To Snow Or Not To Snow ...

Overnight on Wednesday the winds hit 104kph and eventually it began snowing heavily in the village bringing out the snow ploughs to clear the roads. There was 10 to 15cms of dry fresh up top. Visibility was poor and the temperature was way below zero with the wind chill hitting -22C at times. This all came together to produce excellent snow quality and cover. There were great snow drifts and yesterday I had the best morning's ski I've had all season.

I had finally located my "Japanese" goggles - the ones I wear in Japan in the low light and low light we have had for several days.

As I rode Kosi chair this morning for the first time I could see that rain had pitted the snow cover all the way to mid station. Above that the snow cover looked nice but the visibility deteriorated and the wind increased the higher we rode. We all spread out in different directions and I, being the greedy one, thought I might get first tracks down Supertrail again with a good cover of fresh snow over the grooming. Little Merritts (off Eagle Way) was difficult but on the edge of the Supertrail it was nice. I didn't get first but second tracks - well I was on about the 6th or 7th chair up. Just above BunnyWalk station and the fresh snow turned to super glue. I'd hit the rain line. I quickly aimed for the freshly groomed track back towards the cat sheds. Even this was sticky but not as bad as the untracked. Down Bag Jump run and then Milk Run - slow, hard work all the way.

On my next ride up I had already decided that I was not going to the bottom again. It was like a circus watching boarders and skiers straight-line down the lower sticky slopes at almost zero speed whilst around the altitude where the snow had fallen as rain, there were riders crashing all over the place as they transitioned from deep soft snow to super glue.

The Basin was going through another zero vis day with a driving wind but the big shock was that the "groomed" run was a horror of ruts, cross-fall-line wind drifts, sastrugi and other invisible traps. I crashed after hitting some unseen ridge on the main run and decided after one full length run of the Basin to go and get a coffee and think about my options.

After attempting one more run in the Basin I called it quits and skied very slowly back to the village on what was now wet, slow, lumpy clods on the groomers. And I had had my skis waxed only a couple of days ago.

I must apologise in not having much in the way of not photos over the past days. My little camera doesn't like blizzards and we have certainly had a lot of that.

Lucky Phil captured this shot of Wally just below the Bluff on his last run of a very long day

Wednesday: Tonnes of overnight snow making in the Meadows

Thursday morning queue for first chair whilst flakes kept falling

Midday Thursday looking across to lower Sundance (still closed)

Midday Friday (today) - Sundance with High Noon behind

Close up of High Noon and a wreck on the steep section

Despite all the blizzards my indoor tomatoes are coming along nicely

The general consensus this morning was that it looks like some fine weather coming in the next week (although not according to all forecasters). As I write this report and check the forecasts it seems it's all up in the air again. The bureau is now forecasting snow showers for the next 3 days.

So, I just don't know if I might get a long awaited chance to go for a back country tour and see how the main range has faired through all these snowfalls and winds.

Meanwhile, Richard's Report gets a wider audience on News.com.au
Have snow fear. These are Australia's steepest ski runs.
See more of Lucky Phil on my previous report.