Perisher to start snow season early

Thanks to freezing temperatures leading into winter, Perisher will be open for keen skiers and boarders from Friday.

"Our mountain operations team have been going back and forth in hard negotiations with the gods to organise a colder than average month of May," a statement on the Perisher website said.

"With cool nights set as the new normal, and another top-up on the way this week, we're excited to kick things off with a bang on Friday, June 4."

The season typically begins around mid-June but last year was pushed back to later in the month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tickets are available on the Perisher website from Tuesday and can be purchased from the ticket office from Friday.

Thredbo will be open from June 12.

An early start to the season is welcome news after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the season to be pushed back in 2020 to late June.

Resorts were forced to almost halve capacity on the mountain last year to meet social distancing requirements and all snowgoers had to pre-purchase passes.

To keep up with Covid safety, Perisher recommends people wear face coverings, cash won't be accepted and physical distancing will be encouraged.