Well, after the massive disappointment that was the 2013 Australian ski season, I was looking forward with hope to the 2014 season. May came and went, as did June, with bugger all snow. Then Snowmageddon happened, a huge season starting dump. This was followed by Snowmageddon II another massive dump.
I had been lucky to score some great resort skiing corresponding to the falls, then finally, last week, the stars aligned for a backcountry trip. Gear was recovered from off season storage hidey holes, reconnections were made with grizzly ski buddies, feet were taped and hamstrings were stretched.
We arrived at Thredbo early, marveled at the beauty of the day and caught the lift up, saving our lazy selves the 400m climb up from dead horse gap. With our steely backcountry gaze we left the hecticness of the resort and made our way to The Ramshead and Leather Barrel Creek, our destination for the day. As always, the view to the south and west was spectacular.
Always love the view to the south and west
Transition time with the Twin Humps
Into the Leather Barrel
I watched Belly dropped in to The Couloir and carve some beautiful turns into the fresh snow.
Belly in the lower section of The Couloir
Rohan and I skied a different line to the south, into the Golden Gully, an incredible shaped gully with beautiful snow.
Me dropping down to the Golden Gully
The push and transition at Leather Barrel Creek was spectacular.
Beautiful down in Leather Barrel Creek
As usual, I was exceedingly slow in my transition as I mucked around with my camera(s) and gear. This gave Rohan a chance to climb up around 50m and sneak some turns in.
Rohan in some great snow in Leather Barrel Creek
Belly was a little further to the north owing to his first run. We all met up at the top of the Twin Humps. Despite the beautiful view, we quickly transitioned and dropped in as it was crazy windy.
View to the Ramshead Range from the Twin Humps
Looking down the Twin Humps
The first 50m from the Twin Humps were super sketchy due to windy, rimey, icey crap. We all managed some safety turns until the good snow started a little lower. Not just good snow, blower Australian pow, a rare treat.
Rohan finds the soft stuff
He loves the DPS
My turn
We spent the next few hours working our way north along the big face. Skin, ski, eat, repeat. Exceptional conditions provided we didn't go to high into the icey wind affected stuff.
Belly found some nice open spaces
We could see lots of people out enjoying the conditions
Great skiing on the lower slopes
These guys took on the skin from hell
We took our time climbing out of Leather Barrel Creek up to The Ramshead. Rohan, being ridiculously fit, dropped into our first line one more time. Belly and I were shattered and pushed on to the peak.
On our way up The Spur
Some of our lines from our morning run, another group of three also hit it
Belly, I also had plenty of these moments
The last 50m of vertical were really sketchy. I had misplaced my crampons over summer so had to manage with just my skins. I found a sliver of snow and just got enough purchase to make it up, it was pretty scary. Crossing to the east, over the Ramshead Range, things settled down and Rohan and I took a break. Belly, gaining some sort of second (or third, or fourth) wind claimed The Ramshead.
View to the south
And to the south east
We had a pretty cruisy ski back to Thredbo. What was not cruisy was skiing our worn out legs down the late afternoon frozen, crowded, whatever km length Supertrail (5.9, 3.4 I don’t know but it’s the longest run in Australia). My legs were jelly, I spent pretty much the entire time in an ungainly survival sideslip.
Getting to the car and pulling off my boots I felt a joy I had not felt for many months. A sly content smile, a warn out body and a pair of battered feet in a cosy pair of ugg boots.
A comment Darren left on my previous post got me thinking. How fortunate we are in this country to have the opportunity to ride waves, slide down mountains, roll down hills or do whatever it is you like to do that is any combination of challenging, dangerous, exciting and fulfilling.
With the affects of an another unseasonable east coast low hitting the coast lining up with a fresh dump of snow on the alps combined with Holly being away in Melbourne, this past weekend offered a chance for me to go crazy with adventure.
Saturday 3 August
6:29am
Berridale getting the show on the road
6:55am
Monaro Plains
7:17am
Nimmitabel
7:43am
Brown Mountain
8:02am
The beautiful far south coast of NSW
9:24am
A reeling sand bottom point break with a silly name with one bloke out
10:28
Delicious croissant from the lovely ladies at Bodalla Bakery with a bunch of old fellas and their bikes
10:31
The big cheese at Bodalla has seen better days
11:10
Found this fun looking wedgy left for another day
11:16
Another sand bottom reeling right hander, this time a rivermouth teeming with dolphins
13:32
On the search for one more surf
13:43
Clean beachbreak fun
13:45
The ledge had a couple as well
15:49
Heading back to the mountains
17:08
Cooma another 139km
Sunday 4 August
7:32
Snow on the hills
7:55
Coffee awake my weary body
8:17
Puking
8:22
Slow, snowy drive
8:28
Still snowy and still slow
8:32
A moment of clarity
9:54
Solo to the top on the Perisher quad
10:26
The pow is tracked and its starting to get crowded
10:54
Escape into the storm
10:57
!
10:58
!!
12:01
Paralyser top out
12:18
Skin track stoke
12:35
Wildness amongst the snow gums
13:17
Still hiking
13:40
Tight pow turns
13:44
Back into civilisation
15:39
Couldn't resist a final burn around the park before lounge time
