Charlotte Pass, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Pass is a location (elev. 1,837 m) in the Snowy Mountains
of New South Wales
, Australia
where the Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge. The location is also often referred to as Charlotte's Pass, both colloquially and in official documents.
Charlotte Pass Village (elev. 1,760 m) is located at the base of Kangaroo Ridge to the south east of the pass, and is the highest permanent settlement in Australia.
The area is part of Kosciuszko National Park
.
The pass and village are named after Charlotte Adams
who, in 1881, was the first European woman to climb Mount Kosciuszko.
The Kosciuszko Road now terminates at Charlotte Pass. The last 9 kilometres leading to Mount Kosciuszko
have been closed, for environmental reasons, since 1982.
The Chalet burnt down in August 1938, and a new Chalet was built in its place the following summer. The Chalet is still the largest and most significant building in the village, and remains the heart of the village in winter.
Apart from the Chalet, the village contains 12 commercial and club lodges, and has the capacity to hold 607 guests.
The village and resort precinct are part of the Kosciuszko National Park
, and the village is leased to and operated by Charlotte Pass Village Pty Ltd (CPV); all leases are due to expire by June 2015.
The area was one of the end points for the longest ski lift in the world, constructed from the Thredbo
Valley in 1964. Because of high winds and technical difficulties it was closed after one season. The cable snapped.
It is the oldest and highest ski resort in Australia.
The resort contains five ski lifts, one triple chairlift
, one T-bar, two platter lift
s and a beginner's moving carpet (which replaced a rope tow in 2008), accessing 50 hectares of skiable terrain. The highest lifted elevation is 1,964 m; the base elevation 1,755 m; giving a downhill skier's vertical of 210 m. The resort currently only lifts to part of its leased area. A small terrain park was first constructed in 2008. The resort has a few mobile snow guns to top up high traffic areas and help open difficult terrain areas earlier in the season. A list of every ski tow to ever operate at Charlotte Pass can be found at wikiski
The resort is also very popular with cross-country skiers, as the village provides immediate access to Australia's highest peaks.
The resort receives, on average, more natural snow than other Australian resorts because of its elevation. In 1981, one weather event dropped snow to the extent that the Kangaroo Ridge triple chair terminus was buried in snow, over the top of the pylon, by the cornice by up to 0.5 m. This level of snow fall is an exception.
The Charlotte Pass ski area might be the only area in Australia
with viable natural snow in several years' time, owing to the impact of global warming
.
and access the Main Range
. The mountain is an 18 km round trip via the Summit Walk, or a 22 km loop via the post glacial Lakes Walk.
A shorter and easier walk to the Kosciuszko summit can be accessed via Thredbo
. The Blue Lake
can be accessed by a 4-hour round-trip walk from Charlotte Pass.
.
In winter, the area is snow-bound and can only be accessed by snowmobile from the Perisher Valley SkiTube terminal, which lies 8 kilometres to the north east, also via Jindabyne
. Charlotte Pass Village Pty Ltd operates a fleet of three 18 seat 4x4 buses running on snow tracks which ferry visitors in and out of the village every half hour.
The area has not always been regarded as being easily accessible to all people. In the mid 20th century, the Chalet at Charlotte Pass was referred to as a breeding ground for snobocracy by local politician
John Wesley Seiffert who by public criticism obtained a reduced bus fare to the area, thus opening the snowfields to a wider range of people.
The area has been long been used as a base for environmental research, for example for plankton
studies in the nearby post glacial lake Blue Lake (New South Wales)
in 1937 using a flat bottomed boat, and more recently, for example in 1997 as a heliport for studies of the mountain pygmy possum
.
Cfc) though the higher peaks have an alpine climate
(ETH). It has the coldest recorded temperature in Australia (excluding Antarctic territories), of -23.0°C on 28 June 1994.
The area's highest recorded temperature is 33.5°C.
Average temperatures range in summer from about 4°C to 17°C and in winter from about -2°C to 2°C.
Annual rain fall averages 2329.6 mm, with about half falling as snow between late May to late September, although conditions result in snow depth typically never exceeding 2.5 m to 3 m. Official snow depths are not recorded for Charlotte Pass, but are recorded by the Snowy Hydro Limited
at nearby Spencers Creek (elev. 1,830 m). A typical snow depth at its peak is about 1.5 m to 2 m.
Snow falls have been recorded at all times of the year, some persisting on the ground for days even in the middle of summer. While snow falls at unexpected times can add interest to the area, they are typically associated with very severe weather events, which can also cause havoc with disastrous consequences. For example, weather patterns bringing snow falls on Boxing day
and the following day in 1998 caused loss of life in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race
that year.
(Burramys parvus), which from 1894 until 1966 was only known from the fossil record.
Services such as garbage collection and sewage processing are the responsibility of the area's lessee.
Snowy Mountains
The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where the Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge. The location is also often referred to as Charlotte's Pass, both colloquially and in official documents.
Charlotte Pass Village (elev. 1,760 m) is located at the base of Kangaroo Ridge to the south east of the pass, and is the highest permanent settlement in Australia.
The area is part of Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia...
.
The pass and village are named after Charlotte Adams
Charlotte Adams
Charlotte Adams was an Australian mountain climber. She became the first woman of European descent to climb to the peak of Mount Kosciuszko in February 1881, aged 21....
who, in 1881, was the first European woman to climb Mount Kosciuszko.
The Kosciuszko Road now terminates at Charlotte Pass. The last 9 kilometres leading to Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
have been closed, for environmental reasons, since 1982.
History
The historic Kosciuszko Chalet was the first building in the village, and was opened on 10 May 1930. The Chalet at Charlotte Pass was one of several alpine area accommodation facilities built by government in Australia, and offered an opulent life style at the time.The Chalet burnt down in August 1938, and a new Chalet was built in its place the following summer. The Chalet is still the largest and most significant building in the village, and remains the heart of the village in winter.
Apart from the Chalet, the village contains 12 commercial and club lodges, and has the capacity to hold 607 guests.
The village and resort precinct are part of the Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia...
, and the village is leased to and operated by Charlotte Pass Village Pty Ltd (CPV); all leases are due to expire by June 2015.
The area was one of the end points for the longest ski lift in the world, constructed from the Thredbo
Thredbo, New South Wales
Thredbo Village and ski resort is in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, and a part of the Snowy River Shire.Thredbo is about 500 kilometres south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne...
Valley in 1964. Because of high winds and technical difficulties it was closed after one season. The cable snapped.
Skiing
An area between Kangaroo Ridge, Mount Stillwell ridge, and Guthries Ridge is formally designated as the Charlotte Pass Alpine Resort.It is the oldest and highest ski resort in Australia.
The resort contains five ski lifts, one triple chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, one T-bar, two platter lift
Platter lift
A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts...
s and a beginner's moving carpet (which replaced a rope tow in 2008), accessing 50 hectares of skiable terrain. The highest lifted elevation is 1,964 m; the base elevation 1,755 m; giving a downhill skier's vertical of 210 m. The resort currently only lifts to part of its leased area. A small terrain park was first constructed in 2008. The resort has a few mobile snow guns to top up high traffic areas and help open difficult terrain areas earlier in the season. A list of every ski tow to ever operate at Charlotte Pass can be found at wikiski
The resort is also very popular with cross-country skiers, as the village provides immediate access to Australia's highest peaks.
The resort receives, on average, more natural snow than other Australian resorts because of its elevation. In 1981, one weather event dropped snow to the extent that the Kangaroo Ridge triple chair terminus was buried in snow, over the top of the pylon, by the cornice by up to 0.5 m. This level of snow fall is an exception.
The Charlotte Pass ski area might be the only area in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with viable natural snow in several years' time, owing to the impact of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
EWLINE
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Mount Stillwell
Kangaroo Ridge
Little Stillwell
Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift mid station
Basin Poma unload point
Ego flats
Snow gumsBushwalking
During the summer, Charlotte Pass is a base for bushwalkers with intent to walk to the top of Mount KosciuszkoMount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
and access the Main Range
Main Range
Main Range may mean:* Main Range National Park, Queensland, Australia* Main Range , New South Wales, Australia-See also:* Main Ranges, also known as the Park Ranges, a group of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies...
. The mountain is an 18 km round trip via the Summit Walk, or a 22 km loop via the post glacial Lakes Walk.
A shorter and easier walk to the Kosciuszko summit can be accessed via Thredbo
Thredbo, New South Wales
Thredbo Village and ski resort is in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, and a part of the Snowy River Shire.Thredbo is about 500 kilometres south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne...
. The Blue Lake
Blue Lake (New South Wales)
The Blue Lake is one of only four cirque lakes found in mainland Australia, the other three, Cootapatamba, Albina, and Club are shallower than BL and are held...
can be accessed by a 4-hour round-trip walk from Charlotte Pass.
Access
In summer, access is by Kosciuszko Road from JindabyneJindabyne, New South Wales
Jindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy River Shire. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including...
.
In winter, the area is snow-bound and can only be accessed by snowmobile from the Perisher Valley SkiTube terminal, which lies 8 kilometres to the north east, also via Jindabyne
Jindabyne, New South Wales
Jindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy River Shire. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including...
. Charlotte Pass Village Pty Ltd operates a fleet of three 18 seat 4x4 buses running on snow tracks which ferry visitors in and out of the village every half hour.
The area has not always been regarded as being easily accessible to all people. In the mid 20th century, the Chalet at Charlotte Pass was referred to as a breeding ground for snobocracy by local politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
John Wesley Seiffert who by public criticism obtained a reduced bus fare to the area, thus opening the snowfields to a wider range of people.
Environment
Being an alpine area the area is subject to extremes in temperature, and is a recognised environmentally sensitive zone.The area has been long been used as a base for environmental research, for example for plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
studies in the nearby post glacial lake Blue Lake (New South Wales)
Blue Lake (New South Wales)
The Blue Lake is one of only four cirque lakes found in mainland Australia, the other three, Cootapatamba, Albina, and Club are shallower than BL and are held...
in 1937 using a flat bottomed boat, and more recently, for example in 1997 as a heliport for studies of the mountain pygmy possum
Mountain Pygmy Possum
The Mountain Pygmy Possum is a small, mouse-sized nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Mount Kosciuszko in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales at elevations from 1300 to 2230 m...
.
Climate
Charlotte Pass has a subpolar oceanic climate (KöppenKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfc) though the higher peaks have an alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
(ETH). It has the coldest recorded temperature in Australia (excluding Antarctic territories), of -23.0°C on 28 June 1994.
The area's highest recorded temperature is 33.5°C.
Average temperatures range in summer from about 4°C to 17°C and in winter from about -2°C to 2°C.
Annual rain fall averages 2329.6 mm, with about half falling as snow between late May to late September, although conditions result in snow depth typically never exceeding 2.5 m to 3 m. Official snow depths are not recorded for Charlotte Pass, but are recorded by the Snowy Hydro Limited
Snowy Hydro Limited
Snowy Hydro Limited, previously known as the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority, is a corporation in Australia jointly owned by the Commonwealth , New South Wales and Victorian Governments....
at nearby Spencers Creek (elev. 1,830 m). A typical snow depth at its peak is about 1.5 m to 2 m.
Snow falls have been recorded at all times of the year, some persisting on the ground for days even in the middle of summer. While snow falls at unexpected times can add interest to the area, they are typically associated with very severe weather events, which can also cause havoc with disastrous consequences. For example, weather patterns bringing snow falls on Boxing day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
and the following day in 1998 caused loss of life in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
that year.
Ecology
Of major faunal significance is the mountain pygmy possumMountain Pygmy Possum
The Mountain Pygmy Possum is a small, mouse-sized nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Mount Kosciuszko in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales at elevations from 1300 to 2230 m...
(Burramys parvus), which from 1894 until 1966 was only known from the fossil record.
Management and services
The area is subject to a wide range of government legislation and environmental plans, and, owing to the environmental sensitivity of the area, is one of the most heavily regulated areas in Australia.Services such as garbage collection and sewage processing are the responsibility of the area's lessee.