newlifefor4

Sorry when i say close, i mean within about a three hour or so drive. So we can go at weekends. I dont want to live that close when we could have lovely sunshine instead.

Pollyana

I reckon a large number of us would rather be in the snowfields at present th stuck in the heat and sunshine

BadgeIsBack

Not strictly true there are hard core skiers here who spend practically their whole weekends in the snow : off piste and ski touring. And then to Japan. There is an entire niche contingent and community here : it's quite an elite tight knit crowd..amazing people. Our paths cross in to other sports and specialities...

spuddyo

Maybe consider Whistralia in our Summer - that's where all the Aussie skiers go. Everybody you speak to there seems to be Australian. Plenty of skiing from July to September just 4 hrs north of Melbourne though.

Beoz

They sound like the best people on the planet. I want to be just like them.

Beoz

Here's a thought. Build a dry slope in Melbourne. Make a business out of it.

Beoz

Badly marketed. I had to dig pretty deep to find a decent video. This should be on the front page.

Well, now when someone asks "tell me one good thing to do in Auckland" ...... I have finally found one ...... there's Snow Planet.

Brisbane could do with one of these.

jad n rich

sr71

But the serious guys spend their time in the US/Canada/Japan - Australia just doesn't have the facilities, look at the gold medalists Australia has had for example.

Japonica

No kidding. It's always packed at O'Brien and I think they added a curling league to their ice hockey offerings. There seem to be a lot of Melburnians keen on winter sports.

newlifefor4

Oh i would love too, fancy funding it for me

BadgeIsBack

You can laugh but if you make the effort to get out you meet likeminded people.

It's not just snow Jad.

BadgeIsBack

Of course, I mentioned Japan. The point is though is that there are people who make the effort to get out because they love the snow and their backyard even if they go overseas: I should point out this is not just skiing on piste : there is a niche of ski tourers and people who like lots of sports, climbing and hiking too.

I can't go into more detail because it starts giving away personal details and groups and this is a public forum (!)

moneypenny20

They're not getting out and about to dry ski slopes around Melbourne though. Also just because someone may love the snow doesn't mean they have the finances to follow the snow. Making the effort isn't exactly possibly if you don't earn the money needed for trips to Japan/Canada/Europe. The OP is looking for clubs for his kids. Not recommendations to Japan

OzTennis

I second that; the fact that they are an 'elite', 'amazing' crowd reveals much.

There's plenty of websites on Melbourne's snowfields which give distances - Lake Mountain/Donna Buang under a couple of hours from the eastern suburbs; Hotham/Fall's Creek more like 4 with Baw Baw, Buffalo, Bogong in between. Some of the resorts run buses; friends of ours often drive to places like Lilydale or Marysville, leave the car and get the provided buses to the snowfields for the weekend. They don't fancy driving on the higher roads when there's a lot of snow.