NSW Nordic Ski Club
Off the Beaten Track Notes - Main Range Area
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For the purposes of this article, the Main Range is defined as the Great Dividing Range between Dead Horse Gap and Consett Stephen Pass. We will look at places that can be accessed in a day trip from either Dead Horse Gap, Thredbo, Charlotte Pass or Guthega.
Rather than consider a day trip and a weekend trip, we will look at some of the good places to go. You can decide whether to visit in a day trip, an overnight trip or even a week-long trip, perhaps with a snow cave as a base.
The snow here lasts longest of any location in the Australian snowfields. So the area is great for spring XCD visits, when the snow is outrageously cooperative and the weather may be more settled than in midwinter.
Skiing Standard:
Relative novices can find some enjoyable skiing, but there are some hills that have to be climbed. For going down, walking down is feasible on the spring snow.
Campsite:
If you decide to base camp, some possible locations include:
Wilkinson Valley
Swampy Plains River, in the vicinity of Cootapatamba Hut
Little Austria
Club Lake Creek and Blue Lake Creek, downstream of the respective lakes
Soilcon Creek (just east of Carruthers Peak)
Pounds Creek
Sentinel shelf (around GR 162 712)
Your choice will depend upon the weather, the area you want to ski in and whether you are building a snow cave or not.
Places to ski
Maps: Geehi Dam, Perisher Valley and Thredbo Ski Touring Map (all 1:25,000). Skiing the Western Faces - Kosciusko, by Alan Andrews, Tabletop Press 1993 is an invaluable guide to the area and is highly recommended for anyone wanting to make the most of it.
Some of the places you may wish to visit include:
- Mt Kosciusko
- the Ramsheads (great views from the Ramshead)
- Mt Townsend (there is always a great XCD run from the saddle between Townsend and Alice Rawson Peak, heading NW)
- the Racecourse, from the ridge near Alice Rawson Peak down to Lady Northcote Creek
- Little Austria (good XCD run into Little Austria, and a fun ski all the way through a narrow bit to Lady Northcote Creek in good snow conditions)
- Mount Lee and Carruthers Peak (good, steep XCD runs into Kunama Valley)
- Watsons Crags (great XCD skiing - start with Watson's Creek and then try any run that appeals)
- Twynam NNE ridge (starts around GR 178 722) - always a great XCD run at a modest grade
- Mt Anderson west ridge (great XCD runs)
In addition, some of the slopes that run from the Main Range to the Snowy River provide long gentle slopes that novices will enjoy in spring.
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