A World of Contrast - 95 Times Over

Yesterday (Friday) started grey. I only went out on the hill to stretch out, having not bothered to go out at all on Thursday. Peter and I were on first chair, which started just after 8am - another early start for inter-school race reasons.

The Supertrail (a true oxymoron under current conditions) was very firm with brown patches galore. Little Merritts had not been groomed, nor much of anything else. Back at the top and we dropped into the Basin that has grass sprouting in numerous places. After a couple of runs here, Karels opened and I decided to take a look with Traktorman (who had also decided to try the Basin). We agreed to bypass the frozen off piste through the rocks and instead went for the big green swing-around on a nicely groomed trail. More runs in the Basin, then coffee, then I left Traktorman and returned to the office.

The forecasts and weather charts all said this morning (Saturday) was to be the best weather of the past week and the next week. Instead of my usual 6am wake up, I awoke at 7:30am. Why? Subconsciously I didn't want first chair on frozen trails with weekend crowds and inter-school races. But the other reason was my big night out last night. Frank Prihoda (Thredbo's youngest resident) turned 95 yesterday and put on a special treat for an apartment packed with close family and long-time locals. A truly memorable night with great stories of past events and Thredbo identities taking us late into the night. Frank's memory hasn't skipped a beat and in fact appears better than any of ours who were present.

So, I got under way just before 9am this morning with pack and skins and thermos. I went straight to the Basin, which had huge moguls through the rock garden at the bottom of the run. Up Karels and out the back. There was fresh snow! I don't know when it fell but I tracked through 4-8cms of fluffy white on top of a smooth yet not fully packed base. I did a couple of short test runs to see how the fresh and base were holding up. This was my first climb out back for this winter and I will admit my body is not fit and certainly not conditioned to what I was putting it through. I was quickly down to just a thin cotton skivvy and my shell with all pit zips opened. I hadn't expected that.

I had a plan (not a very adventurous one) and when I eventually reached my destination below North Ramshead I sat and enjoyed my coffee and chocolate bar far from the maddening crowds. I shared the openness with a few animal tracks and nothing else. It was quiet and peaceful and at the top of a cloud band shrouding parts of the range. I could not quite see Kosi or other far-away parts of the main range due to the mist layer.

The snow conditions were somewhat variable depending upon elevation and aspect away or towards the sun. Above Signature Hill the snow was a delight as were my first few turns down the North Face but the further I descended the heavier the snow became, eventually balling up around me but it was all better than anything the resort. The hardest part of my half day out was negotiating the crowds on a badly thinning and slushy Supertrail when I returned to the resort.

Meadows natural snow depth measuring point on Friday morning

Friday: Rain channels on the Rim Run above the Basin

Friday: My first trip to the top of Karels T-bar (Sponars is still not open)

Saturday: This morning when I climbed into the misty mountains

I had a few 'test' runs on my way up onto the main range. The snow quality depended upon elevation and aspect

Where I stopped for hot coffee and a small chocolate bar - at the top of the world
Yes, that is a faint rainbow not a fogged camera lens

Nothing but animal tracks and fresh snow (Fox, something small with a tail and a hare)

North Face of Signature Hill

Lower sections of Signature Hill were a mix of nice and not so nice

And this is what the resort looks like now at 1:30pm

My apologies to the team at TheSkiMag.com but doing ski demos just didn't seem to be the thing under the conditions in Thredbo today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANK! In 5 years time when Frank gets his telegram from the Queen, the Queen will be the same age as Frank is today. And thanks for a great night, great food and great company.

Forecasters are excited about Monday/Tuesday. The cold front does appear to be coming from the south-west, which is much more reliable than those east coast lows, however it does look like strong winds will accompany the snow falls. The Redlands Cup (more school races) is scheduled for Tuesday so I would assume a full on blizzard for Tuesday ;-)