What kind of weather can I expect in April?

[joshman]

Hey all!
I'm looking to trek the overland track in April 2014 starting out the Monday before easter and taking a lazy 7 or so days to do the track. I'm an photography but, so I'll be taking it slow and trying to do a lot of the side tracks and a lot of time will be eaten up by camera shenanigans.

I'm wondering what kind of weather to expect in April. How windy does it get?, how much rain, etc, etc.

I ask, mainly so I've got an idea of what kind of tent to bring with me. I've got a very sturdy black diamond tent (v.heavy), a tarptent contrail, but I'm toying with getting a double walled tarptent somewhere in the 1kg weight range - probably the Moment DW.

[ryantmalone]

This year there was a fair dumping of snow in April, then it melted, then it was sunny and warm, then another dumping, then it melted, then it was utterly freezing for a few days, then it blew 100kph winds, then it was sunny again.

Put bluntly, April can be very cold, extremely windy, and you can (and probably will) get snowed on. The trade off however is that it is a very pretty time to walk, as the Fagus turns in late April.

I'd bring a tent that can handle very strong winds, and the usual clothing/sleeping bag to keep you warm in sub zero temps.

[joshman]

Thanks for the reply. I've got a tarptent moment DW coming in the mail, which should be good for a quick setup and take down, and can be pitched outer first. So staying dry should be easy. And it should handle some wind and a small snowloading.

I'm sleeping on a thermarest prolite Plus sleeping pad with a 20F (-7degC) down quilt to cover me. Will also probably get a down beanie and maybe booties to sleep in. Is there anything I'm forgetting? What's good as far as staying reasonably dry while walking? I'm in the market for some high quality snow/wind/rain proof gear, as I've also got an Iceland trip planned for this time next year. And possibly a mt Kosciuszko trip in may.

[philm]

We walked the track in late April 2 years ago. There was no snow but the conditions were cloudy and windy with some sleet and rain for the first 3 days then the last 2 days were perfect - clear and no wind. In essence the conditions can be changeable - generally it is windy in April and you should be preapred for all sorts of weather.

It was a good time to walk as temperatures were about 8-10 during the day and then around zero at night. The only downside is if you have rain and cloud cover you can miss some of the more scenic views in the park.