8 Ways To Have An Unforgettable Aussie Snow Trip When You Kind Of Hate Skiing
Kassia is the Editor of AWOL, and a straight-up travel…
As lockdown restrictions are easing, Australia is heading hard and fast into winter. This means less beach and more snow bunnies.
That doesn’t mean you actually have to ski or snowboard either. There is a very pure pleasure in being cosy and warm by a fire with a hot drink and a good book, while the world outside is covered in white.
That’s not your only snow holiday ski alternative either, there’s a surprising number of ways to have a rad snow trip without the chances of totally stacking it on the slopes.
#1 Make the hotel the destination
I always feel a little guilty about hanging around the hotel too much when I travel, even if the hotel is amazing. Except when it’s snowing.
Staying warm and cosy inside epic accomodation is a really big pull of snow holidays, in my opinion. It’s a guilt-free time to make the hotel the destination.
#2 Ride a toboggan
I’ve snowboarded once in my life, and it was fine but I never graduated off the kiddie hills and at a certain point (pretty early on) I was just cold and sore.
Tobogganing though? THAT is always gold and there’s far less chance of ending up landing on your arse, hard. Or accidentally running over small children.
#3 Fly in a helicopter
If you don’t want to walk through the snow but you still want to see the snow, you could always take a scenic helicopter ride.
You can take scenic flights over places like the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, as well Mt Buller and Mt Hotham in Victoria. All will give you landscape scenes you’d expect to find somewhere like Canada, not Down Under. I’m actually surprised how affordable they are too, particularly in VIC with flights starting at $99 per adult.
#4 Drink mulled wine
If you’ve never had the pure treat that is mulled wine, then you simply haven’t lived. If you’ve never had that delectable mulled wine while you’re all warm and cozy by the fire and snow is falling outside, then you’re still missing out.
There are so many recipes to give it a shot yourself — in case you go the self-contained snow accom route — or just head to your nearest restaurant in a snowy area.
#5 Take a stroll
It’s probably because of all those English kids books I grew up on, but newly fallen snow is one of the most magical sights. It’s weird (in a good way) when a colourful world is almost uniformly white. Just look at the image above of The Sugar Pine Walk in Laurel Hill, NSW, and tell me I’m wrong.
Don’t take my word for it, get out amongst it. From personal experience, I do recommend proper hiking boots so you don’t get soaked through.
#6 Have a cross country adventure
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Take your stroll a step further and join a snowshoe tour — yes that’s where you’re walking around with two tennis racquets tied to your shoes.
It’s the perfect way to get up-close-and-personal with the snow, not to mention the perfect way to nab all those serene snow shots for Instagram, without all the steep slopes and chance of injury.
#7 Go dog sledding
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Did you even realise this was something you could do in Australia? Because I didn’t, but cuuuuute. In fact, you have a lot of options throughout NSW and VIC snow regions, and most of them will let you have a meet and greet with your very good boys.
#8 Ride a snowmobile
Don’t use your own legs, like a chump. Take a snowmobile tour and be like the wintery Batman, I imagine.
(Lead Image: Instagram / @perisher_resort)
Kassia is the Editor of AWOL, and a straight-up travel addict. She was born without a sense of direction, yet an intense desire to explore the world. As such, she's lost 90% of the time but she's learned to roll with it. You can catch her latest adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.