost all of Australia's ski areas are open, there just isn't any skiing available at most of them, which isn't san unusual scenario for opening weekend there.

Elsewhere in the southern hemisphere Las Lenas in Argentina has opened joining the four ski areas over the border in Chile that have opened earlier than scheduled, in the past week, following huge snowfalls there.

In Southern Africa there are very limited areas of machine made snow open so far at Afriski in Lesotho.

In the fast changing race to open for winter 2016 in the southern hemisphere we have a winner! El Colorado in Chile decided to open nearly a fortnight ahead of schedule, yesterday Sunday 5th June (and pictured above), after huge snowfalls in the Andres.

The resort reports a 50cm base at resort level and a metre on upper runs. Those numbers may be dwarfed by other areas yet to open, as Portillo to the north reports 10feet/3m of snow in the last week.

It still plans to open on its published opening date, June 18th, however, but other resorts have announced they'll be opening early including La Parva this Thursday and Valle Nevado on Friday.

Prior to this it had seemed likely that Mt Hutt in New Zealand would be the first in the southern hemisphere to open, on its planned opening date also this Friday – and thanks to the different time zones it will indeed get a full day of skiing in before its neighbours across the Pacific open for their Friday skiing.

After an alarming mild first half of May New Zealand's ski areas have also seen big snowfalls of up to a metre and report bases of up to a metre. Mt Hutt says it will have all lifts and runs open on Friday, quite a rare thing for any resort's opening day. Fellow NZ ski areas Coronet Peak and Cardrona are due to open on Saturday.

Ski areas on Southern Africa and Australia also have this coming weekend identified as opening day but here it's a case of relying on snowmaking at present of temperatures keep low enough.