Aargh - High Colonic!

Last night I thought I'd take today off but with clear blue skies rather than the forecast rain I decided a few runs might help wear off some of last night's dinner.

I had enjoyed chasing after short yet deep wind drifts yesterday and finished off with a run to Dead Horse Gap - good until the flat section - say no more, but as I wiped the sleep from my eyes this morning it became apparent that something wasn't quite right. Although I was aware of some drizzle last night, looking across to Sundance and High Noon, I was shocked to see so much grass and mud.

At the base of Kosi chair, the snow was frozen but somewhat thinner than yesterday. Riding Kosi chair and it all started to sink in. There had been a torrential downpour at some point last night. The weather graphs had told me that there had been 14mm of precip and that the temperature up top had been around +4C all night and yet the slopes looked frozen.

From second chair I launched onto Eagle Way, then Little Merritts and quickly decided that off piste was softer than the frozen groomed track until at Kareela Hutte where the only ski-able run was either the single late groomed track on either skiers' left or right of Supertrail. Like others, I followed the late groomed track to the cat sheds and then battled with the frozen remains of the Supertrail back to the lift.

When I arrived back at the top the Basin was open. I wasn't going back down to the Village until things softened - a lot. One cat track width of grooming had been done in the Basin. Brad was busily shovelling snow into sink holes on the T-bar track and there was a lot of rock and grass poking through.

The rain, of biblical proportions, had caused creeks to burst out through the snow pack and resulted in the closure of the high traverse.

I followed a couple of runs in the Basin with a long coffee stop, waiting for the sun to do it's work. The pitted off-piste (looking like it had been sculptured with an ice cream scoop) was enjoyable (yes, that's a relative term ;-) and I had a few off Karels before the sun started turning the off piste into a stickier consistency - i.e. going off. My run back to the village via Merritts Falls wasn't too bad but I was truly glad to still be on my rock-hoppers.

There was very little grooming done last night but considering how wet and thin the snow pack would have been last night - that's totally understandable. The two broken-down snow cats I saw last Saturday appeared to have been repaired.

Marion getting freshies yesterday, high above Bogong Creek

Out of resort yesterday: elevated foot prints, bone in tree at DHG & they're out there

Meadows natural snow measuring point yesterday morning and 24 hours later

This morning (Tuesday):- Approaching Mid Station

Upper World Cup

Deep 'Runnels' (as Arnie told me they were called) on The Bluff

Riding Basin T-bar before coffee and riding Karels after coffee

Before I took a Run on the 'Runnels' on the Rim Run
and looking back towards Eagles Nest - strangely the off piste was softer than the groomed

Merritts Creek breaking out onto the ski run

Sundance - just before writing this report

As I write this report the official KT report has the heading "Resort Report, Monday 18 July, 6 am", which meant they didn't have to tell you how bad a state the resort is actually in.

We now desperately need new snow on both lower and upper elevations. Luckily the forecasters, who said it would rain all week, have rethought their position and come up with forecasts that may total 50cms of fresh snow for Friday through Sunday.

Stranger things have happened...