John Wormell · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Highest mountain in the mainland of the Australian continent, located on New South Wales–Victoria border
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain in the Snowy Mountains (Australia). Its summit stands 2,228 m above sea level. It is the highest point of Oceania. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 2,228 m, and the nearest higher ground is 1,895 km away. It was first climbed in 1834.
From the lowest point within 5 km (1,275 m), it rises 953 m. The steepest side is the north-west face: 15° on average over the first kilometre.
Scores
Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.
Hiking & mountaineering
7.1/10
Difficulty to the top
Mountain walk
Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
5.1/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 1,337 m, in the middle of the ski area: occasional snow from July to August.
43 lifts · 17 km cross-country
Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.
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Snow
At the summit, snow from May to November. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit2,228 msnow from May to November | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow |
Halfway up1,752 msnow from June to September | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow |
Foot of the mountain1,275 moccasional snow in July | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow |
Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.
Summit weather
Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.
On an average January afternoon the summit reaches about 19 °C; on July nights it falls to about -8 °C. In 2 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In January the 0 °C line climbs to about 5,090 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, May is the driest month (58 mm) and November the wettest (95 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 4 | 5,090 | 67 | 10 | 9.9 |
| February | 17 | 3 | 4,780 | 82 | 10 | 8.6 |
| March | 14 | 1 | 4,300 | 74 | 8 | 8.5 |
| April | 8 | -2 | 3,500 | 60 | 8 | 7.1 |
| May | 3 | -5 | 2,720 | 58 | 9 | 6.2 |
| June | 0 | -7 | 2,210 | 80 | 13 | 5.1 |
| July | -1 | -8 | 2,040 | 73 | 13 | 5.4 |
| August | 0 | -8 | 2,230 | 80 | 13 | 6.4 |
| September | 4 | -6 | 2,800 | 70 | 12 | 7.8 |
| October | 8 | -4 | 3,410 | 82 | 12 | 8.8 |
| November | 12 | 0 | 4,040 | 95 | 12 | 9.2 |
| December | 15 | 2 | 4,500 | 81 | 10 | 9.9 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 1,012 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.
Relief
Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.
Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.
Around the mountain
Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.
N
5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A lift reaches Kosciusko Express Top Station at 1,925 m — just 303 m below the summit.
Opera House, Albury Ski Club, Dr Forbes Hut, Cootapatamba Hut and 10 more
Kosciusko, Snowgums, Merritts, Kosciuszko Triple Chair and 7 more
Perisher, Thredbo Resort, Charlotte Pass
Australian Alps Walking Track, Main Range Walking Track, Mount Kosciuszko Summit Walk, Kosciuszko Walk and 5 more
Lake Cootapatamba Lookout, Blue Lake lookout, Charlotte Pass Lookout, Kosciusko Lookout and 7 more
Moiras Flat, Birralee Bush Camp, Geehi Horse Camp, WIlkinson's Creek Campsite and 1 more
Boali Lodge, The River Inn, Thredbo Alpine Hotel, Thredbo Alpine Apartments and 30 more
OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Photos
Recent years
Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–2020 average | 19 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| 2020 | ±0.0 | −1.6 | −2.9 | −2.8 | −1.7 | +0.4 | +1.0 | −1.0 | +0.2 | −0.4 | +0.6 | −2.1 |
| 2021 | −2.7 | −3.0 | −2.9 | −1.0 | −0.4 | −0.8 | −1.0 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −1.8 | −3.8 | −2.5 |
| 2022 | −3.3 | −1.9 | −1.0 | −0.7 | −0.2 | −1.9 | +0.3 | +0.3 | −0.9 | −1.6 | −4.5 | −4.2 |
| 2023 | −4.1 | −2.5 | −0.6 | −1.3 | −2.2 | −0.9 | +1.0 | +2.0 | +2.9 | −0.3 | +0.7 | −1.4 |
| 2024 | −3.2 | +2.2 | +3.1 | +0.2 | +1.9 | −0.6 | +0.1 | +2.4 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +1.1 |
| 2025 | −0.4 | +1.1 | +3.0 | +1.9 | +2.3 | −0.7 | −0.2 | +1.1 | +0.1 | −0.4 | −2.9 | −1.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q178167) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Relief, 3D view, profiles | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0 |
| Around the mountain | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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