We arrived to find some of the best snow in years. It was two feet deep climbing the stairs to the Lodge front door.
We had a good representation of XC skiers, most on traditional touring skis and some on the new AT Backcountry skis.
Week 1 started on Monday with a warmup ski along the valley and up into Trapyard Creek. We encountered good snow cover all the way to the Alpine Way look-down. Then after lunch in the snow gums we started back as the weather turned.
Tuesday was very windy and wet, a great 'hut day' although a few intrepid skiers went out for a gear testing trip behind the lodge.
Wednesday was the 'bluebird' day f the week no wind and excellent snow conditions. We headed along the Kosciusko Rd then dropped off and visited the waterfall on the North Arm of the Snowy River, then over to Clarkes Trees for a pleasant lunch .
Thursday saw our group heading up Spencer's Creek and then down to the new Suspension bridge via the Snowy. There was some beautiful snow along the river and well worth the effort although the climb out was memorable.
Friday we skied along the Nordic Trail then up to the Wrights Creek Waterfall. We had lunch in the snowgums and then progressed along the pole line towards the old restaurant. The run back down into Wrights creek was fantastic.
Saturday was a trip to Guthrie's Trig. After -5 deg C overnight the snow was rock hard which made the going difficult but lunch on the top was well worth the effort.
Other Week 1 destinations included Mt Carruthers, Twin Valleys, the old restaurant and The Foxhole
Week 2 saw various outings to Spencers Creek and Wrights Creek as well as to Townsend and Twynam. Stillwell was a favoured destination also. Some of the beginners worked on their skills on the flat areas closer to the village.
On 6 Sep some of our party saw some Emergency Services skidoos returning from a sombre mission to retrieve the body of a skier who had died at Watson Craggs.
The death of Queen was announced on 8 Sep 22. The Chalet lowered all of its flags. Thomas the Tank Engine was deeply moved yet remained in good spirits.
Many thanks to Nadia, Kimmy & Nick for looking after us for our two Nordic Weeks.
The slideshow below contains images from Week 1.
The slideshow below contains images from Week 2.
Here are a few GPS traces of our expeditions.
This video shows the aspect from Guthrie Trig.