Backcountry festival back at Hotham in 2021
The fourth Victorian backcountry festival will happen at Mt Hotham over September 3, 4 and 5. This is a media release from the group organising this year’s festival. Continue reading “Fourth Victorian backcountry festival – September 3, 4 & 5”
The Mountain Safety Collective (MSC) is a voice for the backcountry community. It organises training and other events, produces wonderful maps, merchandise, and the backcountry conditions report through winter.
It is run by a group of diehard backcountry enthusiasts. Lately it has been introducing its committee. This is taken from a recent MSC newsletter and is an introduction to the wonderful Narelle Watters, who lives in north eastern Victoria, at the base of Mt Feathertop.
The Mountain Safety Collective (MSC) is a voice for the backcountry community. It organises training and other events, produces wonderful maps, merchandise, and the backcountry conditions report through winter.
It is run by a group of diehard backcountry enthusiasts. Lately it has been introducing its board. This is taken from the most recent MSC newsletter and is an introduction to the wonderful Rolf Schonfeld, who lives in Smoko in north eastern Victoria, at the base of Mt Feathertop.
Continue reading “Introducing Rolf Schonfeld”
IMPORTANT UPDATE: due to new Covid restrictions, which start at 6pm tonight, we have had to postpone this event. We will set a new date as soon as is possible.
Victorian snow lovers had a tough winter in 2020. We’re all frothing to get out once the snow starts to fall, and we know it will be busy in the mountains this year, with new and experienced skiers and riders keen to get out and away from the resorts.
If you’re starting out on backcountry skiing, riding or snow shoeing, please feel free to join us at this free event at Bogong outdoor store in Little Bourke st, Melbourne on May 25.
Kelly Van Den Berg will introduce you to the skills, gear, and knowledge you need to get out into the backcountry and enjoy it safely. There will be a quick talk on Mountain Safety Collective (MSC) and the backcountry advisory bulletins that MSC produces through the winter. Followed by a Q & A.
Continue reading “Getting into the backcountry”
Come together with other backcountry enthusiasts and get pumped for the upcoming season
Speakers include:
Food and drinks available for purchase at the bar.
Recent snowfalls across the Alps has got every snow lover excited about winter. Here is an initial list of snow related events happening across Victoria, NSW and the ACT this winter.
Please check here for a list of tour guides, all avalanche training providers, and gear hire options.
FITSKI is something of an institution in Harrietville. It happens before winter to help get the community fit for the snow.
The May session will include a screening of the Backcountry Film Festival.
Continue reading “Backcountry film festival screening in Harrietville”
Last winter was pretty ‘ordinary’ in terms of the snow pack, and many people were unable to get into the mountains because of lock down. However, in the places where outdoor adventure was allowed, it was clear that there was a boom in visitation to side country (areas in or near ski resorts) and backcountry (more remote areas).
It has been the same this winter in North America, with some significant results. The New York Times reports:
‘In the throes of a pandemic that has made the indoors inherently dangerous, tens of thousands more Americans than usual have flocked outdoors, fleeing crowded cities for national parks and the public lands around them. But as these hordes of inexperienced adventurers explore the treacherous terrain of the backcountry, many inevitably call for help. It has strained the patchwork, volunteer-based search-and-rescue system in America’s West’.
This winter we have to expect lots of new and inexperienced people getting out of resort and into the higher peaks.
This will bring lots of impacts to our precious high country – especially around human waste (check here for our Let’s talk about poo guide to managing human waste in the backcountry). It also brings risks to inexperienced skiers and riders, and others in the mountains who may need to assist people and groups in difficulty, and put strain on police and volunteer search and rescue groups like Alpine Search and Rescue and the SES.
Here are some ideas on getting skills if you’re planning to head out into higher mountain environments this winter.
Continue reading “Get the skills you need for a Winter of Awesome”
The Backcountry Film Festival is back for 2021! This annual, pre winter event features a range of backcountry and winter related films.
Because of the difficulty of finding a low cost, large venue in a time of covid restrictions, this year we are running it as a virtual screening.
Please join us for the 2021 screenings.
Continue reading “Backcountry festival 2021 screening as a virtual event”
After moving online in 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the Victorian Backcountry Festival will be back at Mt Hotham in 2021.
The Festival celebrates the growing movement of ‘all things backcountry’, focused on human powered winter activities such as cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, telemarking, alpine touring, split boarding, photography and snow camping. This will be the fourth year that the Festival has run, and the second time at Mt Hotham.
The Festival aims to not only provide an introduction to the ever-growing suite of backcountry activities, but to also make it more accessible to the general public, whilst educating them about mountain safety.
Continue reading “The Victorian backcountry festival is back in 2021!”
The 3rd Victorian backcountry festival should be happening this weekend at Mt Hotham. Sadly, the coronavirus lockdown meant we had to cancel the event. However, we have organised a wonderful, free, online event tomorrow afternoon (Sunday September 6).
It will be a relaxed Sunday afternoon full of FREE backcountry speakers, seminars and workshops. It will be held over Zoom. There are three parallel streams, finishing with a screening of the great Australian backcountry film The Western Faces.
Continue reading “Online Victorian Backcountry Festival 2020”
Because of the COVID-19 lock down, we have had to cancel the Victorian Backcountry Festival for 2020. However, in lieu of the festival that was scheduled for 4 – 6th September, we are planning a relaxed Sunday afternoon (Sept 6) full of backcountry speakers, seminars and workshops to be held over Zoom.
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