People often use shopping centres as an escape from the seasons, whether it's summer heat or winter chill. For artist Glenn Smith, creating ice sculptures in the comfortable temperatures of Woden Westfield is proving a challenge this week.
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“I've got about an hour to create something. After that the ice is melting fairly quickly so you don’t have much time to stop and chat, or even stop and think,” Smith said.
All week the centre is providing winter fun for families who haven't got away to the skifields. As well as watching Smith at work with his power chisel, there are free art and craft activities, dress-ups and of course screenings of the film Frozen.
For those who are planning to head to the skifields, or to the nearby Brindabellas in search of snow, the forecast is looking good.
Perisher spokesman Richard Phillips was looking forward to the weekend when good snowfalls would build on what he described as the best conditions in at least a decade.
“We've been fantastic. We had another 15 centimetres of snowfall since yesterday and we've got some pretty big snow forecasts for the next couple of days, then with the weather clearing on the weekend,” Mr Phillips said.
With all lifts and runs open, he said the resort was primed for a busy weekend with near-perfect conditions.
“For this time of year, it really doesn't get any better. The snow cover is deep and the quality is great.”
Corin Forest spokesman Andrew Snell said after some rain and mild night-time temperatures, the forecast was looking up for the resort with the snow play area open and busy.
“The next couple of days are looking really, really promising. The forecast is for snow down to around 1000 metres, which is a couple of hundred metres below Corin Forest,” Mr Snell said.
Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said frosts were expected for Canberra later in the week as overnight temperatures dropped to below zero on the weekend.
“As soon as the skies clear and the wind dies down, over the weekend heading out into the forests to go and have a look at the snow is certainly the better time to go, as opposed to when it’s really windy because it is quite dangerous,” Mr Westcott said.
On Saturday there will be a forecast top of 12 degrees and sunny, and on Sunday a top of 13 degrees and partly cloudy.
