In North America, skiers are enjoying the season’s last hurrah at resorts like Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, and Mammoth Mountain, California, making their final turns before the long, dreadful summer arrives.
But in Australia, the party’s about to get started, even if the early-season offerings look humble.
Thanks to snowmaking, Thredbo Resort will kick the season off on Saturday, June 7, 2025 with a small collection of terrain in the Friday Flat area, serviced by the magic carpets and the Easy Does It Chairlift. There will be a hike park, too, and Thredbo Resort plans to have more terrain open next week.
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At 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, skiers and snowboarders can hop on the Bourke Street Express at Mt. Buller to spin hot laps. Earlier this week, the ski resort shared footage of the beginner Bourke Street trail disappearing under piles of man-made snow. To commemorate opening day, Mt. Buller has a stacked roster of activities, including live music, fireworks, and scenic lift rides.
Other major Australian ski resorts, like Perisher and Hotham Alpine Resort, have begun snowmaking without confirming the details of their opening day plans on social media. Both ski resorts' planned opening dates, per their websites, fall on this upcoming Saturday. Those mountains might be waiting on the weather before releasing any specifics.
An incoming round of snowfall could help solidify openings and lead to larger early-season terrain offerings, with multiple inches starting to fall as the weekend begins. Hotham Alpine Resort, in an Instagram comment, wrote that it's “stoked for the forecast this weekend!”
Last winter, in 2024, the Australian ski season came to an unceremonious close as many ski resorts halted operations early due to warm weather, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Per the outlet’s reporting, those poor skiing conditions are part of a larger, overall warming trend connected to climate change.
But that rocky period, for now, is in the past. At present in Australia, wintry weather is looming, and in only a few days, skiers will be making their first runs of the year.
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Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
It looks like as well as getting deals done to sign Xavi Simons and Jorrel Hato, Chelsea want to sign another attacker AS WELL! The Blues are going nuts in this transfer window and they are looking to pull off some more madness before the window closes at the end of next month. As you will know, they have been concentrating on signing Hato from Ajax, Simons from RB Leipzig, and getting outgoing deals done. But as well as those two, there could be another new winger coming in as well, but more on that further below. Hato to Chelsea is close and Fabrizio Romano reports that it is now at the final stages and the clubs are now very close to agreeing a fee. We should get the ‘here we go’ on this one now very soon. And with Simons, it sounds very similar to Hato, with Romano also reporting that deal to now be VERY CLOSE to being done! Exciting stuff indeed. Chelsea not stopping there Although this transfer rumour and potential new signing might not be as popular as the two above amongst the Chelsea faithful, they are also looking to sign Alejandro Garnacho AS WELL as Simons! Romano also had the drop on that last night. Speaking to DAZN, he said: “Chelsea want BOTH Garnacho and Simons. There is a concrete possibility that Chelsea sign both. For Garnacho, it is something for later in the window.” Host of new attacking options If Chelsea sign Garnacho as well as Simons, that will give them a whole host of new attacking options going into the new season. With Jamie Gittens there now as well as Estevao Willian of course who has finally been able to join the club this summer, Chelsea will be inundated with options up top next season and beyond!
Austin Hill was the subject of much scrutiny following Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hill appeared to intentionally hook Aric Almirola with six laps to go in the Pennzoil 250 after Almirola had gotten Hill loose in Turn 3. Almirola believed Hill's actions to be intentional, as did several members of the media. On Monday's episode of "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin," Hamlin became the latest NASCAR personality to call out Hill's decision. "It looked like he right-rear hooked the No. 19," Hamlin said. "I'm just saying, there's no way you can be that dumb. It feels like if there's anyone that would fly off the rails, it's probably (Hill)." Hamlin went on to say that it was possible that Hill's wheel had yet to stop spinning from the contact in the previous corner that forced Hill to save his car. A one-race suspension for Hill would not be surprising, given the fact that NASCAR has suspended drivers for retaliatory crashes in the past. A one-race suspension would force Hill to miss Saturday's race at Iowa Speedway, a race he finished 29th in a year ago. A decision regarding a potential suspension would likely come on Tuesday when NASCAR issues its weekly penalty report.
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