Mt Hotham Ski Shops
Thankfully, Mt Hotham isn’t quite like Mt Buller where you have to look fabulous if you want to post pics on Instaglam. At Mount Hotham, it’s more about the actual skiing and snowboarding so whilst there are a couple of ski boutiques, the focus of the Hotham ski shops is more on hardwear and functionality.
One Tree Sports in Hotham Central is a one-stop-shop with two distinct sections. The hardwear side has a large range of skis, poles, snowboards, boots and backcountry touring gear. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about skis and snowboards and have a demo program so you can try before you buy. One Tree Sports also has qualified ski boot fitters that are experts in getting ski boots to feel like slippers (in terms of the comfort, not the fit!). And best of all, a snow dollar isn’t applied to the skis and ski boots (ie the cost is similar or less than Melbourne ski shops). The ski boutique side of One Tree Sports has a good range of mid to high end outerwear that’s technically very good and also spiffy looking. The helmets and googles are also high end, but somewhat limited with respect to the range of brands available. The boutique also has lots of ski and snowboard accessories, snow apparel, and the most gorgeous après ski boots.
Also in Hotham Central is Pinnacle, which has lots of ski and snowboard accessories, helmets, goggles, après boots, and apparel. Unlike One Tree Sports which is reasonably high end, Pinnacle caters more to standard skiers and snowboarders. Pinnacle also sells Mt Hotham souvenirs and logo wear.
Along a similar vein to One Tree Sports, Zirky’s Sports has a ski boutique and hardwear, although they’re located in two separate shops.
The Mt Hotham ski hire shops also have a retail section with a small to moderate range of hardwear, outerwear, and ski and snowboard accessories.
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Hotham Snowboard Shops
One Tree Sports has a range of snowboard equipment, but right next door is Board Box which specialises in snowboards, boots and other wet bum friendly apparel. It’s only a small shop, but between the three resort owned shops in Hotham, you’re likely to find what you’re looking for.
Snow Monkey also caters very well to snowboarders. Snow Monkey is located in the Jack Frost building in the Davenport Village.
Hotham Backcountry Ski and Splitboarding Equipment
Mt Hotham has the best sidecountry terrain of any of the Australian ski resorts, so it’s no great surprise that heading outside the resort boundaries is growing in popularity. One Tree Sports in Hotham Central is the best Hotham ski shop for backcountry gear. They can kit you out with touring bindings, Montana touring skins, snowshoes, avalanche safety gear (avalanche beacons, shovels, probes), and backcountry touring poles.
Tirol Sports at the Arlberg is another option for backcountry gear.
Grocery Shopping
Mt Hotham has a couple of stores with a small range of groceries, sundries and beverages. As to be expected, a “snow dollar” applies so it might be wise to bring up as many supplies as you can from the low lands.
The General (near Big D and Davenport Village) has a “general store” which has a small range of basic groceries.
The Hotham Central Supermarket isn’t really a “supermarket” but more of a mini mart, but it has a bigger range than The General, particularly with respect to fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy. It also has lots of options for liquor!
If you’re staying at Hotham for a while and don’t want vitamin deficiencies (like half of the Hotham staff), you might want to consider getting fresh fruit and vegetables from Vegitation who deliver on Tuesdays and Fridays.