16–31 August
The southern winter: New Zealand, Australia or South America?
Late August is the peak of the southern season. New Zealand is dependable, the Andes are deeper, and Australia is a natural-snow gamble.
The most dependable
Cardrona had a skiable natural base on every day of late August in all eleven seasons we model, from the village up. Treble Cone (91%) and The Remarkables (89%) are close behind, and all three are within 50 km of Queenstown or Wanaka airports.
The deepest
The Andes get far more snow. Las Leñas averages 129 cm at mid-mountain in late August, 99% of days are snow-sure, and its worst season still managed 94%. Cerro Catedral, above Bariloche, scores 97%.
Chile’s resorts near Santiago are deep in good years but less predictable: Valle Nevado (82%) and Portillo (76%) have each had a late August with no skiable natural snow.
Australia
Australia’s resorts are low and mild for skiing, and natural snow alone is marginal: Perisher 55%, Thredbo 49%, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham 45%, Mt Buller 16%. They rely heavily on snowmaking, which our model does not include, so the real skiing is usually better than these figures.