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Snowy Mountains

ski mountaineering courses

Main Range Backcountry is offering ski mountaineering courses on the Main Range in the Snowies.

They say:

The rope can be a valuable tool for ski touring, but without any training in its use, can be dangerous or even provide a false sense of security. This course is designed to teach you basic rope handling and movement on snow and ice with crampons and ice axes. If you have a small group, the day can be customised to your needs, whether you want to access and ski big lines, with a larger margin of safety or are looking at getting into mountaineering from hiking or climbing.

Continue reading “ski mountaineering courses” →

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Perisher resort sold

The Australian is reporting that the Perisher resort has been sold to the US-based Vail Resorts conglomerate.

Crown casino chief James Packer and another private company have sold the Snowy Mountains’ Perisher Ski Resort to America’s Vail Resorts for $176.6m.

The sale, by Packer subsidiary Murray Publishers and Transfield Corporate, includes the resort areas Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Blue Cow and Guthega, along with ski school, lodging, food and beverage, retail, rental and transportation operations, the New York stock exchange-listed Vail said.

The deal will need approval from the NSW government.

Perisher, Australia’s largest ski resort, holds a long-term lease and licence with the NSW government under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, which expires in 2048 with a 20-year renewal option. Mr Packer’s private company, Consolidated Press Holdings, inherited 75 per cent of Perisher in 1972 when it acquired Perisher Smiggins and the Perisher Hotel through its purchase of Murray Publishers.

Full article here.

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Winter may be over, but the beauty and wonder of the mountains rolls on…

Some photos from Andrew Stanger, taken in late October “out the back on the Main Range of Kosciuszko National Park as the first flowers were unfurling to clear, sunny skies.”

Enjoy.

Continue reading “Winter may be over, but the beauty and wonder of the mountains rolls on…” →

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In Memoriam, Mike Moore

MG-cover-156-350hIn late summer 2010, I was stuck in the doldrums of endless heat and lack of rain, and winter seemed like it was light years away. I’d sought some shelter from the oven like air outdoors, and retreated to the coolest, darkest room in the house. I sought refuge in a cold beer and one of my favourite magazines, Mountain Gazette.

The Gazette was a lovely journal, described by its founder as being “generally about the mountains” that was produced in Colorado. It was often rambling and lateral, and seemed to cover everything from drinking and drugs to outdoor adventures, to politics in the ‘mountain states’, to musings on mountain culture. Leadville is not Miami (thankfully).

It got me thinking. I love the mountains here in south eastern Australia. And I love the culture that’s developing, growing from the thousands of people who are drawn to the hills to ski or board, to walk or paddle, to work and live. Not just the glossy consumer lifestyles of the rich and banal, but the real lives of people putting their roots down in a place that they love.

And so Mountain Journal was born. It never made it into print form. The logistics and costs were too great, and my time too limited. But it’s clearly filling some need for some people, and here we are four years later.

I just found out that Mike Moore, the founder of Mountain Gazette, passed away earlier this month. MG has long been a place of inspiration for me and I felt sad to hear of his passing. The Gazette itself transformed into an on-line journal several years ago and still publishes excellent writings and observations about mountain life. The following are some excerts from a reflection on Mike’s time as editor of the Gazette, by George Sibley.

Continue reading “In Memoriam, Mike Moore” →

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The Snowy Mountains Stomp

The inaugural Snowy Mountains Stomp snowshoe race is on at Perisher tomorrow.

Saturday August 23, Perisher Valley, Kosciusko National Park

It will be a day of snowshoe running in the Kosciusko National Park. Two events are planned:

The Stomp: 6km (approx.)
The Longer Stomp: 15km (approx.)

Both events will be on marked courses and mostly on marked trail. Not flat but not over-the-top steep, courses will be designed to be runnable by the fit and walkable by those wanting a challenge up in the hills.

Snow shoe hire will be available.

For more info, and to register, check here.

[Image: courtesy Wilderness Sports]

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The trek to Kidman’s Hut

This post comes from Adam West of Main Range Backcountry and was originally posted on the MRBC site.
 
With my car full of every piece of mountain gear I own, I was woken at 5.30am on Saturday morning @ my mate’s house in East Jindabyne to find him packing for a trip to the high country near Mt Jagungal. I too packed all my kit with enough food for two days and we headed off!

Two plans were proposed, Whites River Hut or Burrungubuggee Hut. We went for the Burrungubuggee option as it seemed like more of an adventure! Our main objective was to ride some virgin snow in a remote part of the KNP.

At 9.00am we parked the car at Island Bend Fire trail and started walking. Packed was everything, Food, Tent, Sleeping gear, Splitboards and even crampons! From last week’s tour to Leather barrel Creek, I was coming prepared this time. My pack was very heavy but I was sure we would be skining soon as we headed up.

Continue reading “The trek to Kidman’s Hut” →

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Low Snow on Long Plain

When people think of ski touring in the Snowy Mountains, its more than likely they will imagine the Main Range area around Kosciuszko itself, or the high plains that extend up to Mt Jagungal. But there is a lot of alpine and sub alpine country to the north of these iconic areas. With elevations dropping off as you head north, it can be a rare thing to have sufficient snow nowdays to travel by ski into the northern sections of Kosciuszko National Park.

But with 2014 being the fantastic season that it is, there has been plenty of opportunity to ski in some of the lower elevation mountain regions across SE Australia.

This trip report from Andrew Stanger is of a ski tour to Four Mile Hut from near the Selwyn ski resort.

You can read it here.

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Mt Carruthers and The Sentinel

A trip report from John Blankenstein . This is his third report from the western faces of the Main Range, featuring runs on the Mt Carruthers North Chutes and the South West Sentinel.

“Wind and rain had crept back into the mountains with a series of less than adequate “not so cold fronts” which threatened to unhinge my winter. Optimistic, I was certain that cooler air would be drawn up into the cycle of precipitation by Thursday evening. I got a call from Mike at First tracks Snowboard store Jindabyne on Thursday night with reports of wind gusts in excess of 190km from a cat driver on top of Guthega, by 9pm that night snow finally entered the equation and by Saturday morning we had received a healthy recharge of up to 20cm of dry pow”.

Read the full report here.

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Snowy Mountains Stomp

It’s possibly not going to be in the Olympics or Commonwealth Games for a while yet. But there is a snowshoe running event coming up soon in the Snowy Mountains.

Saturday August 23, Perisher Valley, Kosciusko National Park

The organisers say:

It will be a day of snowshoe running in the Kosciusko National Park. Two events are planned:

The Stomp: 6km (approx.)
The Longer Stomp: 15km (approx.)

Both events will be on marked courses and mostly on marked trail. Not flat but not over-the-top steep, courses will be designed to be runnable by the fit and walkable by those wanting a challenge up in the hills.

Snow shoe hire will be available.

For more info, and to register, check here.

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caution still needed in the backcountry

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)has issued a message to backcountry users in the Snowy Mountains. See below for full text.

Another perspective comes from Wilderness Sports who provide a daily conditions report for the Snowy Mountains on their website and facebook page.

Continue reading “caution still needed in the backcountry” →

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Lamont mountain blog

I just discovered a new website, La Mont, from Mandy Lamont, which promises to be a ‘Mountain blog, for mountain folk by mountain folk’.

I call Jindabyne home.  And after spending my first summer here in 2010/2011, my love of the mountains has extended to summer and an ever growing love of mountain biking.  This blog is isn’t about me, it’s  about the mountains that I love, the people and places in them and the adventures within them.

The mountains are now my life.  They’re in my blood, they’re in my name.

You can find the blog here and the facebook page here.

 

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Splitfest – Australia’s backcountry boarding festival

4201417Now in it’s third year, the Splitfest DownUnder is THE gathering for anyone interested in trying out splitboarding or just meeting other people who are into backcountry boarding.

Splitfest is getting closer. Main Range of the Snowies, over the weekend of August 29 – 31.

Full details, including how to register are available here.

1405295737This year there will also be avalanche training courses available before hand. Please check below for details.

If you act quickly, you can still get Splitfest T-Shirts.

The following comes from Adam West.

Avalanche Training

We are conducting AST 1 at Splitfest this year.

Cost: $300

The training will be done by Dave Enright. Dave is the guy you would have seen in the film “Further” from the Japan section. Dave was Jeremy Jones avalanche advisor/guide while filming.

Dave is the owner of Evergreen Outdoor in Hakuba. This is a great opportunity to get some Avi training from one of the best in the world.

There are two courses available, of 8 persons per course. Dates are 27-28th of Aug and 30-31st of Aug.

Get in quick so you don’t miss out. Email me at info@mrbc.com.au indicating which dates suit you to confirm your spot. This will book out fast so “first in best dressed”.

This is a free event, there are no guides so you must be able to make your own terrain decisions.

Organised by FirstLight boards.

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