Snow bunnies frustrated by access issues

He and six friends are now in an anxious race to secure limited tickets to the slopes in time for their accommodation booking at Perisher for the last week of July.

But already some resorts are saying their next release of tickets won't be be valid until August.

"I know one family who have lost thousands of dollars because they had to pull out of accommodation for similar reasons," Mr Shoebridge told AAP on Tuesday.

Following COVID-19 restrictions, ski resorts are operating at a reduced capacity, with fewer people permitted on the snow.

Mr Shoebridge said it was frustrating to see a stream of social media posts from Perisher Ski Resort about snow falling and the season opening on Wednesday, while receiving no direct communication about his situation.

"There is a massive audience on social media crying out for information and people who really want to come and spend their money in these areas and getting completely ignored."

Perisher Ski Resort has been releasing lift passes in stages, indicating more would become available for later dates from June 17, but Mr Shoebridge says he is still in the dark.

"I understand we are lucky to be in a position to be planning a trip to the snow, but we just need to know what's happening because if we pull the pin too late we won't get a refund."

While Mr Shoebridge and "everyone he knows" were unsuccessful in purchasing Thredbo tickets, Chris Turner pre-books a discounted season pass every year.

Mr Turner said dealing with the resort had been frustrating.

"Dozens and dozens of my season pass-holding friends sat in an online queue for up to 24 hours only to discover we couldn't purchase the discounted passes," he said.

"There are all these people who are anxious for information but there is a total communication breakdown."

Mr Turner purchased tickets for more than double what he should have paid after trying for 18 hours via Thredbo's online store.

He has now been refunded most of the difference, but says a lot of his frustration could have been prevented if the situation was better managed.

Thredbo Resort had sold out of its first-release lift passes until the end of August but hoped more would be made available if restrictions eased, a spokesperson said in a statement.

Some discounted passes for those who had pre-purchased them have been reserved throughout the season.

"The number of season passes sold for this year far exceeds the maximum capacity we're able to operate under, meaning we had no way of prioritising season pass holders and delivering the unlimited skiing/boarding that they had purchased."

Perisher Ski Resort has been contacted for comment.

Australian Associated Press