Distance: 42km Total Ascent: 1584m Total Descent: 1534m Time: 15 hours
Participants: Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Tim Hagger, Paul Jennings
Day 1: Friday 4/07/2025 Guthega Power Station – Schlink Pass Road – Munyang River – Schlink Pass – Dicky Cooper Creek – Schlink Hut
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo Country
Max elevation: 1817 m
Total climbing: 628 m
Total descent: -180 m
Average speed: 3.85 km/h
Total time: 03:58:42
This ski trip had been 18 months in the making, as Sue and I were travelling around Western Australia last season. Consequently, a longer-than-normal preparation was required to check all of my ski gear. I was very concerned when I tried on my Scarpa T2 boots, as it seemed my feet had grown since they were last worn. The right boot was now very painful, as it had to be forced on by necessity. My older Garmin Excursion boots felt even worse, despite having bought new liners and having them refitted just a few years ago. Hopeful of finding a boot fitter to fix the problem, I left early the day before the trip, which would give me an afternoon to find a solution.
My drive south required a detour as the two shortest routes were both closed due to an intense East Coast low that had dumped over 200mm of rain in the area during the last couple of days, adding almost an hour to the drive. At my first stop, Rhythm Sports in Cooma, to solve the boot fitting problem, I was attended to immediately. About an hour and only $30 later, the boots were fitting again.
After staying overnight in Jindabyne with my daughter and son-in-law, I was picked up on Friday morning by Tim and Paul. From there, we headed to Guthega Power Station to start our trip. After a couple of days of heavy rain from the intense east coast low, we were surprised to find that we could put our skis on only 200m up the road and leave them on for the rest of the day.
The rain-impacted snow on the road, covered with ski, boot, skidoo and snowshoe tracks, was still frozen. This was not at all conducive to skiing; the downhill sections were especially hazardous. As I have an arthritic right knee (later found to also have bone bruising and a meniscus tear) that complains a lot, this proved to be a big issue for me. “Collapses” of the knee, buckling under the additional weight of a loaded pack, whilst attempting a turn/ to slow down on downhill sections, had me on the ground twice. Without great caution, further injury wasn’t far away.
After frequent reminders from the knee that it wasn’t at all happy with what I was doing to it, I had to concede defeat and reconsider what I was going to do on this trip.
When we arrived at Schlink Hut, we found the resident Antechinus had come to a gruesome end, drowned in a metal bucket half-full of water that had been left next to the fireplace. It is puzzling as to how it may have been able to climb up the overhanging outside of the bucket, but once wet on the inside, was unable to climb back out. Although the bucket was next to the fire, I don’t think it would have jumped in.
Paul and Tim departing Schlink Hut
After lunch, Tim and Paul took off again, aiming for a night at Valentine Hut on their way to Grey Mare the following day.
Nic Bendeli had arrived before Tim and Paul had left, and later Graeme Little joined us for the night. The afternoon and evening were spent swapping numerous stories and tips. We all learned some useful new tricks. We were all in agreement not to light the fire.
Day 2: Saturday 5/07/2025 Schlink Hut – The Kerries – Schlink Hut
Max elevation: 1972 m
Total climbing: 321 m
Total descent: -309 m
Average speed: 3.85 km/h
Total time: 03:46:38
A nice sunny morning greeted us, and after more chat and tales, we went our separate ways. Graeme was heading off to Mawsons Hut and beyond, then I got away, aiming for an easy photographic and scenic viewing stroll along the western side of The Kerries, and later Nick headed off, also towards Mawsons.
Despite the icy surface, which did not suit skiing at all, with skins on, ambling amongst the snowgums and rock formations was a delight. At one point, a fantastic panoramic view of The Main Range, Grey Mare Range and Jagungal appeared, but here I elected not to do some dodgy rock hopping that would be required to avoid the last tree that was partially obscuring Jagungal. After a couple of hours exploring, I also considered a quick visit to Mawsons Hut, however, noting it was still 3.5km away and I had not packed my torch, I decided against it. An 11:20am start hadn’t helped! As I stopped for lunch, a cold breeze came up, and I became rather cold, so I just headed slowly back towards Schlink Hut.
Granite tors along The Kerries
Inside, I was surprised to find Nick. He had got partway to Mawsons Hut and decided it wasn’t worth proceeding due to the very hard, gnarly surface.
Nick and I continued telling tales and swapping tips until we retired for the night. As between the two of us, we had over one hundred years of backcountry skiing experience, perhaps we could have continued another week or more with our stories and tip sharing!
Day 3: Sunday 6/07/2025 Schlink Hut – Schlink Pass Road – Dicky Cooper Creek – Dicky Cooper Bogong 2005m – Whites River Hut – Munyang River – Schlink Pass Road – Schlink Pass – Dicky Cooper Creek – Schlink Hut
Max elevation: 1989 m
Total climbing: 451 m
Total descent: -435 m
Average speed: 4.41 km/h
Total time: 04:28:34
Another sunny morning. This time, I managed to get out the door by 9:30am with the aim of heading over to The Granite Peaks if all went well, but with a forecast of light rain from 3:00pm, I would need to monitor conditions as they evolved.
Again with skins on my skis all day, so travelling across the frozen terrain was easy enough. Straight up and down most of the hills if I so desired, but as this again was a photographic and sightseeing day, I was never going to be in a straight line. Anything drawing my interest would quickly become the new target.
From the west Dicky Cooper Bogong looked like it would best be avoided, so I siddled around to its eastern face and found myself almost at the summit. The final dozen or so metres I decided against climbing, as there was a mass of boulders interspersed with snow, with plenty of potential for injury during an ascent. Regardless, I had already caught some fantastic views and was already content with the day’s tour.
Granite tors near Dicky Cooper Bogong
By this stage, the blue was disappearing, and it was becoming difficult to make out the ground contours in front of my skis. I quickly decided it was no longer feasible to continue to The Granite Peaks, so I redirected my route to Whites River Hut. I arrived there to find it empty but with many ski and other tracks around it, indicating recent visitation.
After lunch in the hut, I got going again, only to find the clouds had become much thicker. It soon began raining lightly. No longer concentrating so much on the nearby attractions, I made my way purposefully along Schlink Pass Road back to the Schlink Hut. As I progressed, the clouds kept getting lower, hovering about halfway down Dicky Cooper Bogong. I was glad I had not continued towards The Granite Peaks, as I would have experienced whiteout visibility and would have gotten much wetter than I was now.
Further into the afternoon, the snowflakes became large, but by sunset, it was all over, and there was clear sky to the west. The sunset was beautiful.
Despite half expecting to see Tim and Paul rock in tonight, it wasn’t to be. They obviously had way too much sense to continue for too long through the wet. Tonight, I was alone, and if the departed Antechinus had any friends, they did not appear, perhaps still grieving their recent loss.
Day 4:
Monday 7/07/2025 Schlink Hut – Schlink Pass Road – Dicky Cooper Creek – Munyang River – Guthega Power Station
Max elevation: 1810 m
Total climbing: 178 m
Total descent: -610 m
Average speed: 5.95 km/h
Total time: 03:04:31
The fogginess over Dicky Cooper Creek at 5:00am was gone by sunrise, revealing a cloud-free morning. Today, I needed to reconnect with Tim and Paul, but having no communication with them, I opted to stay put until they arrived. My guess being around 11:00am at the earliest.
A good, solid sweep of every space in the hut and general tidying up warmed me up for the morning. I also successfully trialled texting via Apple’s new SpaceX satellite system. Several texts were sent and received without any 4G/5G connection using the usual Apple Messages app. “SAT” appears on the phone screen where you normally see the signal strength icons. This will be a useful addition to my toolkit, as it has an advantage over my Garmin Messenger system, which requires both the sender and receiver to have the Garmin Messenger app installed and set up on their devices.
Paul and Tim skiing along Schlink Pass Road
Tim and Paul arrived for lunch after leaving Grey Mare Hut around 9:30am. We left Schlink Hut at 1:00pm, and with the snow softening for the first time during the trip, I started without my skins. The skiing was good and well tolerated by my knee until we were a kilometre or two below Whites River, where, not getting so much sun, the snow was much less consistent. Out of abundant caution, I then put my skins back on for the rest of the trip. There had been some loss of snow cover as we expected, so there was also walking involved. The walking proved the most traumatic for the knee, as the Scarpa T2’s are a high boot and were limiting the range of movement of my knees.
At every opportunity, even the thinnest, sketchiest snow cover, my skis were back on as it was proving far less painful than walking. The final 500m, snow-free, road walk had me in a lot of pain with a very strong limp. We made it back to the car just after 4:00pm, I was surprised that Tim and Paul were only there two minutes before me.
The trip now over, I have serious concerns about getting back into the backcountry on skis. What can I do to manage a failing knee? Can I ever trust it again?
Epilogue
After X-Rays, an MRI, a doctor and physio consultations, I was diagnosed with mild Osteoarthritis, bone bruising and a meniscal tear of the right knee. My doctor and one physio recommended I have a consultation with a surgeon, but after two months of intensive strengthening exercises of the knees, I have enough improvement to get out there and try again.
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The local landscape features, geology, scenic highlights, flora, fauna, Indigenous history, white history and other nearby walks in the area (Perplexity AI Model)
Landscape Features and Geology
The terrain surrounding Guthega Power Station to Schlink Hut is dominated by a series of granite ridges, broad alpine valleys, and glacially derived landforms that typify the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains. Elevations range from approximately 1,350 metres at Guthega Power Station to over 1,800 metres at Schlink Pass. The Munyang River meanders through U-shaped valleys, nested among rounded hills and slopes. Freeze–thaw cycles, periglacial processes, and historical glaciation have sculpted this landscape, leaving moraines, outwash plains, and erratic boulders as relics of the last ice age. The soils are typically shallow, skeletal, and podzolic, with frequent zones of peat in saturated valley bottoms and stream margins.
Scenic Highlights
Scenic vistas are a defining feature of this region, particularly from Schlink Pass, which affords broad views of the Rolling Grounds, Mount Tate, and the upper reaches of the Snowy River catchment. Dicky Cooper Creek, with its crystal-clear waters and tranquil cascades, provides an exceptional example of undisturbed alpine headwater environments. Schlink Hut, a functional corrugated-iron structure, sits set against subalpine grasslands and is a notable landmark for both bushwalkers and skiers traversing the area.
Local Flora
The vegetation is predominantly alpine and subalpine, reflecting the high-altitude, cold-temperate climate. Snow gum woodland (Eucalyptus pauciflora) is common on slopes and ridges, while frost hollows and flats are dominated by Poa grasslands and herbfields. Significant plant species include alpine stackhousia (Stackhousia pulvinaris), mountain plum pine (Podocarpus lawrencei), and snow grass (Poa spp.). Wetland areas along the Munyang River support sphagnum bogs—key habitat for myriad invertebrate fauna.
Local Fauna
The fauna of the region is adapted to harsh conditions, with a prominent presence of native mammals such as the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus) and the dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii). The critically endangered southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) inhabits sphagnum bog habitats. Birdlife includes the flame robin (Petroica phoenicea), the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), and the Australasian pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae). The presence of reptiles is limited due to low temperatures and extended snow cover.
Indigenous History
The area is part of the traditional lands of the Ngarigo people, whose country spans the Monaro tablelands and the high country of the Snowy Mountains, including what is now Kosciuszko National Park. The Ngarigo have ancestral connections with this alpine region, using it seasonally for thousands of years for rituals, resource gathering (notably for the Bogong moth), and inter-community meetings. Country is of central cultural and spiritual importance, with walking routes, campsites, and stone artefact scatters documented in the vicinity of the Munyang River and Schlink Pass.
White History
European exploration of the area began in the early nineteenth century, intensifying after the 1850s with pastoral activity and later, recreational interest. The construction of Schlink Hut and related infrastructure is directly connected to the development of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme in the mid-twentieth century. Schlink Pass Road itself is a service road built to facilitate access between Guthega, Geehi, and the scheme’s high-altitude worksites, including Schlink Hut, named for engineer Wilhelm Schlink. Today, these sites maintain strong heritage values, representing both mountain culture and one of the nation’s most significant engineering achievements.
