Australians love the snow season! It gives many of us the chance to get into the great outdoors to play or compete. And, although Australia's snow season will look quite different in 2020, it has been given the go-ahead with some restrictions.

Thredbo in New South Wales and Mount Buller in Victoria will be the first to open on 22 June 2020. This will be followed by Falls Creek and Mount Hotham in Victoria, and Perisher in New South Wales on the 24 June, and Chalotte Pass in New South Wales on the 25 June. Mount Selwyn, which was badly damaged during the 2019 / 2020 bushfires has announced that it won't be opening for the 2020 season.

The range of services offered by resorts may vary as international instructors are unlikely to work in Australia during the 2020 snow season

Other restrictions that will support social distancing include the hiring of snow gear. Helmets and snow clothing are unlikely to be available for hire unless resorts can guarantee that they have safe practices in place for this. Similarly, group lessons are unlikely to be available, although private lessons will be.

Accommodation will also be affected, in particular, accommodation that uses shared bathrooms or kitchens is unlikely to be available during the 2020 season. Restaurants and cafes are also likely to need to cap the number of people who are able to enter at any one time.

Despite these restrictions, the fact that the Australian snow season will be going ahead in 2020 is a reason for many of us to smile, and booking early may help to ease the impact of restrictions during this unusual season.