mount hotham alpine resort

Mt Hotham is readily accessible by road (and by air), has facilities for visitors in both summer and winter, has a great atmosphere and is set in Victoria's Alpine National Park.

We come here every year, and it's easy to see why.From beginners to steeps lovers, skiers or boarders, Hotham has something for everyone.Snow conditions are great (for Australia) during peak season, and the snowmaking helps out when nature isn't playing along.It's got a great variety of natural terrain, perfect for those of us who want something more than straight, groomed pistes.Lift lines can be atrociously long, especially on weekends.In non-winter, the newly created hiking and bushwalking trails are very well worth a visit. Get a guided tour if you can make it to one! The local knowledge can't be beaten.

With amazing scenery and all round faciities it makes a perfect holiday destination. The availability of snow equipments is also handy. Downside is , it is not open year round. All of the facilities are closed outside ski season except for the General.

We love spring skiing and Mount Hotham has some great terrain. I recommend Hotham for intermediate and advanced skiers but Falls Creek has much better beginner runs and children's facilities. Late September always provides great weather, plenty of snow and discounted prices but for some crazy reason the resorts are always deserted and many of the restaurants and lodges have already closed. Several times during this weeks holiday we were the only people on the ski run or chair lift. One of the good things at Hotham is the ease of getting around the village with the free snow bus, much better than the old “ZOO” cart. Over the years the staff attitude seems to be improving but you always get a few that forget who the customer is. Due to the mostly unplanned top of the mountain layout Mount Hotham actually has very few ski in – ski out lodges and at the end of the day most people require a bus or walk to get back to their lodge. In contrast at Falls Creek with plenty of snow on the village roads you can actually ski in and ski out of most of the lodges. Both Mount Hotham and neighbouring Falls Creek with only 100 road kms and 8kms actual distance between them are operated by the same lift company and a day, week or season lift ticket can be used at both resorts, but a combined resort entry and parking pass is valid only for Mount Hotham and Baw Baw with over 400 road kms between them, I would be very surprised if they sold many of those. A resort entry pass that included Mount Hotham and Falls Creek would make a lot more sense. The resort entry and parking is very expensive with a week on mountain costing over $300. There are limited places to eat in the main ski area at Hotham and it can be very difficult to get a table in peak season. the popular Swindlers bar and restaurant has a great location with an outdoor dining deck overlooking the ski runs but the place is dirty and smelly, the toilets are worse than an outback truck stop and its been like this for many years! One of the best places to eat is at the General store but its not in a very good location.

Mt Hotham has a great mix of terrain ranging from easy to very challenging and there are loads of interesting places to explore. What I liked about the resort was that the lifts were never crowded. The longest I ever waited to get onto a lift was about 2 minutes. I enjoyed cruising around in the afternoons taking in the breathtaking scenery and found this resort to be more interesting than Perisher in NSW.Our 3 year old son was well catered for in ski school, as he was attending day long sessions, lunch was provided. All the ski school wanted was him to be dropped off with his skis and ski clothing and picked up at the end of the day. By had become end of the 5 days, he had become a pretty good skier.The resort has a good selection of restaurants and apres amenities. You can hire ski equipment from Hoys, or from Hotham's ski hire. There are a huge variety of chalets to stay in. I found these to be a bit pricey for what I wanted to spend, so I opted to stay at Casbak apartments at Harrietville.Very important - alot of effort is put into maintaining safe roads, infrastructure and ski patrols so if bringing your car into the park, as well as bringing snow chains, make sure that you have paid your car's resort entry, as inspectors will fine those who don't.Back to snow chains - these can be hired by Hoys at either Harrietville or Omeo. Hoys have a chain fitting service at points where chains are required, which is useful.A few tips for those who haven't been to the snow. Make sure that you have goggles, sunglasses and sun cream. A sunny say can cause bad sunburn. Make sure you get a good pair of goretex gloves and wear good quality ski clothing. Main thing when skiing - stick to runs that match your ability.If driving to Mt Hotham, you really need to be there by 8:10am if you want any decent parking. It's a 40 min drive from Harrietville when there is no snow / ice on the road. If you need chains, then ad another 20 - 30 minutes.Driving tips - use snow chains when snow is on road. If temperature is below 7 degrees, assume there will be icy patches. Avoid sudden acceleration and steering. Use gears to slow down and stick to 40km/h if inexperienced in driving in snow. If you start to skid... it's too late. Warning signs that you are about to skid are light steering and steering not responsive. if this happens, back off the accelerator, don't touch the brakes - use the gears instead. if you're in a skid, putting the brakes on won't help, neither will fighting the steering. In many areas on the road, there are no guard rails to stop cars skidding off the edge. I saw 2 cars that had gone off the edge and towed 1 car out of a sticky spot that they had skidded in. (I have a 4wd) By the way, having a 4wd will not guarantee that you will avoid any skids. If you have a diesel, make sure you fill your tank with Alpine Diesel before going up the mountain.Other ways to get to Mt Hotham are by bus / coach or if you have the $400+, helecopter flights are available.

There are more slopes than in other ski resorts of the Southern hemisphere and they were quite long.The service was very very good!!

Hotham is simply a great place to ski with spectacular scenery and friendly lifties. The drive up from Melbourne is very pretty. Its well worth a visit and if you leave Melbourne after work, stay in Bright overnight to get an early start on the snow next morning.

We chose Hotham primarily due to the accommodation. We wanted a nice big chalet that was in the snow with a fantastic view so we stayed at "Blowhard". The chalet itself is big though perhaps does not live up to the photographs posted on the website. There are a lot of steps at Hotham no matter where you stay - be warned. That was very difficult with us as we have a disabled person in our group & we were not told by anyone about the huge number of stairs. The positives though was that everyone was very friendly & staying directly in the snow was such a plus. The food offered throughout the village is reasonable. The views however are the absolute highlight & some of the best in the world!

I've been visiting Mt Hotham since I was a kid. I've always loved the atmosphere and skiing. This year I was lucky with the weather, and had two beautiful blue bird days, and was able to really enjoy the snow.My only recommendations would be, if they ever get the money, to upgrade the heavenly quad chair. As soon as there is a bit of wind the lift slows to a crawl.

Mt Hotham would have to be the cheapest on snow accommodation we found ,as well as good snow. Last year we It cost us like $50 per night and slightly cheaper if we rented a family room.I can highly recommend ski clubs ,there family friendly. Surprisingly there were quite a few choice to choose from at this website http://www.skicheap.com.au/category/mt-hotham-accommodation.The clubs manager was very helpful and a exceptional cook. We would say its worth a look at.

Booked a trip last year months in advance, turned up for the bus from Sydney to base of mountain ( another $25 to take snowboard), Turned up for the bus up the mountain (driver informs us he cant take us the return leg but he will book us a train home), turn up to the hotel we were suppose to be staying at (your room was double booked so we put you in another place). This place was not as nice or as close but it is was larger and required a longer walk up a hill. At this point we were angry and no one seemed to care as we were 4 guys. We then wanted to make sure the return leg was booked yet the bus company wouldn't confirm and left us worried until the day before we left. Then we get to the train (4 hour wait at a dodgy train station) and we were told no snowboards or suitcases were booked and had to argue to be allowed on). An apology was not given for any of the above issues. Very disappointing.

I've been a regular winter visitor to Hotham for years, but have only just found out about its summer charms. The temperature is more comfortable than the city, and there is lots to explore.Walking around the Hotham area you can get a sense of the region's mining, bush agriculture and indigenous history. You can get maps from the Resort Management people. One tip - good foot-ware and leg protection - there is always the possibility of snakes (It is Australia!)(Not that I have ever seen one.) While in the area, we ate at the General in Hotham and the High Country Hotel restaurant in Dinner Plain - both offer good food at reasonable prices.

Had a really great day at Hotham with a free guided walk down the Cobungra Ditch walking track [ great guide ] , then back to the General store for reasonably priced lunch and a great drive from Bright return with fantastic views

I enjoyed my trip, as did my friends.The facilities were good although the instructors weren't the best. Restaurants weren't great frankly, but a pleasant overall experience. Worth the trip if you find a good offer or something.

My husband and I are Australians who for years have always skied in queenstown New Zealand, this is the first time we skied at mount hotham and it doesn't compare. Everything is overpriced, from lift passes to accomodation to ski lessons for children. We have twin 3 year old girls and don't mind spending money on holidays, but hate getting ripped off, especially in our own country. The snow is not as good, the ski fields don't compare, and the kids can't play in the kids area while ski lessons are going on, which is all day! So where do 3 year olds ski during the day? The price of our "Ozzie ski holiday" has worked out a lot more expensive than if we all had of gone to queenstown. People told us its great to be able to stay in the snow fields, I'd much rather have stayed in queenstown and get the bus, can still drop kids at ski lessons for day and enjoy time with husbands as well as have family days. No advantage to staying in ski fields, most of the chair lifts are closed, kids can't go on chair lifts after 3pm and the ones opened close at 4pm, so getting a bus back after a day skiing in queenstown still would have given you more ski time. Mount hotham you may have got me this time, I will never be back, and I will continue to recommend NZ for skiing over Australia, which really is a shame not to be able to recommend my own country.