37 years ago today, Hobart woke to an 8cm blanket of snow that brought the city to a near standstill.
The historic snowfall closed all major roads around the state, with only around 20% of Tasmanians showing up for work.
On the same day in 1986, Les Jackson made history as the first person to ski the snow-covered Tasman Bridge.
In 2016, Jackson told the ABC the thick layer of snow was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“So on that day I tossed my skis in the back of my car,” he said.
“There was one lane operating to get over the bridge.”
“I drove over the bridge, parked on the other side, and I then walked back up on to the bridge and then skied down the bridge.”
Jackson said he just wanted to ski the bridge for some fun, but when a mate of his turned up with a TV camera, it became an iconic moment now etched in Tasmania’s history.
“The guy who was driving the WIN TV vehicle happens to play soccer with me and he said, ‘Do it for me’, and so I did.”
While there have been a number of Hobart-snow days since 1986, Jackson said his skis have not had a run in the city since.
“We’ve had a couple of very thin smatterings but not enough to get the skis out for the bridge.”
