It's cold enough, now the Snowy Mountains ski resorts are just hoping for more snow ahead of the season's official opening on the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
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The first snow in the region fell on May 11, but both Thredbo and Perisher again had snowfall on Thursday night, with each recording five centimetres of a combination of natural and man-made snow.
Climate experts have said a key influence this winter was likely to be a possible La Nina event in the Pacific, with La Nina years marked by above-average rain over most parts of Australia.
Bureau of Meterology researchers found that seven of the last eight La Nina years produced below-average snow seasons.
Temperatures on the ski runs were about minus 3 degrees on Saturday, with minimums of minus 6 tipped for Sunday and Monday.
The nation's two leading ski resorts kick off the season with live music and fireworks on June 11.
Perisher will host the four-day Peak Music Festival with more than 30 Australian and international artists performing across 10 stages during the long weekend. At Thredbo, electronic dance duo Yolanda Be Cool will be the headline act.
A Thredbo spokeswoman said bookings were well up on last year and the resort would be employing more staff, with the main increases in the continually growing Snow Sports School and hospitality roles.
Perisher mountain manager Andrew Kennedy said the resort's Leichardt Terrain Park, targeted at intermediate skiers and boarders, had been expanded.
"The park will be approximately 20 per cent wider and longer this year, flowing down towards the base of Happy Valley T-bar," he said.
Other improvements include a new entry point for some jumps, which will make take-offs and landings smoother for riders. The expansion means more options for boxes and rails with various difficulties.
Thredbo skiers can for the first time ski at three New Zealand resorts on the one inclusive pass this season, as part of the international Mountain Collective.
Perisher will again offer the Epic Australia Pass, which allows for unlimited skiing and boarding in the Australian winter as well as access to nine ski resorts in the United States. Australia provided the strongest growth rate of international visitors to US snowfields last winter.
