Any Publicity Is Good Publicity - You Think?

We've had a lot of snow and the most in the village in a long time. Photos are following this priority grump.

I've calmed down since last night and rewritten the following. Unfortunately, sometimes there are some bad decisions made in Thredbo. Yesterday's Snow Dome opening was one of them. Today the whole town is talking about it and not in a good way.

The doof doof started at 4:30pm yesterday in the tennis courts and continued for 6.5 hours. It was LOUD! Loud enough to blank out the church bells at 5pm. Loud enough to overplay the fireworks display at 6pm. Loud enough to force me from my apartment as there was no escape from the doof doof anywhere in our building.

I went down to the Dome around 6:30pm and counted 12 guests and several staff. The noise on the tennis courts was just a distorted scream around 150 decibels on my counter and I'm legally deaf in one ear and not so good in the other. I didn't stay for a drink - the sound level was too dangerous.

I've hung out in the Keller Bar and Schuss Bar with the loudest of them and this was louder and in the open. Interestingly, walking back up the stairs past the Keller, Bistro and Schuss, the sound was louder in the hotel arcade than when the loudest bands play simultaneously in the hotel bars.

So much for the down side. The good side was I found escape from the doof doof in the Apres Bar at The Denman Hotel. Mark Travers was as good as he has ever been - possibly even better with age ;-) I spent two sessions in the Apres Bar as the sound level and ambiance was much better than being outside with constant doof doof throughout the streets.

End result of all that clever planning by whoever came up with the Dome concept - spend your time in the Apres Bar and if you want a vodka, drink Absolut. This way you will enjoy your stay in Thredbo a lot more. BUT if you have young children who you want to put to sleep at say 7pm either check with Thredbo before booking or think seriously about staying in a resort that is family friendly.

I seriously wonder what work place safety would think of it. May be if the speakers were facing the DJ (rather than away) it would force the volume down to something that didn't invade every corner of the central village.

Saturday roads in Thredbo

Sunday morning looking at Sundance and High Noon in the background

Lower Crackenback with its best cover this season (but no base)

Cruiser above Powder Bowl
it was really hard to get any photos up high

There are waterfalls everywhere
still draining away all the rain that preceded the snow

World Cup - mid morning

Traktorman's favourite run - I hope he got to ski it

Looking down Merritts chair

View back to the village from where the Saturday fireworks are launched

Thredbo River

I started at Gunbarrel this morning, figuring it was more likely to start on time and considering the RTA's road report, there weren't going to be many early arrivals in the car park. High Noon was probably the best I've had it this season. Cruiser had no one on it and Easy Rider (out of the wind and with freshies) provided Marion and me with our own private ski lift.

The traverse from Gunbarrel to the Cat Walk is pretty ordinary but the Cat Walk was fine. Top of Kosi chair resembled a gravel quarry and visibility was a tad poor (understatement of the day).

It is still snowing & blowing with occasional brief sunny spots and the wind chill is still hovering around -20C. There are some lovely powder stashes and some ugly gravel traps. There is wind packed snow of varying depths and densities, moguls and ice sheets. The quality of the new snow is great.

On the high line from Cruiser to Gunbarrel I skied through fields of Billy Buttons sticking out of the snow and then on a steeper slope with more than 30cms of freshies I had slabbing occur above the traverse back to Gunbarrel.

I hate to say it but we still need more (about the same again would be nice) and it's quite unstable in places. No doubt snow harvesting will continue tonight in order to get some more T-bars open.