Desperation or Just Good Clean Exercise?

Friday I made a quick sprint/stagger (it’s all relative) out to Kosi Lookout to see if it would be worthwhile bringing the skis out on the weekend. Signature Hill still looked OK, as did Kosi but the bowl just beyond the lookout was finished. Just to think 2 years ago I was still skiing here in December.

At 10am on Saturday morning five of us walked out beyond Eagles Nest but instead of Signature Hill we turned north and went beyond the Summer Drift. The snow was soft for the first 4cms and still reasonably fast – not sticky. We did a bit of skinning, a little boot pack and some skiing. Some fizz, fruit cake and chocolate made up for morning tea and after some more skinning, boot pack and skiing we got back to Eagles Nest for a late lunch. That pretty well made for a perfect day. The sky was clear and there was a medium breeze that brought the 15C air temperature down to a comfortable +6C wind-chill.

Today was Bathurst race day and skiing wasn’t seriously considered. Right towards the end of the race I heard a knock on my door. It was Roscoe who had just got back from a couple of over-nighters on the main range skiing the Club Lake chutes and surrounds with Rocky. Roscoe (now with 105 days under his belt - no way I will catch that) said they had some good turns but that there was really nothing else worth doing out there except Kosi South Ridge. We all continue to wait for that 2-metre dump that never came.

The Bluff on Friday morning

Signature Hill

Kosi and Club Lake chutes viewed from the Kosi Lookout

The co-conspirators (Annie, Lynne, Marion & Ray)

Trashed that - so let’s go back up and do it again

Hanging out the washing

The horn of empty

Cheers - Photo by Annie

One moment alone, crowded the next

Is this the end?

I’m now looking at purchasing a mountain bike because I believe I might be in for a very long summer in the mountains. It is already very dry. Thredbo river shows no sign of the thaw, which is mostly over, and the dam levels are very low. There was a cold change late today and the temperature has dropped below 0C up top but there has been no precip so far.

Don’t forget to do your bit to return Kosciuszko Park entry fees back to something reasonable? Click here. Annual passes are now $190 - well and truly more than double last year's fee of $88.