NOTHING quite warms the heart more than having to dig out the front of your lodge in early June.

That is exactly what faced every Mt Hotham lodge manager and members for the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

Even as the weather continued to be its most beautifully brutal early in the weekend, there were smiles galore to mark the start of a winter season that will be more than jolly for everyone heading to the mountains.

Whilst there were a few minor snow events through May, the season truly began on the last day of the month.

Around lunchtime, the first flakes started falling, covering the mountain in 40cm or so of white goodness.

With a promising follow up of snow in the forecast, announcements were made on Thursday, June 2 that Mt Hotham and Falls Creek were opening early.

At Hotham that meant Summit chair and trainer, with the beginning of a whole lot of preparation work to get the rest of the mountain open.

Winter fully arrived on the night of Sunday, June 5.

Cold snow fell in huge quantities during the wee hours and by the morning of Monday, June 6, some 51cm had fallen at Hotham in the 24hr period.

A week of cold, snow, wind, and 'feels like' temperatures more worthy of the northern hemisphere followed, leaving Mt Hotham gloriously covered in a deep white winter coat.

Anyone venturing into Heavenly Valley for a few sneaky pre–season powder laps found beautiful coverage across all slopes, with no signs of any 'sharks' lurking under the surface.

Some 87cm was officially on the ground by Tuesday morning (June 7) and the snow just kept coming throughout the week.

Wednesday morning started cold and bright and by the Friday morning before the 'opening' weekend, official snow depth was 94cm and the storm total was over 140cm.

All the cross–country ski trails had been groomed to perfection during the week before the opening.

Whether at Mt Hotham or around Dinner Plain, skiing the trails was, and continues to be, fabulous.

After a few weeks of lifts spinning in the resort, and following the hectic, record–breaking opening weekend, the July school holidays look set to be one of the best ever.

After two seasons of uncertainty, the enthusiasm of everyone visiting the mountain is infectious for all the right reasons!

Snow will be deep, numbers are up, and SKIING IS BACK.

One wonders when the one metre snow base mark will be broken, indeed by the time you read this it may already have happened.

Cannot wait for the two–metre party!