Anyone who is paying attention to the state of our winters knows that they are getting more erratic. Often they start later (it’s now a rare thing to ski on natural snow on opening weekend) and winter snow is subject to more rain events, with big impacts on snow pack. While our climatic patterns go through natural wetter and drier cycles, climate science tells us that these patterns will become more extreme, with less overall snow and shorter seasons over time.

While all resorts track snowfall, the benchmark of snowfall in Australia over time comes from Spencers Creek, at a site at 1,800 metres above sea level, in the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains.

The area is midway between Perisher Valley and Thredbo, and has been visited by weather observers every week during winter since the mid-1950s, when the Snowy Hydro scheme was being constructed. The information collected by Snowy Hydro provides our best snapshot of snow pack over time. Sadly the data shows that snowpack has been in decline since 1957.

Now Protect our Winters (POW) has discovered that the frequency of data collection at Spencers Creek has decreased in recent years.

They say:

‘Data collected in 2022 was sparse in comparison to previous years, with only four records collected from 1st of May to 31st of July. This is a reduction of over 60% compared to the average of the previous decade (2012-2021). 

Snowy Hydro explained their reduction in data collection in 2021 as a means to avoid sending staff to remote locations in poor weather conditions.

However, this poses a pressing challenge. Snowy Hydro’s data is the longest running and most consistent, and without it, tracking and comparing the impact of climate change on our winters becomes increasingly difficult’.

Alex-Parsons-Quote-600x600POW is on a mission to raise awareness and protect the valuable data collected at Spencers Creek after being notified by Alex Parsons, backcountry guide and POW Alliance ambassador.

Alex shared her concern with POW.

“I see these changes daily when I explore the mountains as a backcountry guide, but the data is essential to record what’s really happening out there.”

“We need to ask: Snowy Hydro, can you please prioritise collecting snow depth data at Spencers Creek?”

Help save our climate data

You can take action right now by sending a quick email to the CEO of Snowy Hydro using the link below, urging them to continue recording their valuable data on a weekly basis from the first snowfall throughout the season.

You can find out more, and send an email to Snowy Hydro, via the POW website.