Looking for snow shoeing partners in KNP

[snowy_trekker]

HI all. I live in Jindabyne and looking for other like minded people to go trekking and snow shoeing in the Kosciuszko National Park. I am also interested in doing multi day treks. I am experienced and know the local area quite well.

If anyone is interested in coming along please contact me.

[Nick S]

Mmm I'd be keen if I lived in jindy.. are there any outdoor clubs about? I guess most ppl there go downhill skiing when the opportunity arises.

[snowy_trekker]

HI Nick S. As far as I know.... There is not anything official in the area, hence why I am posting this. Maybe we should start a bushwalking group in the area. Besides we have the best and highest terrain in Australia.

But in the mean time. I am keen to get out there and have some fun and maybe meet some like minded people to share the experience with.

[Canberra Trekker]

I would be interested in doing some snow shoe trips in Snowy mountains. I live in Canberra.

[snowy_trekker]

Fantastic. I am going out from Thredbo to Seamens hut for 1 or 2 nights from Tuesday. Maybe even trek down to Charlottes Pass and Perisher then ski tube back to Thredbo for a two/ three day option If your keen?

[Canberra Trekker]

Tuesday not a good day for me. Need to be in Canberra for meeting. I was thinking of taking bus on Wednesday or Thursday for day trip to Thredbo. Murrays have special fare on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday. A 2 day trip might be better for me the following week.

[ferozious]

I'm a frequent resort downhill skiier but would love to get into the back country. The limiting factor is that my other ski buddies are snowboarders and don't seem too keen on backcountry trips (cost, commitment, learning new skills, etc.).

I might acquire some equipment (such as snow shoes) this season and if I do, I'd be keen to tag along on some trips.

[Ellobuddha]

Hi,

Ive been thinking about giving the snow shoeing a try. What sort of snow shoes do you use/ recommend. I weigh 96 kg so with a decent pack Im fairly heavy so Im a but concerned about getting a pair with enough float.

Ive been looking at the Crescent Moons as they seem to get good reviews. Will look to try some as zi believe one of the shops in Jindy rents them out.

Any suggestions for a suitable day walk to get into the swing of it?

If as good as it looks I would be keen to do more as have just bought myself a snow tent as also keen try try some snow kiting. ( live and kite on Sth Coast)

[snowy_trekker]

Hi Ellobuddha,

Yes the Cresent Moon Snowshoes and probably the best on the market. I have used them extensively and are very good!!

If you go from Top Station (Thredbo) out to Kosi lookout, That is about 2k's each way. Nice and easy trek. However make sure no matter if your going on a 2 k snow shoe or a 50k trek that you take maps, compass, GPS and PLB with you. Being up in the high country, the weather can and often does change very rapidly. So always take a backup and don't rely on your mobile working.

In saying this is you pick a good day (like today) then a short stroll out to Kosi lookout is a nice small trek and can be a load of fun.

I know the area extensively (I am ex SES and I am 2IC IT manager for Kosciusko Huts Association, if you would like some tips, GPS locations or even a guide then let me know I would be more than happy to help out!

Or if you would like to come out on a trek with me sometime you are more than welcome.

[Ellobuddha]

How much snow is up on the main range at the moment?

Is there much snow around Thredbo village level or only up above resort fields - also looking to do some more walking in that area. Walked from Thredbo Village to Dead Horse gap then up to Summit and down chair. Was great. Be nice to do again walking/snow shoeing. Though Im guessing it would require more effor with the shoes.

[snowy_trekker]

Yes the snow level is down to about 1500 or 1600m at the moment. We had snow down to 1200m last week so there might still be a little bit on the ground from then. Dead horse gap trail is a good one but 50% of dead horse gap it is below the snow line. If you are wanting to go snow shoeing I would recommend not carrying your snow shoes but actually using them. I would just wear a good pair of boots to do dead horse gap. No snowshoes are required for this track. I would recommend walking out to kosi or seasmens hut if you want to go snow shoeing.

[Canberra Trekker]

On Thursday for July 2013 I took the Murrays bus from Canberra Jolimont Centre to Thredbo. It is a 5 a.m. departure from Canberra with arrival at Thredbo at approximately 8:10 a.m. It was dry, but quite windy at Thredbo. The prospect was that up higher the wind was much stronger. The groomed trails at Friday Flat which had snowmaking equipment had cover of snow almost down to the car park. However, beside these groomed trails the ground was completely bare of snow. The snow line proper did not start until around 1500 m altitude.

I did not even bother putting on the snow shoes and just walked straight up the hill. Even when I encountered the snow. I did not bother with the snow shoes. The reason being was that a lot of the downhill runs were closed. I had free run to go up these deserted downhill runs without having to be aware of skiers hurtling down the hill. Where the gradient got a bit steep. I was easier just being able to kick steps in the snow.

When I got up to 1650 meters altitude. I did put on the snow shoes because the gradient is not so steep up there. At this altitude, the wind was getting quite strong and gusty and visibility not that wonderful. There were low cloud swirling around. Sometimes you could see quite well, then when conditions worsened the visibility really deteriorated. I went up as far as the top station of the Cruiser, which is around 1800 meters.

In the past I've gone even higher. However, on those occasions, the weather was more promising. I did try and go into the ungroomed snow above the Cruiser. However, it was soon obvious that although the snow level was quite deep, 30-50 cm in places, there was very little substance to the snow. The top crust of the snow was firm, however, once this crust broke there was nothing to support your weight and often I found myself sinking knee deep down to bare ground level. In areas where the snow was only just covering the low lying scrub, these areas offered very little weight support. If walking over a partially buried bush the crust would fracture and then it was straight down into the bush beneath the snow. I did not relish the prospect offalling through the snow and find myself immersed in a buried creek. Could still see quite a few water courses even at 1800m altitude. Had to look around for a dry way to cross them. The poles were quite useful to test the integrity of snow bridges before committing my own weight to cross them.

Sometimes, the wind would catch me off-balance and push me to the ground. Very embarrassing situation finding that your whole body, legs,arms and trunk buried 30 cm into the snow. It made it very difficult and exhausting to get up. Lot of floundering in the snow, trying to reposition weight so that I could get up. Could not rely on pushing down on the surface of the snow, because that only broke the crust and again nothing below the crust to offer much resistance.

So in the end I was just content to hover around the 1900 m contour and I was walking west just keeping above the top stations of the chair lifts which were operating. Then I realised that there were vast areas of the resort where there were no chair lifts operating and the runs fed by these idle chair lifts were all empty. So, I was able to go wherever I wanted to on these deserted grooms trails without encountering any downhill skiers.

When it came time to the lunch, I dropped down to about 1650 meters to get a better shelter from the wind. I have this old Optimus methylated spirits stove, which I bought a Trangia gas burner. This was my first time I had used this burner in the snow. I knew from past experience that lighting the meths stove in the snow was a slow process, requiring the match or lighter to hover above the spirits for what seems an eternity to get enough vapour pressure to light the stove. However, the Trangia gas stove fed from primus butane/propane gas bottle, which was virtually empty lit straight away. I was able to boil 2 cups of coffee in the wind without problem and also cooked up a warm packet meal. I was very impressed with the gas conversion of this stove. It has the wind protection albeit at price of being a bit heavy at 800g + gas bottle.

I was always mindful that the return bus back to Canberra left that 1530, so I did not want to miss the departure time. That was the main reason that I did not really want to go yesterday beyond the boundaries of the ski resort. Having experienced how tiring and futile it was trying to move across the unpacked snow I knew if I went too far into the wilderness, there would be no-one at all around, poor visibility and very exhausting travel across the unpacked snow. This spelt to me all the recipe for disaster if I got into trouble.

After lunch I wandered around some more of the empty downhill trails and then chose a deserted run to descend the mountain. When I crossed the four-wheel-drive road, I followed the road back down to Friday Flat. I arrived back at Friday flat at 1510 in time to put all my gear away and join the bus.

This was my fourth trip to Thredbo having completed 3 of trips in 2012. On all these trips I have walked up the mountain from the car park. On my third trip I got as far as Seamans hut and Rawsons Pass, however , that was on a brilliant sunny day.

Clothing, wise , I was wearing thermal-propylene long johns under my shorts with gaitors sealing the boots. I had a thermal-propylene long sleeve skivvy under my T-shirt, and then just had this old Wilderness Equipment Gore-Tex jacket that is some 25 years old on top. I was never cold apart from feeling a bit cold at the end of my extended lunch break. I had these old oiled japara mitts on my hands. If I took my mitts off then fingers got cold. However, when wearing the mitts my hands were never cold. My feet remained dry, the entire day, and there was no condensation under my Gore-Tex jacket.

Back at the Friday Flat, it was just a matter of removing my Gore-Tex jacket and putting on my black fleece, which I had worn down on the bus from Canberra. In early morning. I did try wearing this black fleece under the Gore-Tex jacket. When I started to climb the hill, I soon stopped and removed the fleece, because I knew it would be too hot climbing the mountain. Up at the top I put on a pair of Snow Gum over trousers, which I remained wearing until I got back to the bus. My head covering was a woollen beanie. However, at the top, I did put the jackket hood up, to cover my head when the wind gusts were getting very strong. I was carrying only 55 L Karrimor backpack, in which I had a New Zealand Swandri wool jumper, my black fleece jacket, a spare thermal-propylene skivvy and spare socks. Also I had my stove ,2 rather empty gas bottles, some food my GME PLB. I was carrying a GPS, which I only referred to for giving altitude readings.

When not wearing the snow shoes, I just strapped them to the back of my backpack. I was using to Lecki poles. Even the poles were sinking right down through the snow in places. Of all my trips to the snow this was the most enjoyable within the bounds of the ski resort. Usually I want to get up above the down hill skiers and the noise.

In the past when all the runs have been operating, I have had to be more wary going up the mountain as to keep out of the path of the downhill skiers. As mentioned earlier, this was not a problem yesterday, because many of the downhill runs were deserted.

It would have been pure foolhardy for me to venture beyond the ski resort yesterday given the adverse conditions. So it was just quite enjoyable, having free reign over the deserted ski runs getting experience with using the snow shows and coping with the cold.

I did find that in the very flat lighting that it was difficult to gauge steepness of slopes, and where there were sharp dips in the snow. When the visibility was down these features were very difficult to visualise. On one occasion, I found that an ice axe might have been useful, because I found myself on a steep slope and I had to slide down about 10 feet on my backside to get onto more manageable slope so I could stand upright.

In the past when climbing up the downhill slopes with snow shoes, when the gradient gets too steep the tendency is to want to traverse the slope, which often means crossing the fall line that the downhill skiers are following.

Last year, I spoke to one of the ticket offices about catching chairlift. There seems to be, 2 that will take non-skiers. The chairlift to the restaurant usually takes non-ski traffic if restaurant is operating. Then there's the Meritts chairlift, which takes non-skiers more frequently. However, it only goes up to about 1600 m altitude. Friday Flat is at 1350 meters so that chairlift would save 250 meters of climbing.

My trips to the snow have been low budget affairs, just carry my own equipment and paying the Murrays bus fare, which is in 2013 only $58 if travelling on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Last year, the chairlift price would have been almost $40. So far I have resisted the temptation to spend $40 just to get up to Merritts, chairlift station to save 250 meters of climbing.

I will definitely be going again especially taking good advantage of the special mid week fare. Yesterday was school holidays and there were a lot of young children up on the mountain being taught to ski.

[Ellobuddha]

Canberra Trekker,

Thanks for the info. What sort of snoeshoes are you using? What weight are you and your pack?

Thanks,
EB

[Canberra Trekker]

I have a pair of MSR Evo snow shoes. Nothing flash there. So far no complaints. My pack weight was about 13kg.

[Ellobuddha]

Ive been eyeing off the MSR lightning ascents. Very pricey but having a hard time finding many bad reviews. At my weight I(95kg) i think id be looking at 30's. I would also need tails if I was carrying heavy pack.

[TerraMer]

...What sort of snow shoes do you use/ recommend...Ive been looking at the Crescent Moons as they seem to get good reviews. Will look to try some as zi believe one of the shops in Jindy rents them out.

Any suggestions for a suitable day walk to get into the swing of it?

Hi Ellobuddha, The Crescent Moons are good. I use them and am very happy with them. I especially like their binding system. Wilderness Sports can help you. Porcupine Track, from Perisher, is a good one to get a feel for it.

HI all. I live in Jindabyne and looking for other like minded people to go trekking and snow shoeing in the Kosciuszko National Park. I am also interested in doing multi day treks. I am experienced and know the local area quite well.

If anyone is interested in coming along please contact me.

Hi snowy_trekker, I used to live in KNP and will be heading back that way in late Spring. If there is still good cover I'll join you for some short walks. I will be doing some light training while recovering from surgery so multi days are out until summer.