A Rare Sighting

It has been an interesting week. I was caught out on Monday, going out in the afternoon only to hear that despite the morning rain in the village there was 10cm of fresh to found up high. I didn't fall for the same ruse on Wednesday: when I went out in the afternoon to find pleasant skiing up high whilst being told that the morning snow was rain-affected and sticky.

Tuesday split the two damp days with cold, dry, wind-blown snow. Being one of the coldest days of the season, the quality of snow and grooming were great. The overnight temperature went as low as -8C and at 8:00am the wind-chill up top was -16C. Tuesday might have produced the best quality of snow this week but it was way too cold to take my hand out of my glove to snap photos.

It is amazing how quickly conditions have been changing. Today's snow was damp yet surprisingly fast. However, as the wind picked up, so did the quality of the snow up high in the resort. Today, Waimea was the best I had found it all week. Meanwhile, the lower slopes have been turning to spring-like mush-bumps most afternoons.

May be it's global warming but this morning I spotted the rare and endangered orange-breasted snow-fighter for the first time this season. Normally the orange-breasted snow-fighter would come north to spend all winter in and around Thredbo but in recent years has been spotted as far away as Japan during the Aussie summer. Some say he is an apparition from Thredbo past, others claim he is the spirit in human form of a hot chilli ramen dish from Japan, while others know him simply as Rosco.

It has been uncannily quiet on the mountain and in the village this week. No, I'm not complaining just surprised.

Ice formations off Karels T-bar - Monday

The Ramshead chair of Damocles

Tuesday – High Noon and Sundance

Crackenback late in the afternoon

Central Spur

Wednesday: Rainbow over Woodridge stage 3

Where’s that pot of gold?

Orange-breasted snow-fighter spotted in the Basin today with Goiky

Smuggled in from Japan
Is this the secret to the energiser bunny on skis?

The Top-to-Bottom race is on this Saturday. With the way the forecast looks it is hard to say whether we will get to start from the top of Karels or Snowgums. There have been many foggy days and although the current forecast says fine and sunny for Saturday, if the coming cold front slows or accelerates then everything could change for Saturday morning.

The snow forecast looks quite good for Sunday through Tuesday next week. Alas, I fear the orange-breasted snow-fighter may not be around for that.