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The Australian backcountry festival returns this August

From the Australian backco0untry festival organising committee:

We are returning to Mount Hotham for the ninth edition of Australia’s favourite celebration of human-powered snow adventure. For the weekend, the Australian Backcountry Festival will once again transform the Victorian High Country into a vibrant hub of alpine exploration, learning and community spirit. The festival welcomes back show-shoers, cross-country and telemark skiers, alpine ski tourers, split-boarders, snow campers, mountaineers and alpine-curious newcomers to our beautiful snowgum-lined slopes.

August 28 – 30, Mt Hotham and surrounds.

Continue reading “The Australian backcountry festival returns this August” →

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Backcountry film festival screening July 16

The Backcountry Film Festival is a winter institution in Melbourne, screening each year since 2011. The program celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter.

The 2025-26 winter season is the 21st anniversary of the Backcountry Film Festival! This year showcases a dynamic lineup of short documentaries and ski films that transport audiences straight to the heart of winter. Adventure, love, travel, ski culture, ice, pain, friendship, and DEEP POWDER—you’ll find it all as the festival brings these powerful stories to towns around the world.

Wolf of the Willows in Mordialloc will be re-screening a selection of films from the main festival on the evening of Thursday 16 July, 2026.

Continue reading “Backcountry film festival screening July 16” →

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Backcountry Film Festival 2026 – screening at Wolf of the Willows

The Backcountry Film Festival is a winter institution in Melbourne, screening each year since 2011. The program is put together by Winter Wildlands Alliance, and celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter. The 2025-26 winter season is the 21st anniversary of the Backcountry Film Festival! This year showcases a dynamic lineup of short documentaries and ski films that transport audiences straight to the heart of winter. Adventure, love, travel, ski culture, ice, pain, friendship, and DEEP POWDER—you’ll find it all as the festival brings these powerful stories to towns around the world.

The festival will be re-screening at Wolf of the Willows in Mordialloc on the evening of Thursday 16 July, 2026 – Ticket details below.

Continue reading “Backcountry Film Festival 2026 – screening at Wolf of the Willows” →

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Backcountry magazine – the future of skiing in a melting world.

I’ve subscribed to Backcountry magazine for at least a decade. Wonderful images of glorious mountains, good stories, and a lot of practical info for backcountry people. And it makes me feel connected to a global community of snow freaks who enjoy doing the hard work and who are willing to ‘earn their turns’ through old fashioned uphill travel.

If you follow mainstream science you will know that climate change is impacting winters. Here in Australia, snow pack has been in decline since at least 1957. Yet there is still a lot of very weird denial about climate change in the snow community. So when you dare to link science and declining snow pack you’ll normally get yelled at. But that shouldn’t stop us for talking about the facts. And BC mag has done a good job of that in their current edition, subtitled ‘hidden routes, extinct lines and the future of skiing in a melting world’.

Continue reading “Backcountry magazine – the future of skiing in a melting world.” →

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Backcountry film festival 2026. Melbourne, May 5

The backcountry film festival is a pre winter institution in Melbourne. We have been screening the festival each year since 2011. The program is put together by Winter Wildlands Alliance, and celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter.

Now in it’s 21st year, the festival will screen again in Naarm / Melbourne, Tuesday evening May 5 at RMIT in the city.

The event will run from 6pm, with films starting at 6.30pm.

We will have speakers from a range of backcountry groups, info and merchandise stalls, and the Winter Wildlands program (close to 2 hours of films).

Co-hosted by RMIT Outdoors Club and Friends of the Earth.

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Mountain Journal magazine #6 is out

The MJ magazine is an annual print run of 1,000 copes that is circulated for free to mountain and valley towns between Melbourne and Canberra.

The 2026 edition is currently at the printers (thanks to Charley and Jenny, the wonderful crew at Black Rainbow in Gippsland) and we will start distribution in early March. In the meantime, you can find a pdf version of the magazine here.

You can find general information and previous editions here.

Thanks, as always to Tess Sellar for the lovely design, and Dylan Robinson and Mike Edmondson for the cover images.

If you like this self funded project and want to see it keep going, you would be welcome to sign on as a Friend of Mountain Journal.

Continue reading “Mountain Journal magazine #6 is out” →

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The Australian Backcountry festival starts today!

Now in it’s 8th year, the BC Fest returns to Mt Hotham, and this year we are blessed with incredible snow.

While the tours are all booked out, there is still a huge amount to do, including three great social events (tonight, saturday and sunday).

Head to the website to see the full schedule.

The festival is a 100% volunteer community event.

I will post some photos here as the weekend unfolds.

ABOVE: I will be leading a snow shoe tour into the Boiler Plain reference area on sat am. After massive burnoff of snow cover the current storm has delivered an incredible (albeit unconsolidated) base just in time for the festival.

Friday AUG 29

4pm. To make things interesting, the snow base is very unconsolidated – which will make for interesting touring conditions, there is a lightning storm on its way, and the Great Alpine rd between Harrietville and Hotham has been closed to all traffic.

Checking out the snow shoe tour route.

Saturday August 30

ABOVE: snow shoe tour to Boiler Plain.

ABOVE: backcountry brews workshop.

ABOVE: the party at the Hub at Wire Plain.

 

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Spag-Bol and Snow gums

Mt Howitt, in the Victorian high country,  is a wonderful destination at any time of the year. The easiest way in, of course, is the lovely trail from the Howitt Plains. The hardest direct approach is up the west spur from the Howqua River. In winter the options are more complex and way more committing. While you look across the Howqua valley to the metropolis that is the ski resort at Mt Buller, the ridges from The Bluff to the Howitt plateau feel wonderfully remote, and the A frame hut at Macalister Springs can feel like you’re at the heart of the Victorian high country. Weather, route finding and snow conditions can be variable and difficult. Heading to ‘Mac Springs’ in winter remains a classic hard trip for anyone who is committed to backcountry touring.

This winter, three friends, Hunter Williams, Oliver Huzzey, and Rainer Cook Tonkin, made the trip in to Howitt on old gear bought second hand on marketplace and with homemade ski crampons. In true backcountry tradition, it pushed them out of their comfort zones, providing a mix of misery, hard slog and elation.

Continue reading “Spag-Bol and Snow gums” →

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A winter visit to Boiler Plain

A Reference Area in Victoria is a ‘tract of public land containing viable samples of one or more land types that are relatively undisturbed’. The Boiler Plain Reference Area near Paw Paw Plain on the Brabralung trail that runs between Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain is, sadly, after recent fires, no longer ‘relatively undisturbed’, but it is rarely visited. This tour, happening as part of the 2025 Australian Backcountry Festival will visit Boiler Plain, allowing participants to see this remote area on skis or snow shoes.

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Mission to Mt Pinnibar, June 2025

Mt Pinnibar is a remote and lovely mountain in north eastern Victoria. It’s quite a journey to get to, and a decent ski in from the gate which is locked in winter. The last time I tried to get in there I found myself in a logging coupe that cut across the road, where previously damaged alpine ash was being logged over again. Beyond the coupe, the road was blocked by an enormous tree that had been placed there by the loggers, which necessitated the most epic 28 point turn I have ever had to do.

I do find the access roads (there are a couple of options to get in there) a bit intense in mid winter. In these brief piece from Trevor Staats, originally published on the Australian backcountry facebook group, Trevor does note the need for all the ‘backcountry safety gear – wheel chains, shovels, recovery straps, air compressor, chainsaw, and more’. Continue reading “Mission to Mt Pinnibar, June 2025” →

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Completing the Trilogy: All.I.Can, Valhalla, Fire on the Mountain

Geez, the world is grim right now, isn’t it? Wars and genocide grind on, authoritarian ‘leaders’ seek to take over democracies, removing basic human rights that have taken decades to secure. The climate crisis continues to escalate, while the large fossil fuel companies and their allies block meaningful action.

But, of course, the world is still an amazing place, full of beauty and goodness. Sometimes that’s what you need to focus on, so you can deal with the other stuff.

Skiing makes me happy. It is one of the great joys in my life. And I love the culture that exists around a love of winter and snow. One of the many manifestations of mountain culture is, of course, the genre of skiing and snow boarding films. Many are joyous celebrations of the mountains, of deep powder, freedom, connection and community.

Continue reading “Completing the Trilogy: All.I.Can, Valhalla, Fire on the Mountain” →

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Ski in party at Mt Stirling

From Friends of Mt Stirling:

Join us for a weekend of connection, community, and conservation at King Saddle Hut, Mount Stirling!

We’re teaming up with Friends of the Earth Melbourne (FoEM), long-time campaigners for the protection of the Victorian Alps, to bring you a weekend immersed in nature and collective action.

Together, we’ll walk through beautiful alpine bushland, learn from local ecologists about the current and emerging threats facing these fragile ecosystems, and explore ways we can care for Country—supporting both biodiversity and community well-being.

 

  • Kick off the weekend with a shared potluck dinner on Friday night—bring something delicious to contribute!
  • Bring your camping gear, warm clothes, dancing and walking shoes!
  • Hear from those working to protect and manage sustainably this area.
  • We will be organising some music for the Friday night for around the fire.

Bring along a friend! We hope to see you there.

 

This event is taking place on First Nations land. We acknowledge the Traditionals Owners and pay our respects.

 

Please be aware that there is an entry fee to enter the Mt Stirling resort, and the location is about a 3 km walk/ ski/ snow shoe to reach. You will need to be self sufficient in terms of camping gear, food and cooking equipment.

Continue reading “Ski in party at Mt Stirling” →

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