In And Around The Lake

Contrary to the forecast, today has been a repeat of yesterday with a clear blue sky making for a warm and sunny day. The wind hit 106kph around dawn then fortunately dropped a lot but the temperature is helping the big hair-dryer effect. The Basin softened rapidly this morning.

On a cheerier note, when I awoke yesterday to see that it was to be a beautiful day, I decided it was 'the' day that I would take advantage of the generous offer by Perisher to provide we Thredbo season-pass holders with a complimentary day pass. Marion got her act together and we drove (not tubed) to Perisher. The clear blue sky and pleasant breeze let me feel comfortable all day in just my shell. I opened and closed the vents during the day to moderate any variations in temperature.

Compared to Thredbo, Perisher has a lot of lifts open and the cover is quite good in some areas whilst thinning on those getting more sun. It was obvious how effective their snow making has been with a deep cover on some runs.

From the Village8 we bee-lined it straight to Sun Valley. Here the snow was feeling the effects of the sun and soon we headed to the Mt P triple and after some runs here we moved onto Eyre and International where we spent most of our day. There were queues on every lift but never really more than half a dozen riders in front at any time and with the huge amount of ski-able terrain you could get well away from the other riders on their descent.

I must thank Thredbo's Caroline for an awesome 'awesome burger' that I had for lunch at the bottom of Eyre T-bar. It was around this venue that we ran into several more Thredbo season-pass holders also taking advantage of the spectacular day and free pass offer. Thank you Perisher, we quite enjoyed ourselves and you deserve the good crowds that you are getting.

Keeping in mind that Thredbo's closed Karels T-bar is the 'highest lifted point' in Australia, I must congratulate Perisher on what they have achieved during this way less-than-average ski season.

Moon setting over Eagles Nest in yesterday's Spring Equinox crystal-clear early morning sky

Mount Perisher and Front Valley

Riding the Mt P triple chair

Olympic T-bar (now closed for the season) above Sun Valley

Looking up International T-bar

Looking down to Eyre T-bar base

Looking back toward Perisher Centre from top of Eyre

Marion heading for the outer limits of the resort

View of the main range with Mt Kosciuszko left of centre

Uncrowded slopes and cars parked at Eyre T-bar base
The road is open to Spencers Creek

Falls Creek still has 8 lifts open for skiing and boarding, Perisher has 15, Thredbo has the Basin for riders, Kosi chair for tourist rides and access to the back country.

I note that the bureau is forecasting 4 days of snow showers Thursday through Sunday. My next back country tour will probably have to wait until after that, if it happens ;-)

Whilst doing a quick check this morning, I note that as of last Sunday I have exceeded 50% of the days I skied in Australia last year. One small goal achieved.

Check out Randy's new daily blog: http://hotshots.net.au/.