Welcome Archive!

Moving on from the Winter of 2025

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Skiers enjoying perfect conditions

Post Winter Season Newsletter - 1st One

2025-26 XC “SUMMER” BEGINS

Perisher XC Work Parties:

Pencil in these 2024-2025 Perisher XC Work Party dates now:

· #1 November 15/16, 2025

· #2 February 7/8, 2026

· #3 March 7/8, 2026

· #4 April 18/19, 2026

· #5 May 16/17, 2026

· #6 June – If required

The November XC Work Party will focus on putting away the portable water mitigation material until needed again next winter. Half-pipes will be lifted and pipe and bridge covers folded and stored. There will be some work around the Shelter.

If you can attend all or part of the 15-16 November Weekend Work Party #1, contact Peter Ward (nswxc1@gmail.com). Bring gum boots, work gloves, PPE, work clothes for any weather, lunch and snacks, crockery and cutlery. The hot water urn, sandwich press, microwave, coffee and tea are available at the Shelter.

Overnight accommodation in Perisher is available for all XC Work Partiers, generously provided by Canberra Alpine Club. If you require accommodation, please contact Peter Cunningham (peter.petercunningham@gmail.com). Bring bed linen, towels and food/drink for meals – the shared dinner on Saturday night is always an interesting social occasion!

A Season to Remember

What a turnaround from the past two years! This winter brought steady snow with plenty of moisture — overall perfect conditions for all kinds of skiers: skilled competitors, developing skiers, beginners, Scouts, schools, families and skiers just loving being out there! All the events and programs run smoothly. It was fantastic to see so many volunteers lending a hand, with special thanks to our tireless event leaders, Peter Ward and Peter Cunningham, whose dedication continues to anchor our success.

Nordic Shelter Managers, John & Sonja Sim and Andy Nicholls & Carol Healy, did an outstanding job working alongside the new NPWS grooming contractor, 4Site. With this being their first season at the Perisher XC Centre, there was much to learn and refine — and we can expect the trail grooming to be even better in 2026.

XC Ski Week Success

By the most important measure — increased participation — XC Ski Week was a great success! Every event and activity was well attended, right through to the final presentations at Corroboree Lodge.

Save the dates: Next year’s XC Ski Week will run 1st to the 8th of August 2026 — be sure to book your accommodation early!

A huge thank you to Wilderness Sports and Rhythm Snowsports for their generous lucky draw prizes, which always add to the fun and helps attract ever more people to the grand finale.

Prize Winners:

Eiger Gift Vouchers: Bethan McDonald, Zali Christo, Gale Funston, Ross Dierden
Brumby Bar Gift Vouchers: Bruce Porter & Marg Hayes
ESS Café Prize: Margaret Mahoney & Leslie Ludwig
K7 Ski School Private Lessons: Eric B & Gale Funston
Supporter Prize (Plaque & Bronze Ski Honour): Cliff Wallis – Sundeck Hotel
Rossignol Skis & Bindings (Wilderness Sports): Marg Hayes

Big Thank You to our Sponsors

To our Sponsors:

A big thank you to all those who have supported us throughout the 2025 winter—whether through financial contributions or services. Your generosity helps us maintain operations, support our websites and social media, promote events, and invest in infrastructure for both summer and winter grooming.

Thanks to:

Corroboree Lodge
K7 Ski School
Rhythm Snowsports
Wilderness Sports
Bistro Sociale
Berida Hotel
Eiger Chalet
Sydney Clock Company
Scouts NSW
Foodworks Perisher
Sundeck Hotel

Facebook – Building our XC Skiing Community

Cross-country skiing is a small but passionate sport in Australia. Like many niche activities we are always looking for new volunteers and support. While large marketing campaigns are costly and uncertain, we have a powerful, low-cost tool at our disposal — Facebook.

Growing and maintaining participation is vital for the future of XC skiing. A strong community ensures we have volunteers to run races, tours, and social events, helps secure funding and sponsorship, and supports investment in infrastructure. Simply put — a bigger, more active community means a stronger sport.

This year, we’ve launched the Perisher XC Skiing Community Facebook group to bring everyone together. Unlike our main Perisher XC page, which focuses on official news and events, the community group is a space where anyone can share posts, photos, and stories — celebrating everything we love about XC skiing.

Best of all, this type of promotion costs nothing and reaches far beyond our traditional networks. Even a small increase in engagement can make a big difference.

If you value the growth of XC skiing, please support our Facebook efforts — join the group, share your experiences, post photos, and help spread the enthusiasm. Every interaction helps keep the spirit of XC skiing alive and thriving.

Over the summer period, if skiing overseas, please keep us informed of your exploits by posting on the Perisher XC Skiing Community Facebook group. Also, if you are still finding snow to ski on off the main range, great to see a post.

If posting on your own ski club's FaceBook group site don’t hesitate to share across your content and make mention who you are so a whole new group of people get to see what you do. All you have to do is hit the share button and click group and Perisher XC Skiing Community

Also, to further our knowledge in Social Media and to just help us as a group to do it better, we will be having a Social Media Workshop in February 2026. All are welcome to attend. Information about the actual location, date and time will be available in the new year.

2025 - 2026 Northern Winter – Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics Year

Apart from the usual World Cup events, World Junior-U23 Championships and World Masters, we have the Winter Olympics starting in early February. From late November, tune in to SNOW LIVE to see the FIS live streaming and (hopefully) the Aussie skiers in action.

Approximately 16 of Australia’s top skiers are vying for positions on the Olympic Team with this team being selected in January. Some must first gain selection for World Cup races so there is a lot going on with pre-World Cup selection races, World Cup races and finally the Olympics. To keep abreast of all the news go to the Snow Australia website, click on Disciplines, click on Cross Country and then click on "Latest Cross Country News".

The World Masters Championships is being held in Sappada in Italy, just prior to the Olympics.

Thanks to Colormaker and Peak Learning Adventures.

These two new sponsors have come on board to help fund the Australian National XC Team, primarily with the funding to provide the teams land transport in Europe. Here a fully fitted out van is required to provide all that is required to support the team. You can find out more about these businesses by clicking on the following link View Newsletter and scrolling down.

Through the 2025 winter season thanks must also go to the Sundeck Cup and the Kangaroo Hoppet waxing for providing funding.

The halfway mark to the amount needed to fully fund the Team’s land transport has been reached. To help the Team get to being fully funded as well as help cover the Team's general expenses, you can make a tax-deductible donations via the Australian Sports Foundation.

NPWS at Work this, Summer.

If you love being out and about in the Snowy Mountains outside of winter, PLEASE MAKE SURE that you check the NPWS website for CLOSURES AND ALERTS at this link - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/kosciuszko-national-park/local-alerts

Impending closures include:

4/11/25 – 14/11/25:

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) would like to advise of the following closure in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Area Closed for feral animal control - Mount Blue Cow, Kosciuszko National Park - 4th to 14th November 2025

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be conducting ground shooting operations in the Mount Blue Cow Area of Kosciuszko National Park.

The area of the park will be closed from 5:00pm to 7:30am daily, Tuesday 4th November to Friday 14th November 2025 for ground shooting for feral animal control.

Closure notices will be placed at relevant access points around Mount Blue Cow.

This program will target feral animals to reduce impacts on Mountain Pygmy Possums and other threatened native species.

Check for details of closures - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/kosciuszko-national-park/local-alerts

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10/11/25 - 28/11/25:

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) would like to remind you that aerial feral animal control operations will be conducted in Kosciuszko National Park between 5:45AM, Monday, 10 November 2025 until 8:15PM,Friday, 28 November 2025 (excluding weekends).

There will be a partial closure of Kosciuszko National Park covering walking tracks and surrounding areas within the shoot area. Areas include Rolling Grounds, Main Range, Perisher Range, Ramshead Range, Gungartan and areas of the Pilot Wilderness.

A map of the closed area can be accessed here

CHECK FOR DETAILS OF CLOSURES - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/kosciuszko-national-park/local-alerts

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NSWACT XC Summer Dryland Training:

Regular XC dryland training sessions in Sydney, Canberra and Jindabyne will start in Term 1, 2026. Planning is happening now. If you are interested in joining in any of the regions, please contact NSWACTXC@snow.org.au for information as it becomes available. Please include the age, experience and main location of the interested person.

Nordic Shelter Donations:

If you have tried to make a tax-deductible donation towards the upkeep and development of the Nordic Shelter recently, you may have found the longstanding link not working. The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) has a new website with the same opportunities to make a donation, but via an additional new link - https://asf.org.au/campaigns/snow-australia-northern/nordic-shelter-development

The Nordic Shelter Committee is investigating new development projects over the summer. Stay tuned for more information – you may want to try out the new ASF donation link!

The Nordic Shelter is entirely self-funded. It depends on the donations made by users and fundraising activities to keep the doors open. Financial, material and time are all valuable donations that support the volunteers on the ground at the Shelter.