By Neve Brissenden

A LAST-minute snow dump has provided a reprieve for one major ski resort, while the opening of another is uncertain after warm conditions and heavy rain disrupted plans for the season’s first weekend.

Perisher Ski Resort is set to open runs on Front Valley after receiving an eight-centimetre snow blanket on Thursday night.

Heavy rain earlier in the day had washed away accumulated snow at Perisher and Thredbo, which sits at a lower elevation in Kosciuszko National Park

“Phew! That was a close one,” Perisher staff said in a Facebook post.

“Mother Nature really did put the ‘no’ in snow the past few weeks, but she has delivered overnight!”

Across the valley at Thredbo, conditions remain unclear after the resort said it would be closed over the weekend in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“Mother nature is a little late to the party this year,” Thredbo staff said on Facebook.

“Unfortunately there will be no skiing or snowboarding this weekend due to a lack of snow.”

The resort said it would credit all skiers for lift passes, lessons and rental gear.

Thredbo has since received a small snow dump.

The King’s Birthday weekend marks the opening of the Australian ski season, however warm weather has left major resorts scrambling.

In Victoria, Mt Buller has been stockpiling man-made snow and will kick off the season with skiing and snowboarding on its Bourke Street run.

“The long weekend is always an opportunity for the community to come together and this season is no different with events over all three days,” a spokeswoman told AAP.

Falls Creek will not open for skiing, but the resort will operate some lifts for sightseeing.

NSW Police have warned motorists to expect a heavy presence of officers on roads in alpine regions despite the less-than-ideal snow conditions.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter said police would be targeting road safety as well as alcohol-related crime in local venues as people flocked to the ski-fields.

Over the past three years, the La Nina weather pattern brought cool temperatures and record-breaking rain to Australia’s east, but an El Nino event is looking increasingly likely for 2023.

During El Nino years, the maximum snow depth averages about 35 centimetres less than the all-years’ average, while the period with more than 100 centimetres is about two weeks shorter, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

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