Skiing the Main Range
(The Hosteller, Winter 1996)

On a week long trip to Mt. Kosciusko, for some cross country-downhill skiing, we had it all - a blizzard which kept us inside our tents, a climb of Mt. Twynam and some excellent snow and weather conditions.

We left Melbourne for Swampy plains on the Friday night, arriving around one o'clock on Saturday morning. After a few short hours sleep we awoke for an early start the next morning as we were determined to make the most of the good weather, which we hoped would hold. As we drove towards Dead Horse Gap, on the way to Thredbo, a descending semi-trailer failed to slow, and forced our car into the ditch. Fortunately, only minor damage occurred, but we wondered if this was an omen for the rest of the trip.

At Thredbo, the chairlift quickly deposited above the snowline. The sun shone and a light breeze urged us on as we loaded up our heavy packs. We dodged the downhill skiers as we crossed their slopes and slowly made our way to the fresh, untracked snow away from the crowds. It was hard to believe that the metal boardwalk was metres below us, under a thick cover of snow. Passing Lake Cootapatamba we saw evidence of recent heavy snow falls, now packed into a huge cornice high above the frozen water of the lake, the overhanging cornice occasionally broken where large chunks had fallen off and slid down the slope to the lake below. Passing Mt. Kosciusko, we soon found a suitable place to pitch our tents. Evening was rapidly approaching and our evening meal was much appreciated as we were worn out after carrying our heavy packs all day. We sat and ate in silence, as we watched the sun set.

The next morning we skied the slopes around Mt. Townsend but, by mid afternoon, it became clear the weather was deteriorating so we quickly skied back to camp. We cooked our evening meal as the cloud closed in around us. The next morning saw low, thick cloud, and poor visibility, so we stayed in camp, and decided to amuse ourselves and build an igloo. After four hours, we were happy with our handiwork, and stepped inside for a rest. Meanwhile the weather had deteriorated further, and heavy snow showers soon turned to blizzard conditions and forced us back into our tents. All night long the blizzard raged, the strong winds buffeting the tent threatened to rip the pegs out of the snow. Sleep was difficult under these conditions and it was necessary to regularly shovel snow from the outside walls of the tent. The storm continued into the next day, so there was little we could do , except cram the tents and play cards.

Overnight the storm abated, and we woke to perfect conditions and a clear blue sky. The choice of tent site was a good one as we had weathered the storm with only minor damage. We packed up quickly and fitted instep crampons to climb up the icy slope to the ridge above. It wasn't long before we could see the vertical slopes surrounding Blue Lake. We dropped our packs, and crossed the ice covered waters of the lake and started to climb Mount Twynam. We managed to fit in two steep runs before the evening set in. We searched in vain for a sheltered spot, but there wasn't one in sight. We pitched our tents in the best spot we could find, and hoped the wind wouldn't increase overnight.

We were awoken by the heat of the sun, and we quickly prepared for the days skiing. The weather was perfect. There were some impressive views from a number of summits, and we looked across to Kosciusko, Jagungal and as far away as Mt. Bogong. The long steep slopes surrounding us were too tempting to miss and we skied until our legs could no longer take the punishment. Wearily we returned to camp, cooked our dinner and rapidly fell into a deep sleep.

It was our last day, and time to leave. We packed up, and skied quickly back to the chairlift. We were looking forward to a proper bed at the Thredbo YHA and some good food after a week of dried meals.