Giant Pride Flag Ski Descent at Thredbo's Spectacular Event Weekend

From August 10 - 12, the Rainbow Mountain Festival took over Thredbo Resort in Kosciuszko National Park with 3 days of pride-filled events turning Thredbo into a kaleidoscope of celebrations. The festival included a variety of events across the weekend such as a Rainbow On-Mountain Cocktail Party, a Pride Ride down Supertrail, and a Rainbow Room lunch. The Rainbow Mountain event had not been held since 2019, and the team at Thredbo were very excited to relaunch the celebration this year.

Karen McCoombe, Resort Special Events with Thredbo, told us:

"Our vision for Rainbow Mountain was to host a safe, inclusive event for all our LGTBQIA+ guests and allies that celebrates diversity, inclusivity, visibility, community, and love, inside the non-discriminating space of Thredbo.

"We also wanted a visible demonstration of EVT’s Respect for Diversity commitment, that celebrates individuality and strives to create an inclusive workplace where all staff (and customers by extension) feel supported and encouraged to be their authentic selves."

Building on the enormous success of World Pride in Sydney in early 2023, the inaugural Pride Ride down the slopes of Thredbo was added to the many events and celebrations planned on and around the mountain.

"Emulating the spirit of Sydney’s annual Mardi Gras Parade on the pristine slopes of Thredbo, we wanted to provide an opportunity for our LGBTQIA+ community and allies, staff, and the greater Thredbo community to ride together in the name of acceptance, diversity, and love."

Internet trawling led the Thredbo team to Thorne Harbour Health, who’d commissioned a 30-metre Pride Flag for the 2023 Midsumma Pride March, and so begun their journey to commission a showstopping flag of their own, which could be successfully skied down the iconic Supertrail.

"Our account manager Mel was an amazing help in designing the flag for us, with modifications to make its journey down Supertrail on skis and snowboards possible."

Despite wind and snow gracing the Australian alps on the day, colourful participants were not deterred from showing their support for the community, donning sparkles, sequins, and smiles. Children, adults, and staff skied and snowboarded alongside our spectacular Pride Progress flag from the top of the mountain to the bottom, in what is planned to be the first of many Pride Rides to come.