Thursday 20/09/2018 Charlotte Pass – Mount Townsend – The Racecourse – Lake Albina
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies and 22 others!
Today a mixed ability group in excess of twenty people, led again by Colin Ridley, set out in an attempt to summit Mount Townsend. Along with our NSW Nordic Ski Club group we had visitors from Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. Sue and I left separately a couple of minutes earlier, heading further up Kosciuszko Road than the main group to take some panoramas of the Main Range.Continue reading →
Wednesday 19/09/2018 Charlotte Pass – Mount Guthrie Circuit
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
With the forecast overnight snow not eventuating along with overcast skies and cold wind blowing together with an overnight freeze there was no reason for an early start. So after 10:00am Sue and I departed, traversing across the nearly deserted but still operating downhill slopes to Charlotte Pass. It was cold and felt like more than the forecast 40km/h headwind. Continue reading →
Tuesday 18/09/2018 Charlotte Pass – The Foxhole – Wrights Creek
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: Helen Cromb, Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
Tuesday’s forecast temperature was 8C with winds to 70km/h after an overnight low of -4C. Finding somewhere out of the wind seemed the best idea. After waiting a while for the snow to soften after it’s overnight freeze we headed straight up the hill behind the lodge hoping the trees would provide a little shelter. We were still too early for our planned return descent, as there were still plenty of frozen sections in the shade around the trees, so after ascending most of the hill we headed further around towards Wrights Creek in order to find a slope that had seen more morning sun.Continue reading →
Participants: Margaret Baz, Helen Cromb, Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies, John Fuller, Kathy Husselbee, Jacque Paynter, Stephen Poole, Colin Ridley, Jean, Kevin, Rod, Wayne
A lack of recent significant snowfalls, warmer temperatures early last week and recent overnight minimums of about -10degrees have the cover set hard. With the days forecast of cold winds to 50km/h our options were limited. Hoping that the recent light snowfalls may have accumulated on the lee side of Rams Head Range our party of thirteen led by Colin had decided to head over to Twin Valleys hopeful of some shelter that it may provide and to ski the pockets of snow we envisaged would be found there. Continue reading →
Sunday 16/09/2018 Charlotte Pass – Trapyard Creek – Wrights Creek
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
We arrived at Southern Alps Ski Lodge by oversnow transport from Perisher Valley in the afternoon of the previous day after a polar system had injected a mass of cold air and strong winds across the area earlier in the day. We were disappointed that at most a centimetre of snow came with it. So, after some warm weather earlier in the week we were left with a hard, frozen base with patches of fresh windswept snow. Continue reading →
22/08/2018 – 27/08/2018 Brindle Bull Hill – Paddy Rushs Bogong – Teddys Hut – Jerusalem Hill
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Distance: 80km Total Ascent: 3150m Total Descent: 3150m
Time: 35 hours
Participant: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report)
A six day solo snowcamping ski tour exploring the area around Brindle Bull Hill, Paddy Rushs Bogong, Bullock Yard Creek, Teddys Hut and Jerusalum Hill.
This solo skiing trip was my first snow camping adventure for 2018. It provided some great skiing to tune the legs for the season to come and the usual early winter variability in weather along with a couple of amazing sunsets. The greatest challenge though proved to be getting mobile phone reception to confirm my safety and report progress.
08/04/2018 – 10/04/2018 Hannels Spur – Moiras Flat – Muellers Peak – Dead Horse Gap
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Distance: 37km Total Ascent: 2870m Total Descent: 1870m
Time: 18 hours
Participants: Damien Aggio, Stephen Davies (Photos, Report)
Hannels Spur runs up from the Geehi River to the West of the Main Range up to the highest peaks in Australia. This 1,800m climb is the biggest in Australia.
Damien and I had both harboured ambitions to complete this walk for some time. However, heavy regrowth after the 2003 bushfires that devastated the area meant there had been some serious scrub bashing along the route for some time. Fortunately for us we had some inside information that National Parks were planning a work party early in 2018 to clear some of the worst of this regrowth. An opportunity too good to miss had now presently itself.Continue reading →
12/10/2017 – 18/10/2017 Thredbo – Mount Kosciuszko – Mount Townsend – Mount Alice Rawson – Wilkinsons Creek – Abbott Ridge – Northcote Creek – Lake Albina – Little Austria
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Distance: 92km Total Ascent: 4,630m Total Descent: 4,630m Time: 40 hours
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report)
My previous week had been spent waiting patiently for a multi-day window of descent weather, so with the next six days after Thursday forecast to be cool, dry and very calm it was now time to act. The trip objective being to camp high on Abbott Range or Mount Townsend or thereabouts and make good use of the two heavy DSLR cameras, two lenses, tripod and multitude of other camera gear I had decided to take. There was also a brand new GoPro to christian and learn how to use. Hopefully some epic day to night time lapses, telemark runs and worthwhile photos will be recorded.Continue reading →
Participants: Damien Aggio, Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Murray Gibbs
Despite a forecast for wind and clouds on Saturday early next week looks calm. My objective for this trip was to wait for the calm weather then move camp to the top of a high point with great views that would work well for star trails and time lapses. Several similar trips over the last few years have yielded some good results. Continue reading →