Calling skiers! It still feels like a long time until we're skiing, but while we wait, it's the perfect season to walk around some popular backcountry skiing spots on the Main Range.
This will be an overnight walk from Charlotte Pass, in a circuit of the best parts of the Main Range such as Club Lake and up to Caruthers Peak. (Only Saturday-Sunday - returning Sunday night so Anzac Day is free.) From there we will drop our packs and walk/scramble to the spectacular vantage point of the Sentinel. After camping overnight in a scenic spot, we should be able to visit glacial Lake Albina and nearby peaks before returning to the car.
The whole idea, of course, is that these are amazing skiing spots! Often, the snow is at its best from September onwards, so it can feel like a while before we get there on skis. This is therefore the chance to see the area, get a feel for the terrain, and think about future trips without having to wait until late winter.
A secondary purpose of the trip is to have an introductory overnight bushwalking experience. The trip is not intended to be highly physically demanding, but please let me know if you've never bushwalked overnight before (carrying your gear as opposed to car camping). The aim is to practice all these basics - putting up tents, cooking, and simply carrying overnight things. We want to do snow-camping trips this season, and it's a lot easier to do this on skis if you've already done it on foot!
Please sign up if you're keen to go skiing with the club this year. The trip is not intended to be exclusive, although this trip probably isn't for you if you've never skied before. For club trips, you generally need to have some experience in alpine (downhill) skiing, such as being able to ski on the blue runs in a ski resort. However, you don't need any cross-country skiing experience to start skiing with the club (or for this walk). If you have any questions, please send me an email.
I hope this trip will be a good chance to talk skiing and meet up with current & prospective club skiers before the winter!
* Note - as there is strong interest, and as with all trips, sign-ups are not first come first served. Your signup should be considered an expression of interest, and places will be finalised early in the week ahead of the trip. This allows spaces for developing leaders, balancing new and old members, etc.
* For new members - remember the club gear store has most kit you may need, such as tents, sleeping bags, backpacks etc. These can all be hired at low cost. I will circulate a gear list before the trip so you will know exactly what to bring.
CP-Caruthers Peak-Lake Albina-CP