There has been a good outcome in the case of the skier who was injured on Mt Bogong, after a rescue yesterday.
The following comes from the ABC.
Mount Beauty police have praised the work of volunteers and personnel who rescued an injured skier from Mount Bogong, in north-east Victoria, yesterday.
The 44-year-old Albury man broke a leg while skiing with friends late on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the premier backcountry touring destination in Victoria.
The high ridges that stretch from The Bluff to Mt Howitt sit to the south and east of Mt Buller ski resort in north east Victoria. The Bluff ridge stretches towards the Great Divide, where Mount Howitt provides incredible backcountry skiing. From here the impressive Crosscut Saw leads north to Mount Speculation and more forested plateau country to Mt Cobbler. The area has a feeling of winter induced remoteness (no trail bikes or 4WDs in winter!), wonderful skiing and camping, and relatively easy access.
An average trip would involve a minimum of four days, as the approach is slow (from the Snowy Plains to the south, via the Howqua River on the Mansfield side or in through the Cobbler plateau to the north).
Plans are shaping up for the first World Telemark Day gathering in the southern hemisphere.
It will be held over the weekend of September 5 and 6.
There is an event planned for the Hotham area in Victoria, and possibly the Main Range in NSW.
All backcountry skiers/ splitters welcome. Come along, pitch in, and meet like-minded people.
Full details here.
The NSW Splitfest DownUnder will be held on weekend of the 21-23rd of August in the NSW main range.
You can
Register here.
We will be holding the Friday night entertainment at the Banjo Paterson Inn in Jindabyne, Starting @ 6pm
1 Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne
The weekend will be spent out on the Main Range.
You have the option to stay in Jindabyne, camp in the National Park or out on the peaks.
There will be rental gear available to those who need it. Jump on board and meet some new touring partners, the more the merrier!
This is a free event, there are no guides so you must be able to make your own terrain decisions.
Further information available here.
Sugar Mountain is an Australian ski film set in the wilds of Alaska. Described as a ‘cosmic ski odyssey’, its a great film about a bunch of Australians who head to Alaska in search of the mythical peak. It is directed by Richard James, and produced by Oscar and Watkin McLennan.
Now its being toured through the Australian Alps, with three shows planned for this winter.
“Now is the time to hit the Australian slopes and here is where you can couple your Aussie skiing adventure with a quite or rowdy night at the movies”.
MT Hotham – With DJ EDDY
SUN . JUL 26 | Banjo Paterson Inn | 8:00 pm
After a good, early start to the season, the dreaded El Nino influence has seen very ordinary conditions across the Alps since opening weekend in early June…. Most resorts are getting by with very limited terrain being open, and snow making being the source of the skiable stuff. The backcountry, at least in Victoria, is bare, and the Main Range looks pretty basic.
So, this report from The Grasshopper at Mountain Watch is bringing hope to lots of folks:
“The good news: “The best hope of some decent snow is still 11 to 14 July, but unfortunately there’s a bit less agreement amongst the various computer models today. Cold air does not look like it will be an issue; with high pressure to the west and low pressure to the east we’re assured of several days of cold south-west to southerly flow.”
“The big question is whether we get the moisture to combine with that cold air to create snow. Yesterday, I was getting good signals wherever I looked and so 30 to 50cm was the call if those forecasts could hold. Today I’m just seeing a couple of uncertain wobbles in the weather pattern which means I’m going to hedge my bets a little wider and call this 10 to 50cm. Long story short, the upside potential is still very much in play, but a bit more downside has crept in. It happens.”
Check MountainWatch for updates as we get closer to the 11th.
And if you’re getting out amongst it, why not post some photos on the Mountain Journal facebook page?
[Header image: fantastic early snow on Mt Thetis, Tasmania, April 2015]
The love of mountain sports invites you and all to an Australian Backcountry Information Evening. The night is hosted by Watkin McLennan and presented in association with Marker Bindings, Rhythm Snowsports, Mountainwatch.com and Chillfactor Magazine.
When: Thursday 16th July from 7:30pm
Where: Banjo’s Back Room. 1 Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne.
The evening is for Australian backcountry skiers and snowboarders of all levels of experience and ages. The night kicks off with a short film shot on The Roof of Australia.
Following the film Bill Barker will talk about the hazards unique to the Australian mountains. Bill has been patrolling for over 20 years, is a certified guide with the Canadian Ski Guide Association, and a member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. He is the director of ski patrol at Mt Hotham and runs epic backcountry trips to Gulmarg, India. Visit www.billstrips.com. Continue reading “Backcountry Information Night”
The ANU Mountaineering Club is hosting the Backcountry Film Festival.
Thursday, 23 July 2015 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
A chance to get together and more importantly fire up the stoke for the ski season. We’ll be showing the Backcountry Film Festival put together by the Winter Wildlands Alliance.
The screening will be in the Haydon Allen Tank on ANU, starting at 6:30pm, Thursday 23 July.
We ask for a $5 entry donation from members and $10 from non-members with proceeds going to the Australian Himalayan Foundation.
Further information available here.
For details on the films, check here.
Photo:The Sentinel, by James Morrow, OZBC.net
The western slopes of the Main Range in the Snowy Mountains are the premier backcountry ski and boarding destination in Australia.
And while people have been riding out there since at least the 1940s, the slopes have been getting a lot of coverage in recent years.
While the classic book is still Skiing the Western Faces of Kosciusko, by Alan Andrews, there are lots of other reports and even films coming out about skiing and boarding these impressive slopes. John Blankenstein has written a number of great trip reports from the Slopes, and Nic Rivers recently released a short film, called Find Your Line, of John snow boarding Watsons Crag.
There’s a brilliant front cover story in the current edition of Transfer magazine, the upcoming Roof of Oz film project, and a number of other magazines have covered the western faces. Stephen Curtains classic telemark film, Winter Dreaming, has a lot of action from Little Austria and other sections of the Slopes.
No matter which way you get to the western slopes, the main drop of mountains from Abbott Peak to about Mt Tate, you’re in a for a few hours of work. The shortest routes are from the top station at Thredbo or via Perisher to Charlotte Pass. You can also skin up via a number of routes from Guthega or, if you’re hard core, Dead Horse Gap.
But who would think of climbing from the west side? The views from The Alpine Way (the road between Thredbo and Khancoban) are some of the best alpine vistas in the whole country, but the slopes of the western faces sit so far above the road that they feel like they’re on another planet.
Enter Jack Skilbeck.
Patagonia is hosting a showing of the Backcountry film festival, at 6pm on wednesday June 3.
At the Patagonia store. 93 Bathurst Street, Sydney.
We will be showing all nine films (full list here).
This is a free event. You’d be most welcome to make a donation, which will go to the Friends of the Earth climate campaign.
There is a facebook page for the event available here.
Backcountry is the new black.
In the last few years, all things backcountry have come in from the fringe, and are now ubiquitous, featuring in films, magazines, books, and gear. I assume that for most people its slightly voyeuristic. People like to read about the amazing runs on offer in the backcountry without necessarily actually getting out there themselves. But there certainly is a new generation of skiers and boarders heading out for an adventure, and BC specific gear is one of the growth areas in the snow equipment industry.
Here in Australia, attention has tended to focus on two of our most spectacular BC destinations: Mt Bogong in Victoria, and the western slopes of the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains (yes, there is lots more on offer, often harder to access and perhaps less iconic. Then there’s Tasmania, which has some insanely good terrain on the rare occasion that it actually comes into shape for riding. But that’s another story).
The following comes from Stephen Curtain.
Ski Guides (ski touring) course
Outcome: to begin to guide clients on day ski tours—away from patrolled areas—in Kosciuszko’s backcountry area in the Australian Alps.
Provider: Outdoor Recreation at TAFE WESTERN—Lithgow campus
Dates: 8-day course over two blocks:
7–10 Aug 2015 (Fri, Sat, Sun,Mon) and 28–31 Aug 2015.
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