Monday, August 03, 2009

Falls Creek Sking Report

Conditions were rather patchy - meaning you can see grass patches coming through the snow and watery holes in the snow fields. I'm referring specifically to Final Muster run, near Village/Gabbis. It looked like the mountain had caved in. Horrible.

The Black runs on the East side looked crap.

Sunday, there was an awful lot of rain, wind, sleet hitting the snow fields this morning. A total whiteout. You could hardly see where you were going. Which to me - made it a bit more fun and challenging.

Its fun until you start feeling the cold tho. After an hour's skiing - I was soaked through. Water has a way of finding its way to your warm body.

I took a break to get out of the wet cold in one of the summit huts but it didn't work. I needed to go someplace warm.

What I should have done was to have held back until the weather cleared up before going skiing. Would have saved some cash too - as I could have bought the afternoon lift pass. The irony is that when I took refuge - the weather started to clear up. The wind stopped by about 1pm. But by then I was busy trying to get my jacket and my body dry and warm!!!

Memo to self:

1
. Bring ski face mask. Wind+Sleet on face = pain. Dido for neck warmer.
2. Bring a security device to secure the skis/poles when stopping for lunch. A lot of stuff goes missing because some idiot carelessly took it. One of our group nearly got her skis stolen by some moron who just walked away when caught (and was later seen taking someone's else's skis).
3. Wait for weather to clear up BEFORE purchasing lift pass. Don't buy if the weather sucks ass!!!
4. Wear boardshorts underneath; you might have to change your clothes in public.
5. Bring spare hat in case 1st one get soaked. Grab Bag.
6. Wear inner liner for legs
7. Bring grab bag for sandwiches and house keys. Gabbis rents lockers for free.
8. Bring a Thermos Flask - Hot tea is probably better than coffee. Grab Bag
7. Thick Wholemeal Sandwiches. Avocado dip + Rocket + Cheese + Sliced Deli Beef + Tomato + Mustard + hunger = awesomeness!!!! You probably won't eat them when you're skiing as hot food rocks, but they're great on the way back home after the ski run. Grab bag
8. Ski til you drop. Don't break if the weather is fantastic. That's why the grab bag containing snacks and the thermos is important.
9. Change out of your ski clothes on the return trip back to Melbourne - you don't want to be sitting in wet clothes for that 5 hour car ride.
10. Scotchguard the clothes the night before to waterproof them.

More to come... I'm so tired now....

Update. I forgot to mention the positive stuff. The runs on the west side of the mountain overlooking the lake ie. Ruined Castle, Scottys, Race Course, Sundown, Corkscrew Gulley were pretty alright. We had a lot of sweet runs down that a way on Saturday morning. Nice wide slopes. Hardly anyone there. Snow was even powdery on the steeper runs. But the wind was strong on the chair lifts. I wish we didn't stop for a break. Should have just kept on skiing nonstop.

Its a skiing holiday afterall. Whats the point in buying the expensive lift passes and gear if you don't put the skiing time in?

Not that I don't appreciate the other side to being on a snow mountain. I love the clean fresh exhilerating air - where else can you get such high quality o2? I think most people just don't what they are missing out on. Even the foggy whie mist has a very endearing quality to it. And all that white clean snow. Its like God has placed a blanket over the land.

What I'd really love to do would be to hire out a nice rustic well insulated 1960s Scandanivan style chalet made of stone and wood on the mountain with a fire place and stay there all week. I'd soak in a hot tub with the hot water taken from boiled fresh snow. Bring along a few of my favourite books and CDs... Such Bliss!!!! Even if I didn't ski, the experience would be so delighful to the soul.

Anyways, I'm going skiing next weekend at Falls again - not by deliberate design - it just happened that way.
 
Upodate2: I'd advise against skiing at Wishing Well because its on the other end of the mountain and the main way up is by the International an old pulley lift. Trying to cross over from Summit to that sector is an uphill walk - made more difficult in low vis. We ended up skiing down the wrong side - thats where Jack got his stomach kicked in by his sister who plowed her skis straight into him. I thought he was gonna die.




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