Most Australian skiers and snowboarders who travel go through a kind of difficult adolescence in which they fashion their technique on home ground, then move on to overseas snow runs. With all this behind them, they reject Australia for a time.
And why not? Aren't the runs short? The seasons unreliable? The sport super expensive?
But the reality is, almost all those skiers and boarders come back to ride their home mountains — and nobody's forcing them to.
They do it because of the appeal of the alpine villages, the scent and sound of skiing among the snow gums and the quality in Australia's lifts, slope preparation and snowmaking. And they uncover ways of doing it that don't demand a second mortgage.
Belinda Trembath, manager of the Victorian Mount Hotham's lift company for almost a decade, is in the front line when it comes to stopping the drift of skiers and boarders away from Australia.
"One of the great things that you can't really replace with an overseas holiday is that ability to enjoy it with close friends and family friends," she said.
"It's much harder to pack up two or three families and go overseas than it is to holiday together in Australia."
She believes the move by major domestic resorts to change passes brought people back to skiing more regularly.
The resort that started all that was Perisher, in 2011, and they're on the move again.
Chief executive Peter Brulisauer said the recent purchase of his resort by US-based Vail Resorts was a "big vote of confidence in the Australian industry and a big vote of confidence in the Snowy Mountains region."
Travelling skiers can now ski for the season at Perisher and use the same pass to ski the many resorts Vail owns in the United States.
■ Why is the ski season launched in June with little or no snow?
Back in the day, ski club members treated the June long weekend as one big party. There have been bids to push the opening back, but with the scope for snowmaking to secure snow cover and an earlier winter holiday break in a four-term school year, those bids have evaporated.
■ Does Australia really get as much snow as Switzerland?
Maybe with snow cover, but surely not for snow depth. Switzerland holds snow year-round. You could argue that there are more snow-covered hectares in Australia (in Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and ACT) but you'd need to get in quick before the snow melted at lower levels.
■ Are lift tickets more expensive here than overseas?
Yes and no. Day tickets for lifts in Australia are up to $120 this year, but that comes in under Aspen Colorado's $140 ($US109). Some places offer better value. All the combined areas at Niseko in Japan could be skied for $58 a day (at the time of writing), or the vast Arlberg network of resorts in Austria for $70.
■ Will climate change ruin skiing in Australia?
Snowmaking has proven that it is possible to underpin natural falls with reliable cover at lower levels, but even the snowmakers can't do anything in wet weather. Peter Brulisauer, Perisher's chief executive argues, "seasons vary, wherever you might be".
■ Are snow-condition reports still dodgy?
Not any more, thanks to webcams and social media signs like snow on the trees or leaves glistening wet with moisture, can indicate snow quality.