My
friend, Allan, and I were lucky to get some skiing this snow season. We stayed 3 nights at the same lodge as we
had been last year and enjoyed 2 full-days downhill skiing (the 4th
& 5th September).
There
was not enough snow for cross country skiing.
As a result of poor snow conditions, the road to the lodge was
snow-cleared and so the Accommodation Transfer Service oversnow was not
taken. We arrived at Falls Creek Alpine
Village in late afternoon on the 3rd September and were allowed half
an hour to drive up to our accommodation to offload our ski gear and food box,
then back down to the Great Alpine Road to be directed to an Overnight Parking
area.
Just
a week ago, the Kangaroo Hoppet, Australia’s international ski marathon competitors
had had a great fun with firm snow and clear skies after good snowfalls. On top of that, there had also been a large
land slip on the Great Alpine Road just past Bogong Village in mid morning,
Friday 23rd August, one day before the Hoppet event. However, there had been lots of support from Village stakeholders. People, who had been left in Falls Creek, had been located beds. The road had been open at 7.00am the next day and the Hoppet had to start
an hour later than schedule. Here's The Hoppet race results
Following
is our 2 days of DH Skiing:
Day
One:
We
had toast and a cuppa for breakfast. We
left the lodge at 9.30am and carried our ski gear down the Falls Express Lift. Gear had been hired the day
before to save time. Allan had his own,
so he did not need to. I had a little
bit of warm-up while waiting for Allan to purchase Snow Pass, the ticket for
all day use of the lifts at Falls Creek.
I
used the lift last year, so I was more confident to get on and off.
On leaving the Falls Express, we headed to the carpet, which is intended
for beginners, for some warm-up.
Leaving here, I followed Allan heading for a short traverse across intermediate
terrain, then took the Towers Lift to get back to Drover’s snowfield.
It
was a good move that we took an early lunch at Cloud 9 so that it was not
crowded. After lunch, Allan went for a
bit more challenge such as tackling
Ruined Castle and Scotties, while I tried to keep an eye on snow school groups
to pick up some skills from instructors at the Drover’s Progression Park. Near the end of the day, we skied down
Wombat Ramble to get back to Falls Creek Alpine Village, and walked past the ski gear store then to the lodge on the hill, which is about 100m away.
After
showers, I joined Allan and his friend, Steve, who is the
lodge manager, for a beer and had a chat until 6.30pm, when we were leaving for
evening meal at the Cock’n’Bull, Olde English Pub. The Irish “home” brew and the slow-cooked lamb shank were
fantastic. Back to the lodge, the
conversation between Steve and Allan went on and on, while I was reading ABC Melbourne's news
from my tablet to catch up with updates of Federal Voting. I had had little sleep the night before, so
very much looked forward to hitting the sack.
Day
Two:
I
had such a wonderful sleep, unlike Allan.
It took an hour for him to fall asleep.
We were up earlier than yesterday to beat the weather forecast for light showers in the afternoon. Allan wanted to try new skis today,
therefore decided to hire them. He has
had his skis for over 15 years. Steve
had recently spent over a thousand dollars for his new K2 downhill skis. Steve has downhill skis, telemark downhills, and several sets of
cross-country race and touring skis and recently came 149th, out of the 274
that finished, and 15th in his class, in The Falls Creek Kangaroo Hoppet 42km
marathon ski race.
After
kicking off with the hired skis on some challenge terrains for a while, Allan
was rather pleased with the new DH skis that helped him a
lot with turning on the soft wet snow. They are not as long and heavy as his. We hope that
we will be able to get some bargains at the end of the season. Keep looking
and looking.
Steve
was able to catch up with us at noon for lunch. He had a beef roll and a coke while Allan and I had two sushi hand
rolls and a cuppa. After lunch, I was
given a few ski lessons from Steve.
Then, both Steve and Allan were off heading for Big Dipper, one of the
more advanced runs of Falls Creek.
When
they came back, we all headed to Highway 83, which is graded as an intermediate
level. I followed Steve. Allan skied behind me just in case he was of
assistance. At the Towers Lift,
Steve said good bye to us and headed back to the lodge. He started very early this morning. Allan and I continued on. While I was having more practice on Highway
83, Allan kicked off for some fast skiing.
We met again on the last lift ride
then skied back to the lodge via Wombats Ramble as we had done it
yesterday. However, the today skiing
experience was somewhat different, for sure, and I very much look forward to
the next skiing opportunity. When???
Here's the link to Village and Winter Trail Maps
Tawonga Sth & Mt Beauty from Sullivans Lookout on Great Alpine Road
Little Mt Bogong and/or West Peak from Sullivans Lookout
The slip. Pic - Courtesy of Mandy Milne (alpinehighcountry.com)
Pic: Philip Van Gent, Fairfax Media
Spion Kopje Spur from Falls Creek
Me on the traverse to Towers Lift
Steve and Allan at lunch in Cloud 9
Me on Drover's Dream for a video shot
Rocky Valley from Drover's Progression Park
Snack time
