Categories
canada general

snow snow snow

6.20am Wake up
7.00am Leave home to walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to work
7.10am Stand around in the cold, sipping at my tea, waiting for the bus to come and hoping it isn’t too full
7.45am Arrive at work
8.00am The sun rises
11.30am Go out skiing
1.30pm Get back to work
4.50pm The sun sets
5.30pm Catch the bus home
6.00pm Arrive at the house
10.20pm Fall asleep (maybe)

Categories
canada general

snow!

The most snow we’ve had in town so far… I was sitting at work all day, where the snow just didn’t stop, and it really does feel like you’re inside a snow dome.

Categories
general snow

dear idiots

(An open letter to the common-sense impaired group who we met up at Mt Stirling)

Hello. While your spur of the moment decision to ‘go for a hike in the mountains’ was a reasonable one, and you seemed quite nice people, there are a few points I’d like to mention.

1) It’s a good idea to check the weather before you go to the mountains for the weekend, particularly to an alpine area.
2) Dress suitably! This means bring a waterproof layer, and warm clothes. We do not recommend wearing jeans (which end up wet thanks to hiking in the wet snow, and then stay wet) and sneakers (which also stayed wet all weekend).
3) Bring some form of light. You arrived in the hut at night, and had no source of light at all. If we hadn’t lent you a headlamp, how were you planning to cook your dinner?
4) Bring some matches, or a lighter. This was the second flaw in your plan: you couldn’t see, AND you had no way to start a fire.
5) A compass and map are also recommended items. You had neither. And when you don’t have a map, and have very poor senses of direction, DON’T TAKE RANDOM SHORT CUTS!
6) Sleeping bags that are actually suited to the temperature are a good idea. If you don’t have a warm enough sleeping bag, then have lots of warm clothes to wear IN your sleeping bag. If you have neither of these, and can’t acquire them, then DON’T GO TO THE SNOW!

Other points of note:

1) The Coles Green Bag was an interesting choice for carrying your stuff up the mountain. But amusing.
2) The bag of plastic knives and forks, and paper plates. The six pack of steak knives. All still in their packaging straight from the supermarket. Also amusing.
3) The use of a cake tin as a saucepan. Entertaining.
4) Do not toboggan on the emergency rescue sled!

Categories
general snow trip reports

invisible toboggan

It was the last Mt Stirling trip of the snow season, and the snow was thin on the ground. Happily flowing streams took all the snow away, and mud was everywhere. But there was still enough snow to play on…

 
And the snow shovel tobogganist glides off into the distance.

 
There is one good thing about skiing at the end of the season though – the beautiful weather (as long as it’s not raining).

Categories
general snow

hoppety

The madness that is thousands of mostly men skating around in tight fitting lycra (even better when the man in question has a beer gut). The Kangaroo Hoppet at Falls Creek – Australian link of the World Loppet series.

 
Beautiful day, but the pleasant warmth made for porridge-like snow.