Early ski resort closures put winter sports insurance cover in focus

Early closures at several Australian ski resorts have put winter sports insurance cover in focus, as unusually warm conditions and poor snowfall bring parts of the country’s 2026 alpine season to a premature end.

Mt Buller, Mount Hotham, and Falls Creek in Victoria, together with Charlotte Pass in New South Wales and Ben Lomond in Tasmania, ended their ski operations at the start of September. Mount Baw Baw, Victoria, and Selwyn in New South Wales had already closed.

Australian resorts typically aim to remain open until the first weekend of October, meaning some are ending operations several weeks earlier than usual.

For travellers with ski holidays booked late in the season, the closures raise questions over whether winter sports insurance would respond where a resort remains accessible but skiing is no longer available.

Specific policy terms vary, and an early resort closure does not automatically entitle a traveller to cancel a trip and recover its full cost. Winter sports products may include benefits linked to piste closure or insufficient snow, but qualifying conditions, limits, and exclusions can differ significantly between policies.

The distinction can be particularly important where flights and accommodation remain available, but the principal activity underpinning the trip has been withdrawn.

Travellers may also have prepaid for lift passes, ski hire, lessons, and other services, creating separate questions about whether refunds should first be sought from suppliers or whether any losses fall within the scope of insurance cover.

The closures follow an exceptionally warm Australian winter. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology showed Falls Creek and Mount Hotham recorded their wettest winters in more than 30 years, while both resorts, together with Mount Buller, experienced their warmest winters on record for average maximum and minimum temperatures.

Elevated temperatures meant that precipitation that might historically have fallen as snow instead arrived as rain, damaging existing snow cover.

New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania all recorded their hottest winters on record in 2026, while temperatures at some alpine resorts climbed as much as 12°C above average during a spell of unusually warm weather in July.

The current El Niño has also contributed to warmer conditions in southeastern Australia.

Perisher and Thredbo in New South Wales remain open.

The Australian season highlights the importance of clearly defining how winter sports benefits respond when deteriorating snow conditions affect the purpose of a trip without necessarily preventing travel to the destination itself.

It also raises a broader product question for winter sports insurers as changing weather patterns increase uncertainty around the length and reliability of traditional ski seasons.