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Downhill Skiing
Falls Creek
Falls Creek is our favorite downhill ski resort. That is why we
established our accommodation as close to Falls Creek as possible. This was
before we discovered the fantastic cross country skiing opportunities and
mountain biking based from Mount Beauty.
Why we prefer Falls
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Excellent reliable snow falls. A good altitude, good
orientation of slopes and very extensive snow making using the hydro water.
In a good season you can rely of Falls being as good as anywhere. In a poor
season if is skiable anywhere it is skiable at Falls. |
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Good season length. Falls is always one of the first resorts
in Australia to have reasonable snow cover and one of the last to finish. |
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Excellent slope grooming over many years and the southern
orientation of the Sun Valley slopes means the resort holds it's snow well. |
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Wide variety of slopes.
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Beginner to challenging advanced in the Village
Bowl area. Cornices, long bump runs, and long groomed runs. Some runs are
summit to car park. |
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Wide open spaces for beginner to Advanced runs in the Sun Valley area
with the majority of runs intermediate. Plus Wombats Ramble at 2.2 km
the longest beginner run in Australia. |
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Interesting advanced tree skiing runs up to 3 kms in the
Maze Area. |
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Snowboard Park. |
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Falls Creek downhill trail map
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You can usually find somewhere reasonable to ski in all but
the very worst weather. |
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A terrain layout which makes it quick and easy to get from
any part of the ski area to another. |
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Superb layout for day visitors from Mount Beauty. Each of
the three day car parks are situated steps away from lift access. You can
ski off and ski right back almost to your car. |
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Quick and easy access from the day car parks to any part of
the resort. You can easily ski back to your car for lunch and back out again
with a minimum of fuss. Your own picnic at your car can be a big cost
saver. |
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There are eating and take away facilities and good public
shelter facilities at each of the day car parks. Plenty of opportunity for
you to picnic inside on a poor day. |
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The winter access to Falls Creek is excellent. The use
of chains being the exception rather than the rule. The road stays
sheltered and below the snowline for most of the distance. The last climb
into Falls Creek is on the north side assisting the clearing of the snow
after major falls. |
Lift Tickets
There so many angles on lift ticket discounts that we
thought that it would be worthwhile to try and summarise them all in one list.
- All skiers and boarders need a
Reloadable RFID Media card cost $3
- A Hero pass and Season pass
can be cheaper from 9 days skiing depending on when you buy the pass.
- The cheapest ticket is a
Falls Beginners Ticket which includes a lesson and is valid on 3 beginner
lifts.
- The next best value ticket
is the Learn to Ski and Board Ticket which is a progressive ticket up to 5
days.
- Purchase a 5 day or greater
lift pass and ski/ride for FREE from 1pm the day prior to the start date of
your ticket.
- Unless the snow or weather
is very doubtful it pays to buy your lift tickets before arrival, Purchase 7
Days in Advance save10%, Purchase 14 Days in Advance save 15%
www.skifalls.com.au/eStore
- Lower prices for youths
15-18 years inclusive. Must produce Student ID.
- If you are a Full Time
Tertiary Student with a current student card, you are eligible to receive 50%
off the price of 1 Day lift pass every Friday during the snow season
- Flexible ticketing duration
allows you to schedule rest days and cater for wind hold days: 5 out of 7 Days, 6
out of 8 Days, 7 out of 9 Days
- Mums coffee club discounted
lift and lesson ticket if you have a child in full day sports school.
- A 2 hour parent’s pass is available.
- Senior: 65-69
years inclusive get half price.
- Over 70's &
Children 5 & Under ski free. Don’t leave the grandparents behind, they ski for
free and get you a discount on resort entry.
Mt Hotham
Mt Hotham is an excellent ski resort. It usually gets a little
more snow than Falls Creek and the initial fall is often slightly drier. The
village is near the top of the mountain and the access road very exposed at high
altitude for a considerable distance. Generally the slope grooming is not as
good as Falls Creek and some of the key areas are more quickly affected by the
sun.
In a very good snow season with excellent weather Mt Hotham is
hard to beat. We recommend that you give it a try. However to really enjoy the
experience pick your day. A bumper snow cover will ensure that you have a good
variety of runs to choose from.
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To drive to Mt Hotham from Mount Beauty takes approximately
an extra half an hour assuming chains are not required. |
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If the cover is very good and the weather excellent spending
your last day at Mt Hotham can be a practical idea. |
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Your multi-day lift ticket is valid at both resorts. |
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Check the local radio snow reports for information about
snow cover, weather and chain fitting. |
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Unless you are very experienced in snow driving consider
seriously before taking this option when chains are required. The ridge
approach to Mt Hotham can be slow and difficult when the road conditions
require chains for a considerable distance. |
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We do not recommend this option in poor weather. Being cold
and wet on the exposed top of the mountain may not be a pleasant way
to end your holiday and drive home. |
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