Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early After Rain and Warmth Strip Snowpack

Selwyn Snow Resort in New South Wales has ended its 2026 winter season early, becoming the first NSW resort to close and the second Australian ski area to do so after Victoria’s Mount Baw Baw. The decision, announced on Friday, August 21, 2026, came after heavy rain and above-average temperatures eroded the resort’s already fragile snow cover, leaving insufficient base to continue operating.

“Mother Nature hasn’t been kind this year”

In a social media statement, Selwyn said its mountain team had worked “tirelessly” to give the resort every possible chance of reopening after Thursday’s rain. “Unfortunately, the snowmaking temperatures we needed didn’t arrive, and the time has come to call it a season,” the resort wrote.

The closure comes roughly six weeks earlier than the traditional end of the Australian ski season, which usually runs through the October long weekend. Selwyn had temporarily shut following the heavy rain, hoping that cold nights would allow it to rebuild enough snow through snowmaking to reopen for the weekend. Those cold conditions never materialised, and the remaining snowpack continued to deteriorate.

“Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to us this year,” the resort said, acknowledging one of the most challenging seasons in recent memory.

A season undermined by rain and low snowfall

The 2026 Australian winter has been marked by below-average snowfalls and repeated rain events that have hit lower-elevation resorts hardest. Selwyn, one of the lowest ski areas in the country, was reduced to thin strips of manmade snow with virtually no natural cover by mid-August.

Forecasters said the week of August 18–24 was unlikely to bring any significant snowfall to NSW or Victorian resorts, with rain instead expected across the mountains. SnowWatch indicated no snowfall was expected at any Australian resort over the following 15 days, making a late-season recovery improbable.

At higher elevations, such as above 1,700–1,800 metres, more natural snow remained, allowing larger resorts like Perisher, Thredbo and Charlotte Pass to continue operating, albeit with significantly reduced cover compared to 2025. But for Selwyn, sitting at a lower altitude, the combination of rain, warm air and insufficient cold nights proved insurmountable.

Guests and staff thanked; bookings refunded

Selwyn thanked its employees and guests for their support during the short season, recognising the effort required to keep the resort running under difficult conditions. The Selwyn Centre remained open over the weekend for food and beverages, giving visitors a final chance to visit before winter operations ended.

Guests with bookings for the remainder of the 2026 season were contacted and offered refunds or alternative arrangements, the resort said. The early closure follows a similar move by Mount Baw Baw, which wrapped up its lift operations on Sunday, August 23, after a 57-day season.

Rebuilding after the fires – and now another setback

The early shutdown is a particular blow for Selwyn, which has only recently regained stability after being destroyed in the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires and undergoing a multi-year rebuild. The resort has worked hard to re-establish itself as a family-friendly, accessible ski area, with a strong focus on beginners, snow play and community events.

This season’s premature end underscores the vulnerability of lower-elevation resorts in an era of increasingly variable winter conditions. With natural snowfall unreliable and rain events more damaging to a thin base, snowmaking has become critical – but it, too, depends on consistently cold nights that did not arrive in late August 2026.

“Significant and exciting upgrades” planned for 2027

Despite the disappointing finish to the 2026 season, Selwyn is looking ahead. The resort teased “significant and exciting upgrades” to its snowmaking infrastructure for 2027, signalling a major investment designed to maximise limited cold periods and improve resilience against warm, wet weather.

“We may be saying goodbye to winter a little earlier than we hoped, but there’s plenty to look forward to,” Selwyn said. “Watch this space.”

Industry observers note that such upgrades could prove crucial as Australian resorts contend with more volatile winters and the need to make the most of short windows of cold, dry weather. For Selwyn, the 2027 snowmaking improvements will be a test of whether enhanced technology and capacity can offset the challenges posed by a warming, less predictable climate.

Broader implications for Australian skiing

Selwyn’s early closure highlights the diverging fortunes of Australia’s ski fields. Larger, higher-altitude resorts with extensive snowmaking networks – such as Perisher and Thredbo – can still operate into September and October, albeit on reduced terrain. Smaller, lower resorts like Selwyn and Mount Baw Baw are far more exposed to rain and warm spells, and now face repeated seasons where viability depends on narrow weather windows.

With forecasters already describing the 2026 season as “not a good story for the snow” and ruling out significant September snowfalls, the focus for many resorts is shifting to long-term adaptation: more efficient snowmaking, targeted terrain management, and diversified year-round offerings. For Selwyn, the 2027 snowmaking upgrades will be the next chapter in that story – an attempt to ensure that, even when Mother Nature is unkind, the resort can still give itself every possible chance to stay open.