Nutcracker Ski Club

If you were like me sitting here in Australia watching the US have one fantastic snow season, and with the currency rates never better, you were probably considering booking a skiing holiday for next season.

Heading to the US is easy as we generally don’t require a visa for travelling, however, you will now need to notify the US Authorities 3 days before you depart.

Thanks to skiclub.co.uk for this article

It was announced yesterday by Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, that all travellers from countries which do not currently require a visa, 27 in total, will have to observe a 72 hour notice period.

This includes most of western Europe as well as Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore.

The new rule is expected to take effect from January 2009, and once approved, successful applications will be valid for multiple entries over two years.

The new system, aimed at improving homeland security in the US, will begin accepting registrations from August. To register, travellers will have to contact travel agents, airline websites or go through a purpose-built US government website.

For more information contact the Department of Foreign Affairs or Smart Traveller

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This is Part Five in a series for first time visitors to the snow on what to wear up on the mountain. See part One, part Two, part Three and part Four here.

In the previous post of this series I wrote about two ways you can get to Mt Buller and what limitations you can come across when deciding what to take on your skiing holiday.

In this post I’d like to give you an idea of what I believe are the clothing essentials for the snow and how to work the clothing to suit the conditions without having to pack the entire winter wardrobe!

Ok, this is the ‘money’ post. You now know what the conditions are like, what you can do other than ski, and the ways to get you to Mt Buller. So, what clothing should you take with you, or considering purchasing, for the snow?

Sorel Alpha Trac Winter Boots - Waterproof (For Women)

Snow Clothing can be an expensive investment to make, but ski clothing will last you many seasons. I would not recommend that you go out and buy absolutely everything I’ve listed if you are a first timer. What happens if snow is not your thing? You would have spent a decent portion of your pay packet on clothing that you won’t get a chance to wear again.

A great option for your first time is to hire your ski clothing. That way if you don’t plan on going again you have not wasted your money. If you catch the snow bug after that, then go and kit yourself up for next time. I’ll give you a tip about hiring at the end.

I’ve listed below what I believe are the essentials to have with you at the snow. I’ve listed from most important to least. (When I say least important I mean that you can get by without it).

• Ski Jacket

• Ski Pants

• Snow Boots to walk in. (Waterproof and thermal insulated are best)

• Gloves. (Waterproof for skiing, woollen or similar for walking around)

• Goggles or Sunglasses. (Snow reflects the sun so tinted goggles or sunnies are handy)

• Socks (highly recommend “Explorer” Socks from Big W, Coles or Target)

• Beanie

• Scarf or neck warmer

• Thermals

On top of those essentials, I would pack in some extra items to wear with your ski gear and when you aren’t skiing. Read more »

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This is Part Four in a series for first time visitors to the snow on what to wear up on the mountain. See part One, part Two and part Three.

In the previous post of this series I wrote about what kind of activities, other than skiing, that you may do at Mt Buller and why some items of clothing just won’t be appropriate for these activities. In this post I’d like to write about the limitations that you can come across when deciding what to take on your skiing holiday.

Mt Buller is about three hours from Melbourne. There are currently two methods of transport to get to Mt Buller - Car and Bus. Both of these methods can have limitations depending on how much you can bring with you during your stay.

This can have an effect on the amount, and type, of clothing you can take with you.

Let’s start with option one: Taking your car.

You would think that if you take your car, as opposed to the bus, you would be able to fit more in the car and hence take more with you. Well, not exactly.

Unless you have a permit, you cannot take your vehicle to the lodge door. You will need to leave your car at one of the designated car parks surrounding the resort village. From there you can either walk up yourself, which can be strenuous with the luggage, or you can catch a taxi.

The taxi service at Mt Buller will meet you at the car park and transport you and your luggage to your lodge. The cost for this service is Adult $16.00 one way, Child $9.50 one way. The fare includes two items of luggage plus skis, poles and boots. Any additional luggage is charged extra.

Two items of luggage might sound like a lot for one person, but if you are staying at a self accommodating lodge, such as Nutcracker, for a week, you need to consider bed linen, food, drinks as well as your clothing.

The other thing to think about with driving is that it is a requirement, by law, that you carry snow chains for your car with you during the ski season. If you don’t have chains you will need to hire them.

When it is snowing on the summit road, you will be prompted to get out of your car and put them on. Have you driven with chains before? Do you know how to put them on? Personally, I’d rather not have to deal with it.

I use option two when I head to Mt Buller: Taking the bus.

What I like about taking the bus is that it takes you straight to the village. There is no waiting for taxis in the cold and the bus price is all inclusive. Plus you can take what you need and you only have to walk 500 meters or so to your lodge.

There are two ways that you can use the bus as a means of getting to Mt Buller.

The first is to take a Bus Coach from Melbourne. The service will take you from Melbourne straight to Mt Buller village. Plus the price includes complimentary tickets for a taxi so you don’t have to walk to your lodge. This is ideal if you plan on having an extended time at Mt Buller.

The second is to drive to the base of the mountain, Mirimbah, leave your car there and take the bus service to the village. This is perfect if you are only spending a weekend at Mt Buller. You do not get complimentary taxi tickets in the fare, but at least you can walk it from the village.

With catching the bus there is no limitation on luggage, but I would assume it’s within reason, so don’t going packing 5 suitcases!

The point I am trying to achieve is that you not only need to chose the right clothing the conditions and understand what clothing you’ll need for what you are doing, but that you will also need to be savvy with your packing and optimise your baggage space.

The next post in this series will include what I believe are the top essential items of clothing to bring with you to the snow and how to work the clothing to suit the day-to-day conditions.

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This is Part Three in a series for first time visitors to the snow on what to wear up on the mountain. See Part One and Part Two.
In the previous post of this series I wrote about what kind of conditions to expect at Mt Buller and why some items of clothing just aren’t appropriate. In this post I’d like to write about what kind of activities, aside from skiing, that you can do at Mt Buller and why skiing Gear isn’t the only equipment that you’ll need.

There’s a lot more to a mountain resort than just skiing and snowboarding. Mountain Resorts are communities, people live their lives there, yet you don’t see these people just skiing the whole time and wandering around looking like that’s all they do! I love going to Mount Buller because it means that I can get away from the city and relax. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what I’m doing because there is always something to do.

During the snow season I plan a minimum of three trips, two weekend trips for a mini getaway and a full week so I can really get some skiing done. On the weekend trip I try and maximise the amount of skiing that I do so alot of my time is spent on the slopes. But on the week long trip I plan to do a number of things, not just skiing alone.

For my week long trip, I ski three days and then have a day off to rest and enjoy the rest of the mountain. I also plan for the unexpected, such as days that I don’t feel like skiing and days where the fog is so thick you can barely see in front of you, called “Whiteout’s”. These are the times that you need to have a back up plan of things to do otherwise you will get bored quickly. Read more »

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This is Part Two in a series for first time visitors to the snow on what to wear up on the mountain. See part One here.

In the last post I gave an introduction as to how the clothes you take with you to the snow can determine whether your experience at the snow is good or bad. This article is the beginning of things to consider when deciding on the type of clothing to take with you on your Snow Holiday.

When first timers think of a snow holiday at Mt Buller they will most likely first think of the white stuff. Snow!

While Snow is the predominant feature, the conditions in the Alpine region are very diverse and change constantly. Apart from snow, the conditions you can expect to experience are:

• Cold Temperatures
• Wind Gusts and Wind chill
• Sleet
• Rain
• Fog
• Snow Storms

Right now the temperature at Mt Buller is 1.7 degrees Celsius. Taking wind chill into consideration it’s probably closer to feeling like -4.5. And we are still 3 weeks away from the start of Ski Season. These temperatures are also during the day so expect the temperature to drop well below zero at night time.

In terms of what to wear in these conditions, we are looking for maximum warmth, and protection, without looking like the Michelin Man!

Snow is a very beautiful sight to see, but have a go at walking on it in sneakers and track pants and that ‘beautiful sight’ may be short lived! Snow is slippery to walk on. And when it melts it turns into slush. Combine this with rain, sleet or snow, and it can compound the conditions further. So when you begin deciding on what to take with you up to the Mountain, remember that you’ll need footwear that doesn’t make you go ‘a over t’ all the time and clothing that can keep you dry!

Another factor to consider is the wind. On days where a cold front is moving in, the wind can pick up quite considerably and adding wind chill to the temperature. In this case we would want clothing that shields us from this and keeps us warm. Read more »

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