Mount Hotham Alpine Resort is an Australian alpine resort, is located in the

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

region of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Set on the slopes of

Mount Hotham Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. The nearest ...

, the ski resort comprises an alpine village, situated at an altitude of AHD, making it the second highest resort village in Australia after Charlotte Pass village, in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The alpine resort operations are located within an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

(statutory authority) of Victoria surrounded by the locality of Hotham Heights in the

Alpine Shire The Shire of Alpine is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in August 2021 had a population of 13,235. It includes the towns of Bright, Dinne ...

. Road access to the resort is via the

Great Alpine Road The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considered the mounta ...

. It is located approximately west of and south of . Hotham Alpine Resort is located approximately northeast of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Mount Hotham is host to a number of historic sites, namely the Zirky's Mount Hotham Hotel, Snake Gully and Arlberg Chalet.

Ownership and operation

The land of the resort is operated by Alpine Resorts Victoria, the statutory authority, and the skifields and lift infrastructure are operated by Vail Resorts (leaseholder), who purchased the Mount Hotham Skiing Company from Merlin Entertainments. Vail Resorts' operating company is Mount Hotham Skiing Company (MHSC), that was granted a lease from the

Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the Executive (government), executive government of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. As a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutiona ...

via the Mt Hotham Resort Management Board. A subsidiary company of MHSC operates the

Mount Hotham Airport Mount Hotham Airport is a small Australian regional airport, which serves the Victorian ski resort of Mount Hotham. It is Australia's highest-altitude airport. History Developed by BCR Asset Management, construction of Month Hotham Airport b ...

Visiting in Winter

During the declared snow season (usually from the King's Birthday long weekend in June till the first weekend in October), it is a legal requirement to carr
diamond pattern wheel chains
and fit them if directed. There are penalties for not doing so. The steep and exposed portions of the Great Alpine Road between Harrietville and Hotham Heights means that in some conditions, vehicles (particularly two wheel drive vehicles) are not able to travel safely without these wheel chains. Visitors also need to purchase
Resort Entry permit
to enter the resort during winter. The resort entry fee contributes to essential services for guests around the mountain, including ski patrol, the free village buses, snow clearing of car parks in the village, waste management and environmental initiatives.

Winter sports

Most of the

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

is based on one side of a large valley, and the area connects to the

Bogong High Plains The Bogong High Plains (), part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, are a section of plains located in the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong. In winter this area is ...

. Hotham features of ski area including of tree-lined cross-country trails and a network of fourteen lifts. The longest run at Hotham is . The resort features an abundance of runs for skiers and boarders of all standards from beginners (20%) to intermediates (40%) and advanced (40%). The resort is home to one of Australia's most difficult runs, the steep ''Mary's Slide''. It is also home to Australia's only

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

range.

Lifts

winter, the following ski lifts are in operation: A list of all 30 lifts that have operated at Hotham over the years is at th
Australian Ski Lift Directory

Climate

As with most of the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps are a mountain range in southeast Australia. The range comprises an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion,

, Mount Hotham's climate is, compared to the bulk of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, cold throughout the year; with particularly cold maximum temperatures, and Mount Hotham is one of very few areas in Australia that frequently records maximum temperatures below

freezing Freezing is a phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. For most substances, the melting and freezing points are the same temperature; however, certain substances possess dif ...

. Mount Hotham is also one of the only places in Australia to have never recorded a temperature above ; during the

early 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...

, whilst most of the state sweltered above , the mountain's peak temperature was a mild . Snow occurs frequently and heavily, and sub-freezing maximum temperatures can be recorded throughout the year—even in high summer. However, due to frequent winter cloud and the mountain's exposed position, a temperature below has only once-occurred since records began in 1990. Mount Hotham receives an average of 66.1 snowy days annually. It is the coldest weather station on mainland Australia by maximum temperatures. Owing to its short, cool summers and long, cold winters, Mount Hotham has a

Subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(''Cfc'') bordering on

Tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

(''ET'').

References

External links

Mount Hotham Ski Resort website
*A list of all 30 lifts that have operated at Hotham over the years is at th
Australian Ski Lift Directory

Mount Hotham Hotel Accommodation websiteHistory of skiing at Mount Hotham, and development of the resortMount Hotham Accommodation Package DealInformation for Snow and Skiing Holidays at Mount Hotham
{{Local Government Areas of Victoria Ski areas and resorts in Victoria (state) Victorian Alps