As part of the Mountain Journal magazine, we publish a series of interviews each edition with people who have had life long connections to the mountains. The section in the 2024 magazine, Around the Fire – chats with mountain people, has some great interviews, profiles and stories, including this one on Kelly Van Den Berg.
You can read the magazine as a PDF here. https://themountainjournal.com/2024/03/19/mountain-journal-magazine-4-now-online/
Print versions will be available shortly.
Despite sad snow conditions, the 6th Victorian backcountry festival will happen over three days in early September.
It will happen in and around the Mt Hotham resort, with all the usual components of the festival that we love – the tours, workshops, repair café, demo village, speakers program and outdoor bar. This year we have two festival hubs – The General, plus the Last Run Bar.
Please register for the festival here (you need to register to be able to book tours). Check below for full details.
Continue reading “VIC backcountry festival powers ahead despite low snow”
The Victorian backcountry festival will be happening soon at Mt Hotham (September 1, 2, 3). Now in its 6th year, the festival offers tours, workshops, a demo village, ski in outdoor bar on a hilltop, repair cafe, avalanche safety courses, an opening night party, films and a speakers program.
You can register for the festival here. The full program will be posted on the backcountry festival home page shortly.
As part of the speakers program, there will be a great event at The General in Mt Hotham village, with presentations on how to turn concern for the mountains into meaningful action.
Now in it’s 6th year, the Victorian backcountry festival will happen at Mt Hotham again over the first weekend of September.
The three day event (September 1, 2, 3) features the normal program that we all love – guided tours, workshops, a speakers program, demo village, repair cafe, and the saki in outdoor bar on a mountain top.
The festival is 100% volunteer run and the committee is working hard to deliver another great event.
Registration for the festival is now open, with an early bird rate of $40 for the weekend. This covers basic and very important costs like insurance for the festival. Registering will mean you receive details of the tour program when it is announced. Registrations after July will be $50, so get in now and save.
You can register here.
https://events.humanitix.com/2023-victorian-backcountry-festival-early-bird-tickets
There will be a series of screenings of the new Australian backcountry film STEEP REFLECTIONS, happening across a number of towns and resorts in June.
With a warming climate, there is growing concern for the future of snowsports in the Kosciuszko National Park. STEEP REFLECTIONS aims to change your perspective on the Australian backcountry, and create greater awareness around the importance of both mountain safety and our environmental footprint. Follow local guides and freeriders as they showcase the hidden beauty of the Snowy Mountains, taking you to the highest peaks and the steepest slopes, whilst uncovering the harsh reality our winters face if we don’t act now.
The VIC BC Fest will be happening in and around Mt Hotham resort over three days in early September (1, 2 and 3).
It will look a lot like last year – a great tours program, workshops and skillshares (including more telemark and cross country), the ski in outdoor bar, speakers program, repair cafe, and demo village outside The General in Hotham village. There will also be an on snow camp site attached to the festival this year.
With a new and expanded organising committee, we are getting down to planning another great festival. Stay tuned for details, call out for the program and volunteer guides.
The Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing is a proposed 57 kilometre walk through the Alpine region of Victoria, combining and upgrading an existing track network. The final walk will be a 5-day 4-night hiking trip from Falls Creek to Mount Hotham. It has been strongly opposed by many environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts because the campsites will be privately operated and many people oppose further development within national parks. Check here for a previous mountain journal story outlining concerns about the proposal.
There was a feedback process on the draft designs. More than 6,000 people visited the Engage Victoria page on the project, more than 60 people joined conversations at ‘pop-up’ sessions in local towns, and more than 640 responses were contributed via survey, submissions and email. As expected, the majority of respondents expressed serious concerns about the proposal and many want it cancelled.
Continue reading “Update on the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing”
There has been much speculation about the future of the Mount Hotham Airport in recent months as the community waited to see who would buy it.
It has now been announced that the Grollo family has acquired Mount Hotham Airport for more than $6.5 million and ‘plans to develop residential accommodation for workers and staff at the nearby Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain ski resorts on the 105-hectare site’.
The airport is a significant section of higher elevation private land along the Great Alpine Road from Omeo to Dinner Plain/ Mt Hotham. Many in the community had hoped that the new owner (it was previously owned by Vail Resorts) would focus on building for the community good – that is, provide affordable accommodation for on mountain workers and their families.
A report from the ‘Climate change and the Victorian Alps – preparing for the fires of the future’ seminar, which was held as part of the speakers program for the 2022 Victorian backcountry festival at Mt Hotham on September 2.
Speakers included an academic, a local landcare representative, Parks Victoria and DELWP.
Continue reading “Seminar – Climate change, fire and the Victorian Alps”
After two years of cancellations due to covid restrictions, the stoke is building for the 2022 Victorian backcountry festival, which will happen over three days – September 2, 3 and 4 – at Mt Hotham resort and the surrounding terrain.
While the tours are now booked out (you can go on a wait list), there is still heaps to do.
Continue reading “VIC backcountry festival happening this weekend!”
After a long wait, registrations to the 2022 Victorian backcountry festival are now open!
Happening over three action packed days – with tours, workshops, massive speakers program, demo village, ski in outdoor bar and lots more, the festival is back in real life after two years of having to operate online. Mt Hotham resort and surrounding side country and Alpine national park.
Once you register you will be able to book in to tours.
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Continue reading “Victorian backcountry festival 2022 – Lineup announcement”
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