Charlotte Pass, New South Wales
Charlotte Pass (often erroneously referred to as Charlotte's Pass) is a snow resort and village in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The pass is in the Kosciuszko National Park where the Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge. Charlotte Pass is the closest village to Mount Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain in Australia.
| Charlotte Pass | |
|---|---|
Overlooking Charlotte Pass Village in winter | |
| Location | Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nearest major city | Canberra (city and major airport) Cooma (town and airport) Jindabyne (small town and small airport) |
| Vertical | 209 m (686 ft) |
| Top elevation | 1,964 m (6,444 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,755 m (5,758 ft) |
| Skiable area | 50 ha |
| Lift system | 5 total; 1 triple chairlift, 4 surface lifts (1 T-bar, 2 platter Lifts, 1 moving carpet) |
| Terrain parks | 1 small, movable |
| Snowmaking | Mobile units |
| Website | http://www.charlottepass.com.au/ |
Charlotte Pass Village is at the base of Kangaroo Ridge to the south east of the pass. It is one of Australia's oldest snow resorts. It is the coldest location in Australia, with a record low of −23.0 °C (−9.4 °F) and winter temperatures that regularly drop below −10 °C (14 °F).
The pass and village are named after Charlotte Adams, who, in 1881, was the first European woman to climb Mount Kosciuszko.
Charlotte Pass provides access to some of Australia's highest alpine terrain and was formerly a stop-off point for public vehicular access to Mount Kosciuszko, though the public access road now terminates at the Pass. Being an alpine area, it is subject to extremes in temperature, and is a recognised environmentally sensitive zone.