7/9/1984 – 9/9/1984 Guthega – Crummer Spur return
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Distance: 34km Total Ascent: 2090m Total Descent: 2090m
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Peter Davies
Friday 7/9/1984
Picked Peter up from Auburn at 3:50pm before arriving at Island Bend at 10:00pm to an almost full-moon, a few clouds and the company of some downhillers camped nearby.
Day 1: Saturday 8/9/1984 Guthega Village – Crummer Spur
This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.
Max elevation: 2182 m
Total climbing: 1010 m
Total descent: -801 m
Average speed: nan km/h
We awoke 7:30am and were away by 9:00am after bread and jam and no cooking for breakfast. Left Guthega Resort by 10:00am following the road and Snowy River up Spencers Creek where we crossed on a thin snowbridge to the western side, bypassing the bridge near Illawong Lodge. From here we sidled up to a group of trees just before the Trig at 1838m on Crummer Spur.
Mount Guthrie and Crummer Spur
We were intending to go to Blue Lake to camp but soon changed our minds (as usual). The fine, hot weather we were experiencing along the river was giving way to lots of clouds and wet snow as we were having lunch about 12:30pm. So we put the tent up (near 1838m) and remained inside until almost 2:00pm when we ventured out and up the hill for something to do on a very crusty snow cover. Got most of the way up with the clouds appearing to lift before closing again before reaching the top. We turned around but did get to the top of Little Twynam (2120m) above Blue Lake. We skied back to the river with difficulty in the crusty conditions but managed a couple good turns, with Peter doing the best – he seems to be better balanced through his turns than me. After crossing the river we found the snow wet and heavy, our skis slipping downhill whilst trying to go up. Coming down was even worse!
Peter heading to camp
Back to camp just after 5:00pm. Dinner was a sweet and sour casserole base with smoked Farmhouse frankfurts. This was followed by cream, grated chocolate and Tia Maria Fondue with long-life peaches, which proved to be too sweet even for me. The weather had been improved during the later afternoon with a light cloud cover, almost no wind and almost full moon rising.
During the evening we questioned why we enjoyed skiing so much and came up with a few points.
– the crisp fresh air
– beautiful clean fresh water
– plenty of exercise
– great company
– fine food
– being away from civilisation – no pressures, crowds or yobbos.
– a simple life
– plenty of sleep
– loss of sense of time
Day 2: Sunday 9/9/1984 Crummer Spur – Guthega Village
This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.
Max elevation: 2008 m
Total climbing: 1094 m
Total descent: -1293 m
Average speed: nan km/h
We were awoken at 7:00am by bright sunshine streaming down onto the tent, this was a top little campsite. We enjoyed an outside breakfast before heading up towards Twynam by 8:00am. We didn’t, however, get too far yet again, after heading up a little valley immediately to the north of the Crummer Spur we were hit by very strong bitterly cold winds which were painful on exposed flesh. Defeated again we headed back downhill where the snow was still very firm after the overnight freeze. Got in a lot of skidded turns, including some 360’s.
Clouds over the western side were very heavy but disappeared on the east. The winds were from the west to south-west all day.
The snow suffered, as expected, during the day so we skied steeper slopes closer to the Snowy River which had caught the early sun, here the skiing was superb. I spent this time practicing parallels in roughly wedelning fashion, whilst Peter worked on his telemarks.
After a midday break we tried just to the south of our campsite but still just north of Crummer Spur. The skiing was still excellent if not tending to get a little heavier and wetter than earlier. Peter was really putting his turns together well while I started to tire and start falling. We took one last run down to the north from 1838m Trig. By this stage I was too tired and had trouble staying upright, whilst Peter did superb telemarks all the way from top to bottom.
By 3:30pm we had departed the campsite, the snow was now very crusty but two hours later we where in the car heading home. After two driving stints each, a hamburger in Queanbeyan, unpacking, having a shower then dropping Peter off at Balgownie I was in bed at 1:00am. I had a sunburnt / windburn face as a souvenir of the weekend.
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