Right of Passage

The weather at the beginning of the week was beautiful - clear blue skies, temperatures just above zero and light breezes. That all changed on Thursday and Friday when rains fell across the area.

With the weekend starting, the weather eased but the general consensus was that the lack of overnight freeze and rain-affected conditions would result in soft, heavy and sticky snow. Instead of carrying our skis out onto the main range we walked out to have a look at what had happened to the snow pack over the last week.

There were many others out for the stroll towards Mt Kosciuszko. For Australian’s it is considered a ‘right of passage’ – to climb to the top of Australia. Only the most determined, fittest and best equipped were going to achieve this as more than half (and mainly the steeper sections) of the 12 km return walk was over snow. It will be a while before the walking track is fully exposed

Although there had been a lot of the snow base disappear, the snow conditions were not as bad as imagined. Our boots were only digging in a few centimetres and it was quite slick under foot – not at all sticky. Plans were made to take a packed lunch out on Sunday with the skis. Alas all good plans can come to naught. Drizzle and low cloud on Sunday morning forced us to call off our hike with skis.

Supertrail looking smooth if not white

Still a single patch of white at mid station

Looking across the Bluff

Crevasses opening up as the snow pack collapses into Merritts Creek behind Eagle’s Nest

Untracked Signature Hill in the background

Where I photographed the snow bank and ice formations last week (see previous report)

Still lots of snow up high on this north-facing slope

Frogs, frogs everywhere – a good environmental indicator

Mini rain canyons in the slopes

Mt Kosciuszko – kosi cornice is still huge

By late Sunday afternoon the clouds were breaking up and Monday now looking good for a late season ski.