In what was a 'challenging' season for ski resorts in Australia, our second visit to Charlotte Pass definitely went against the trend - it was fabulous. That was in part due to good management from us - i.e. timing when skiing in Australia is everything, and we timed it to perfection for sun, snow & price! And in part it was due to Charlotte Pass offering a unique ski experience that on its day is exceptional.

As per our previous trip, we came on a midweek 'day-tripper' ticket that included return oversnow from Perisher, a two-course hot lunch with drink, and an all-day lift pass. At $94/person, this is an incredibly great value day trip in the snow. All you have to do is get to Perisher! (Take the SkiTube)

Snow had fallen during the week, the wind was light and the sun was shining for us, so we got to do few things that weren't possible during our first visit in 2025. We rode the new Guthries double chair, bootpacked up to Guthries Chutes and skied short but nicely pitched sidecountry laps, returning via the 'road' and the bottom of 'Lenny's Leap'. Was nice to then get on the Kosciuszko triple chair and ski Kangaroo Ridge Cornice and other tasty morsels. On our previous visit we had to skin up to here in poor viz and blowing snow which, whilst fun, isn't as fun as riding the chair up! After a sensational lunch at the China King we rode the triple and ducked the rope to drop over the backside, skiing untracked soft snow via open glades all the way down to the Snowy River. Was both glorious and quite surprising that no one else had done it. Crossing the Snowy via the stepping stones, we then skinned up the ridge toward Carruthers Peak & Blue Lake on 'variable' snow & ice, before turning around as low cloud rolled in over the Main Range (a common potential hazard in the backcountry here). The gentle 4km ski back to the river was way more pleasing than expected. The backcountry accessible from Charlotte is fantastic.

A short skin back up from the river to Charlotte Pass revealed an almost deserted ski area. Most were already in the bars, so our last few runs were as though in a private domain.

Stopping in at Stillwell Lodge at the end of the day we indulged in a few well-deserved cocktails & $5 'happy hour' stubbies. We do love a happy hour that runs for two hours.... Checked out the Kosciuszko Chalet hotel bar too. Open fire, Chesterfields, and a very sexy bar. Shame you cannot wear ski boots in there. Ooops! Finally, slummed it down to the Cellar Bar to await our oversnow chariot back to the real world. Thankfully 'happy hour' was still going. Bless them.

The negatives? Just two. Charlotte Pass is a small ski area, but knowing its limitations and possibilities is all part of the game and hardly a negative in reality. The other - the new Guthries Chair runs at a snail's pace. Sure it’s a fixed grip but running it at what felt like 1.5m/sec is a tragedy.

We adore Charlotte Pass and will keep coming back whenever we can. So should you. Combining inbounds, some skinning and backcountry makes for as satisfying a ski day as anywhere in the world. And this one came with a free hot lunch too. Favoloso!
See our video here

After many, many years of talking about it, we finally skied at Charlotte Pass in late August 2025 during a hectic winter storm.

Travelling across for the day was quite the adventure. SkiTube train from Bullocks Flat up to Perisher, a few cheeky powder turns whilst we waited for our oversnow slot, then a snowcat ride across to the resort. We travelled on a Thursday when day-tripper packages for Charlotte Pass are inexpensive (and a buy one, get one free proposition). The incredible value packages includes a lift pass, oversnow transport and lunch.

With wind packed powder snow and full, deep cover we could ski every inch of the ski area. Fun trees, huge granite boulders, open meadows & short pistes made for an enjoyable few hours. However this is a tiny ski area on a world scale, so keep your expectations low and like us, you won’t be disappointed.

With the Kosciuszko triple chairlift closed due to wind (we suspect a common problem during storms here), we skinned up from the top of the Pulpit T-bar and beyond the top station of the chair to eventually drop in past Kangaroo Ridge cornice. Very pleasant off-piste for sure. Gentle tree skiing through the snow gums to the village completed what would be a worthy repeatable loop.

We rated ski lifts at Charlotte Pass only 1 powder paw, mainly due to only two short surface tows running during our visit. If you can’t run all your lifts on the best snow days in Australia, then they don’t deserve to be rated highly. It will be interesting to return when the new chairlift is spinning for season 2026 (and ride the old triple), to re-assess the ski lifts here.

We tried all three restaurants and bars whilst on the hill. The most affordable is the Asian food on offer at the China King Restaurant at Lucy Lodge. This is also the included lunch on the day-tripper pass. The two included courses and soft drink were excellent, and even if not part of the package, great value. Stillwell Lodge has the best combination of food (Mexican) and ambiance on offer, plus also looks to be the place to stay as it is perfectly ski-in ski-out. The old Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel may be a local icon, but its Cellar Bar was most disappointing. Hard to escape the stench of mould! We can't vouch for the other eateries at the Chalet, too put off by the bar to look (and we have a snowcat to catch!).

We will definitely come again, stay a few nights, ski the resort and skin beyond the boundaries. There is so much ski terrain to explore around Charlotte Pass, including tours up to Australia’s highest peak that it would be churlish of us to not return!

See our thoughts on the resort’s pros & cons via the Charlotte Pass overview page.

See our video here