Top To Bottom - Not!

On Saturday morning the weather was perfect for the annual Thredbo Top To Bottom race. A light breeze, sub zero temperature and a beautiful sunny morning under a blue sky with fab snow quality BUT, did the race start from the 'Top' of Karels T-bar like it used too? No, it started behind Eagles Nest. Why?

I haven't done the Top To Bottom since 2010. Last year the event was cancelled due to heavy rain and I simply didn't have the cash to enter this year. Meanwhile, Lucky Phil used another of his 9 lives when he crashed heavily into the fence below Ski In-Ski Out during the veterans' race. He did manage to keep skiing (and at quite a pace) with Traktorman and myself later in the day. The grooming was excellent and even came straight down from Eagle Way under Kosi chair to the top of Kareela Face.

This once-a-season special corduroy event was heavily tracked by locals taking advantage of the novelty of a shortcut to World Cup. World Cup and True Blue were beautifully groomed as well and were great fun until other skiers discovered them.

Congratulations to all competitors in the T2B and the podium placers. Numbers were down this year compared to the past and I'm sure that the disappointment (as I heard from many competitors after the race) about not starting from Karels won't help next year's line up.

While talking about 'numbers', this weekend is traditionally pretty much the busiest of the entire year and yet, instead of seeing cars parked down the Alpine Way, there was not one car parked in the overflow parking at the old tip and in a brief drive around the village at midday there were vacant parking spaces at every lodge and apartment complex that I went by. I heard from others on the lifts that they were only in Thredbo because they couldn't get into Perisher as it was so crowded - wall to wall with cars and buses. Wake up KT. It might be nice to have short queues on sunny days but it doesn't help any business in Thredbo, not even your own.

This morning was looking bleak and there had been a little rain & sleet overnight. I went out in the grey and humid morning to ski with Lucky Phil (who was feeling somewhat stiff from yesterday's crash), Paulo and Wendy.

Surprisingly, Eagle Way to Kareela Face was groomed again. The lack of weekend crowds and excellent grooming had us completing 5 runs off Kosi chair before the first hour and 8 before 10am - probably a PB for me. We just couldn't believe how few people were on the mountain as we did fast runs down Supertrail, World Cup, True Blue, Hump Run and mixed variations. I think our slowest run was behind the cats returning to the sheds on freshly 'Packed Powder' that I am told is referred to as 'Cat Powder' and not 'Pussy Powder' as someone suggested this morning ;-)

There were several other groomed runs that I haven't seen before. Duncan called it 'creative grooming'. I suspect at least some of these 'new' runs were a way to deplete the off piste of some of the huge sastrugi built by the SE winds. Some of the new runs were off Sponars (from skier's right to skier's left of the T-bar) and Karels (skier's left of the occasionally groomed run through the rocks.

If only the same creativity had been put into getting the Top To Bottom to start from the 'Top'. Oh well, may be next year.

Central Spur on Saturday morning

Grooming from Eagles Nest to Katrrla Face with T2B in progress

Women's Snowboard (L2R): Laura, Wiki & Maryanne
Women's Open: Katya, Sami & Marie

Men's Snowboard (L2R): Peter, Brian & Brendan
Men's Veteran: Woodsie, Duncan & Charlie

Men's Amateur (L2R): William, Sam & Gareth
Men's Open: Tom, Anton & Lukas

Marion and I went for a little off piste test

Then into Bogong with Lucky Phil

Marion and Lucky Phil well away from the sastrugi

Lovely freshies to the creek

Snow quality was good down to the Gap

The charts and forecasts are looking quite exciting for the end of the week. Kerry's birthday on the 15th is usually associated with a decent snowfall, so here's hoping.

The Grump: Yes, I've probably already had that in the top part of this report so I'll just leave a couple of links sent to me today. They make fascinating reading.

Is the Prime Minister a crook? PART III
Is the Prime Minister a crook? PART II

Till next time,