An insider’s guide to Thredbo

You can’t beat local knowledge when it comes to discovering a ski resort. Susie Diver shares her love of Thredbo.

We have been lucky enough to call Thredbo home for 25 years, and we love the sense of community here. Both our daughters, Kenzie (19) and Marlee (16), have lived here their whole lives. Kenzie finished school and headed to Whistler as a mountain bike instructor in the summer and then ski instructor for three- to four-year-olds in the winter. Euan, my husband, is the Environmental Services Manager here at the resort.

So much to do

I love that Thredbo has so much to do. It offers a great snow sports school for kids, catering for littlies to teens, plus there are two childcare centres. Thredbo is easy to get around, with parking either at your accommodation or close by. There is a free shuttle bus to zip you around as well. Along with great skiing and boarding, there is the Thredbo Leisure Centre, which has a pool, water slide, floating obstacle course, trampoline centre and sports hall. Plus, there is the Disc Golf Park in winter. There is also regular village entertainment and a solid program of events for all ages. Thursdays it’s Family Fun Night, which includes a kids-only flare run; at other times there’s the Torah Bright Mini Shred, Kids Snow Festival, and the Snow Series.

There is something special about being in the mountains in winter. Maybe it’s that it is so foreign to us beach-loving Aussies, but even after all these years, I still get so excited when it snows

Food for thought

There are plenty of dining options from burgers and pizzas to à la carte meals. A lot of restaurants do early kids’ sittings, which is great after a big day. Breakfast at Central Road is a go-to for us, and we love going to Black Bear Inn for dinner, as it has great service and the trio of schnitzels is the house specialty. On the mountain we love lunch at Kareela Hutte midweek. It’s the place where you always bump into friends or regulars and in the school holidays you can do a little celeb spotting here. The Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery in Thredbo Valley is another great lunch spot off the slopes. It has fantastic service and top food; for adults, try the negroni, while the fresh raspberry soda is great for kids.

In Jindabyne, Birchwood Café is our go-to for incredible food. For breakfast the muesli bowl is delish and sets you up for a big day on the mountain. For lunch, look for the daily specials or go for an amazing salad bowl. They make their own kombucha, as well as sweet treats and fresh juices.

Favourite runs

On a powder day, the Golf Course Bowl is the hands-down winner and I love Bushranger for first tracks. For kids just starting out, Friday Flat is where it’s at. I think Giddy Up off the Burrow is a good run as it is quieter and has an ideal slope gradient so beginners can get moving but not pick up too much speed. Also look out for Wally Wombat’s Burrow off Easy Does It. For intermediates, the Cruiser is fantastic, but my favourite is Valley View. There is such a good mix of runs up there and if you have some non-skiing friends or family, they can catch the Merritts Gondola to meet you at the Merritts Mountain House. The runs off Karels are also a blast. I love that you can ring the Community Bell when you get there and on a sunny day you can see forever. For advanced skiers and riders take The Bluff into Cannonball or Little Beauty; it has a long fall-line and is usually the last to be tracked out.

Australia’s first alpine gondola

Thredbo opened the first alpine gondola in Australia in June 2020. The Merritts Gondola replaced the old Merritts double chairlift and as it carries eight people, has quadrupled the capacity and slashed the travelling time from 20 minutes to between six and eight minutes. The gondola goes up to the Cruiser area of Thredbo and Merritts Restaurant, meaning that non-skiers can travel up for lunch in this exquisite setting. As for skiers and snowboarders, the speedy trip means more time to enjoy the runs in this area, and you can alight at the mid-station for access to Friday Flat, host to the excellent beginners’ area.

Ski school

Thredbo’s kids’ snow sports school is recognised as one of the best in the country. The best advice is to book a lesson as it will help transform it from a good holiday into a great one. Happy kids equals happy parents. Learning the basics or improving on what they already know gives kids confidence. The better they feel, the more they want to learn, which will foster a lifelong love of snow. Making it a positive experience from the beginning is the most important advice I can give.

Once the kids are up and running, the animal hideouts on the mountain are a lot of fun. I love cruising through Pygmy Possum’s Tail Trail at the Cruiser with the little kids. It’s like our own little adventure, winding through the trees looking for the next sign. For the more advanced family members, it’s fun to have a family challenge on the NASTAR Racecourse to see who can bring home the gold, silver or bronze medal.

I love that skiing spans generations. Our girls were lucky enough to have their grandparents living in Jindabyne and have spent lots of time skiing with them. Snow holidays are memory makers as there are not many holidays that a family can enjoy so actively together.

This article originally appeared in Ski & Snowboard with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.