Blown Away

Sunday produced some of the best skiing this year with superb wind blown slopes. I spent much of my morning doing different lines off The Bluff, Cannonball and everything between. Even down on Little Beauty the wind had deposited a few cms of light, dry powder on top of corduroy.

Monday arrived and the off piste wasn't the same thing. Fog or cloud had got to the snow and the off piste was firm and without the dry wind blown powder, however the groomers were the best of the season. Wow, fantastic quality snow and perfect grooming to go with it. Supertrail, Hump Run, World Cup, Little Beauty and True Blue were great and the Basin and Karels had such wonderfully carve-able snow. I didn't get to the rest of the mountain because I had so much fun on the above.

Tuesday and the wind was up. Weather wise one couldn't complain but the off piste was still mostly very firm, although I found a little fresh windblown right at the top of Karels. Something had gone amiss with the grooming on Little Beauty with a couple of surprise drops but other wise the groomers were OK, albeit a little firmer than on Monday. I guess it can't be perfect everyday considering the variations we have been getting in temperatures and wind.

This morning, when I awoke and looked out the window, I could see huge plumes of snow being blown over Little Merritts and The Bluff. Hmm, the wind was really up. So up that most lifts were on "wind hold" before 8:00am. I went straight to Friday Flat to ride Gunbarrel but that too was placed on "wind hold" just after I arrived. So, being dressed for the occasion I had a treat and rode Easy Does It with Richard, just for the hell of it. We didn't make first chair but close to it. After two exciting runs under the chair I decided that it was getting too dangerous to continue and returned home. "Too dangerous" you ask? Well, as the numbers of out-of-control beginners increased so did the chance of being taken out. In those immortal words from Austen Tayshus: "How much can a koala bear" ;-)

Sunday: Balls-to-the-Wall was totally filled in and made for great skiing

Monday: Marion doing 8's

This morning: looking through the wind towards Michael's Mistake

Eagles Nest this morning

Lower Sundance and High Noon

Crackenback

The empty slopes of Friday Flat await Richard & Richard
taken from - you guessed it - Easy Does It

Massive wind drift on The Basin - Thursday update

Snowgums in the blizzard - Thursday update

Thredbo's version of Niseko's waterfall off BunnyWalk - Thursday update

Just as I finish this report it has begun to SNOW in Thredbo Village. No rain preceding it, just straight to snow and lifts have opened :-)

Happy Birthday Charlie Kelly - 84 last Tuesday.

No Grump today - just a little fun (with my apologies Susie).
What a difference the next key on the keyboard can make. In this morning's 7:00am KT weather report was mention of that famous kiter - Clous The Kiter - who was spotted this morning caught in the strong winds.
From the Village Weather: "Clous is now drifting across a blue sky." ;-)

Oh, and if you can't find the KT weather page, using your favourites or saved links, that's because it's been moved/renamed. Try http://www.thredbo.com.au/mountain/weather-report/