Landslide at Australian resort
Sunday September 5, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

A statement from the resort says a landslide caused by extreme wet weather slid down the hill on Saturday.

Some describe it as a wall of water and mud.

It follows the heaviest rain in the area for 15 years with severe flooding in the region.  The army is being drafted in to help in some areas of Victoria.

The slide at Mt Hotham started at the Golden point area and the ticket office took the full force of the slide.  The village chairlift, next to the ticket office, was not damaged in the freak accident.  The ticket office appears to have shielded it.

It happened in the morning and one report says a person on the chairlift was hurt, but according to a statement on the resort web site no one was seriously injured

We have no details of who was in the ticket office at the time or if warnings were given.

Camera overlooks affected areaVehicles in the car park were also damaged.

"The resort and Ski Patrol worked closely with the Police and the CFA to ensure all guests and staff were removed safely from the ski field as their safety is the number one priority," says a statement on th resort web site.

"Once this storm cell has passed the ski field will be assessed for damage by Hotham Skiing Company and the Mt Hotham Resort Management Ski Patrol."

Hundreds of people were reported trapped in the resort as the car park was assessed for safety.

The resort re-opened on Sunday with some limited skiing.

The Blue Ribbon was closed, including the upper slopes due to no access to the Village Chair load.

The Village Chair will not operate until the damage sustained to the immediate area is assessed.

The Davenport Access Trail, Pump House Drop and the Swindlers Trail from the bottom of Heavenly Valley are all closed until further notice.

Gotcha and the Keogh's/ Orchard chairlifts will not operate on Sunday but will be assessed for re-opening by Ski Patrol during the day.

Skiers and snowboarders in Falls Creek were also affected as the authorities closed the road for fear of landslides.

At the end of last month the road to Mt Hotham was closed as heavy rain/snow brought down trees across the access road.

Despite it impact on skiers and snowboarders spare a though for those affected by the flooding.

See the video below from ITN.

With the earthquake in New Zealand affecting ski resorts too it seems Australia and New Zealand are being buffeted by extreme weather.

If you are in either country and have been affected by the severe weather, or have any information you wish to share with other readers, then please email us at inbox@planetski.eu

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