Merrits on the way up
Being the first to experience snow this year, I thought it apt to give you snow bafoos a wrap-up of this weekend's snow conditions.
Be prepared for a snowfall tonight! That's the news I heard all day as I LEFT Threddas today for the flight home. Yep people, snow is on the way, which means that this weekend should hopefully hold its keep and provide good snow conditions all over the NSW ski resorts.
Saturday wasn't the best day for skiing at all and patchy conditions was an understatement for the majority of Threddas runs. Starting the day off on the Crackenback chairlift, i almost cried as i saw skiers snowplow through snow patches 2 metres wide, artificially made on some slopes on the way up. Hoping the peaks would at least provide some sort of, shall I say, snow-covered ground, I continued my way on up. Alighting from the chairlift, I was mildly optimistic as snow could be seen pretty much everywhere, though once the ride down the mountain began, the snow cover deteriorated somewhat. Patches of dirt peeked its way through the glorious snow to the extent where the snow was peeking though the dirt. I caught the Basin T-bar on up to be welcomed with.....ICE. Yes, fellas, ice is not the best alternative to dirt, even though it does mean you can ski on it, al beit fall to the sound of breaking bones.
Much to my disappointment I continued skiing down the mountain, this time heading towards the Crackenback Supertrail and more importantly, less dirt and more snow. But my instincts led me astray. Sure there was more snow, but the NSW inter-school's competition had taken up a huge chunk of this snow, leaving the ice-cubes for us plebs! I gave up at that point, disgusted at the pathetic amount of snow Threddas had to offer that day. Instead, I zoomed up about 4 chairlifts in an attempt to find my mother, only to find her at the top of merritts restaurant. Merritts looked promising, but at this point I didn't have my skis with me (as I left them at the hotel). So, I adhered to advice, and went down the mountain to collect my skis and head on back up for a few trials at what Merritts had to offer. Much to my surprise, the conditions were better than some of the higher peaks. The afternoon sun had melted the icy conditions and left a firm but softer cover, much to my relief.
Next day, we awoke to the sound of rain in Threddas village, hoping that translated to snow on the peaks. Intent on getting some good runs up my sleeve, I headed straight for Merritts to be rewarded with snow, snow, snow. Overnight snow falls had left the runs with an impressive, soft cover. There were some parts where the dirt ground could JUST be seen, but about 95% of the run was on soft-packed snow. And as the day went on, the snow kept falling. And I'm not talking about wasp-breath size snowflakes- these were big mothers! I spent the entire morning and early afternoon finding my best ski run through trees, down mobiles, and over jumps as I usually do with Perisher Blue's runs. Let it be known I hate fast and hard runs. Instead I love the thrill of almost breaking my skull open as I quickly weave through rocks and squat beneath tree branches. And I must say, even though the run was not nearly as challening as Blue Cow's, it certainly did impress me.
So, all was not lost on this first winter weekend adventure to the snow! Sure, the first day was crap, but the second made up for the 'ordinary' and 'icy' days that perisher blue have provided me at times!
See you next time from the heart of the australian snow!
Spazmaster!