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: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. 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 neare ...

, 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 Charlotte Pass (often erroneously referred to as Charlotte's Pass) is a snow resort and village in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The pass is in the Kosciuszko National Park where the Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge. ...

village, in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The alpine resort operations are located within an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

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

Alpine Shire The Alpine Shire 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 2022 had a population of 13,235. It includes the towns of Bright, Dinner Plain, ...

. Road access to the resort is via the

Great Alpine Road } The Great Alpine Road (B500) is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, and passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considere ...

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

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. 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 Skiiing 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 just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and t ...

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. The airport opened in 2000, and it is Australia's highest-altitude airport. Airlines and destinations QantasLink Qan ...

Visiting in Winter

During the declared snow season (usually from the Queen'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. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

and snowboarding 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 ...

. 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

Mount Hotham Alpine Resort holds the record for the highest annual precipitation of any Victorian resort over the past decade. As with most of the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,0042-5184 However, the moth has also been a biovector of arsenic, transporting it from lowland feeding sites over long distances in ...

, Mount Hotham's climate is, compared to the bulk of Australia, 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 where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid o ...

. 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 The 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave was a heat wave that commenced in late January and led to record-breaking prolonged high temperatures in the region. The heat wave is considered one of the, if not the, most extreme in the region's histor ...

, whilst most of the state sweltered above , the mountain's peak temperature was a mild .

Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...

and sub-zero temperatures can be recorded throughout the year, even in mid-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. Owing to its short, cool summers and long, very cold winters, Mount Hotham yields a

subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(''Cfc'') with

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical weather ( climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions ...

(''ET'') influences.

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 (Australia) Victorian Alps