Skiing in Victoria

File:MarysSlide.jpg Victoria]]

A hospice was built at Mount Saint Bernard (Elevation 1540) around 1863 along a track developed to link the Victorian gold fields. Snowshoes were developed locally to assist winter travellers and a larger hospice built around 1884. Recreational and practical skiing was being practised in the area by the 1880s and 90s with skis made from local timbers, and making use of single steering poles. The first winter traverse of the Victorian Alps was made in 1900, via the Hospice and Mount Hotham. The Hospice operated as a recreational ski location into the 1930s, but was destroyed by bushfire in 1939.{{Cite web |url=http://www.australianalpineclub.com/pages/H_prt4/H_prt04_03.htm |title=AAC - History |access-date=2011-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707191157/http://www.australianalpineclub.com/pages/H_prt4/H_prt04_03.htm |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}

Skiing began at Mount Buffalo in the 1890s and the Mount Buffalo Chalet in Victoria was constructed in 1910. Australia's first ski tow was constructed near Mount Buffalo in 1938.{{cite web|url=http://www.australianalps.environment.gov.au/parks/mount-buffalo.html|title=Australian Alps National Parks - Parks in the alps - mount-buffalo National Park|website=Australianalps.environment.gov.au|access-date=16 August 2018}} Buffalo's first ski lodge was built at Dingo Dell in 1954. A bushfire in 2006 forced the temporary closure of the resort and negotiations are continuing over a new lease on the property.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtbuffaloresort.com.au/environment_chalet_history_time.php |title=Environment - A Short History of Mt Buffalo - Mt Buffalo Resort |access-date=2011-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515155218/http://www.mtbuffaloresort.com.au/environment_chalet_history_time.php |archive-date=2009-05-15 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/lodge-destroyed-on-mount-buffalo/2006/12/12/1165685681152.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | first=Daniella | last=Miletic | title=Lodge destroyed on Mount Buffalo | date=2006-12-13}} A stone cottage was built at Mount Hotham in 1925 to cater for a growing interest in sport of skiing and a Club was built in 1944 with the first ski tow installed in 1951.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mthotham.com.au/resort/about/history/ |title=Mount Hotham - History |access-date=2011-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417154636/http://www.mthotham.com.au/resort/about/history/ |archive-date=2011-04-17 |url-status=dead }} A ski hut was erected at Mount Baw Baw, just 120 km East of Melbourne, in 1945 and a ski rope tow added in 1955.{{cite web|url=http://www.mountbawbaw.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136&Itemid=221|title=Grand Ridge Brewery Rail Jam - Mt Baw Baw|website=Mountbawbaw.com.au|access-date=16 August 2018}} The first ski lift went into service at Mount Buller in 1949, and in the same year rope tow was installed at Falls Creek.{{cite news | url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/mount-buller--culture-and-history-20081126-6idd.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Mount Buller - Culture and History | date=2008-11-26 | access-date=2011-05-17 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629020300/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/mount-buller--culture-and-history-20081126-6idd.html | archive-date=2010-06-29 | url-status=dead }} In 1957, Australia's first chairlift was installed at Falls Creek,{{cite web |url=http://www.fallscreek.com.au/HistoryoftheResort |title=History of the Resort - Falls Creek |access-date=2009-07-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925091145/http://www.fallscreek.com.au/HistoryoftheResort |archive-date=2009-09-25 }} and the area is today the largest ski resort in Victoria.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

The Mount Buller Interschools Event claims to be the largest interdisciplinary snow-sports event on earth. In 2008 it attracted 3500 participants.{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/50-reasons-to-love-australian-snow-20090603-bv3f.html?page=-1 | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=50 reasons to love Australian snow | first1=Robert | last1=Upe | first2=Jim | last2=Darby | first3=Russell | last3=Holt | first4=Susan | last4=Bredow | date=2009-06-06}}

Snow play is also available at Mount Donna Buang.

File:Hoppet-2005-sun-valley.jpg, an annual 42km Cross Country Ski Race, at Falls Creek, Victoria]]

File:Lake-Mountain-trail.jpg cross country ski resort, Victoria]]

Image:Telemark-skier-mt-stirling-1.jpg cross country ski resort]]

Dedicated Cross Country ski resorts are located at Lake Mountain, Mount Stirling and Mount St Gwinear in Victoria and popular areas for back country skiing and ski touring in the Alpine National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park and the Baw Baw National Park include: Mount Bogong, Mount Feathertop, Bogong High Plains, Mount Howitt, Mount Reynard and Snowy Plains. The Kangaroo Hoppet is a leg of the Worldloppet cross-country race series which is conducted on the last Saturday of August each year, hosted by Falls Creek in Victoria. The showpiece 42-kilometre race attracts thousands of spectators and competitors.

The Australian High Country is populated by unique flora and fauna including wombats, wallabies, echidnas, and the Snow Gum.{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/50-reasons-to-love-australian-snow-20090603-bv3f.html?page=-1 | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=50 reasons to love Australian snow | date=2009-06-06}} The Alpine regions are subject to environmental protection, which has limited the scope of commercial development of skiable terrain,See "Kosciuszko National Park: Contemporary Management". New South Wales Department of Education and Training, Riverina Environmental Education Centre. however Australia has extensive cross country skiing terrain.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoppet.com.au/xc/|title=XC - The Australian cross country skiing site|website=Hoppet.com.au|access-date=16 August 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://www.australia.com/destinations/icons/alps.aspx |title=Australian Alps - Tourism Australia |access-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221222217/http://www.australia.com/destinations/icons/alps.aspx |archive-date=2012-02-21 }}

• Mount Hotham
• Falls Creek
• Mount Buller
• Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort
• Mount Buffalo (backcountry skiing)

• Lake Mountain
• Mount St Gwinear
• Mount Stirling
• Mount Buffalo
• Mount Donna Buang (mostly tourist snow)

• Mount Torbreck
• Mount Stirling (downhill skiing proposal)

Popular areas for back country skiing and ski touring in the Alpine National Park, Mount Buffalo National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park and the Baw Baw National Park include:

• Mount Bogong
• Bogong High Plains
• Mount Feathertop
• Mount Buffalo
• Mount Stirling
• Mount Howitt
• Mount Reynard
• Snowy Plains

File:Mt-Hotham-Village-2008.jpg|Mount Hotham Village

File:Falls-creek-ruined-castle-and-terrain-park.jpg|The Ruined Castle chairlift and terrain park, Falls Creek, Victoria

File:Baw-baw-view-gippsland.jpg|The view across Gippsland from Mount Baw Baw, Victoria

File:Mt Buller village Stevage.jpg|Mount Buller village, Victoria.

File:Mt Buller Bourke St Stevage-2008-28-11.jpg|Bourke Street, Mount Buller

File:Mount-feathertop-from-summit-track.jpg|Mount Feathertop

File:Mt bogong 01.JPG|Mount Bogong

File:MountBogong.JPG|Mount Bogong

File:Mount Buffalo Chalet.jpg|Mount Buffalo Chalet

File:Mt Buffalo, Victoria, Australia.jpg|Mount Buffalo

• National Alpine Museum of Australia
• List of ski areas and resorts in Australia
• Skiing in Australia
• Skiing in New South Wales
• Skiing in Tasmania
• Skiing in the Australian Capital Territory
• Winter sport in Australia

• Information on all ski lifts to have operated in Victoria in the [http://www.australianmountains.com/australianskilifts/ Australian Ski Lift Directory]
• [http://www.australianalpineclub.com The Australian Alpine Club]

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Victoria

Category:Sport in Victoria (state) by sport