Nutcracker Ski Club

There’s been alot happening across the Australian Ski Resorts over Summer and with ski season three weeks away we are very close the benefiting from those improvements.

Perisher Blue @ Hotham have topped the list with a AUD$16.25 Million investment into the installation of 99 snowmaking guns with associated pipelines that will generate an extra 712,000 cubic meters of snow. Perisher have also invested into new grooming equipment, improvements on it’s fencing and drains which will vastly improve the surface quality for skiers and boarders. 

Also at Hotham, Charlotte Pass has installed a new conveyor belt and invested in it’s terrain park to attract the younger skiers and boarders to the sport. The ski rental services have been upgraded.

Of Course at Buller the resort has worked hard over Summer to get the six man chairlift ready. Real Estate development has also occurred with new lodge accommodation being built.

“The Australian resorts continue to investigate, test and then implement the world’s best in alpine technology,” said Andrew Ramsey, Executive Director of the Australian Ski Areas Association. “It is essential we stay up to date to strengthen winter alpine tourism which contributes AUD $1.3 billion net to the national economy. These works will ensure Australia’s resorts stay well ahead of other southern hemisphere snow destinations.”

Thanks to First Tracks for the article.

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I was reading a popular fashion magazine on the weekend and came across an article relating to fashion for a mountain/snow getaway.

What they were suggesting was a choice of cotton tracksuit pants, nylon blend hoodie, gloves, scarf, snow boots and a handbag. Will this be practical and keep you warm in snow conditions? No Way!

Sure, you might look great in a pair of $200 fashion designed track pants, but you’re butt will be shivering before you get 100 meters from the snug warm Lodge! Being this cold, you may not venture outside for the rest of your time and the chances of you having a great snow experience are very slim. Also, cotton track pants aren’t generally waterproof so you will end up with wet legs and bum out in the snow!

I’m feeling cold and uncomfortable just writing that sentence.

So, you end up wasting $200 on track pants that don’t keep you warm and dry, and you’ve wasted your well earned, and expensive, holiday up on the mountain staying indoors. Would you consider going up to the snow again after that? Highly Unlikely. And that would be a shame.

What you take up to the mountain to wear can make all the difference to your snow experience.

It prompted me think about my first time at the snow and what I thought was going to be appropriate clothing for the conditions. From that first experience, and others holidays to the snow since, what advice I could impart to first timers heading up to the snow this year?

This is a very simple guide aimed at first timers to the snow. I’m certainly no expert in snow clothing and I won’t go into depth about brands and clothing technology, that might be something you can research for yourself, but at least you will have an idea of what to expect, how to dress for the conditions and how to have a good experience at the snow without getting cold and catching one in the process!

I’m never cold up at the snow, so I can’t be doing that bad 

Over the next few days I will post a series of articles on this subject. I will take into consideration all the aspects of going on a snow holiday - what conditions to expect, what activities you may do up on the mountain and the type of clothes you will need to consider. I’ll try to include a couple of examples that you might want to consider purchasing.

For those of you who are seasoned snow bunnies and have any suggestions or comments you’d like to add, they are greatly welcome. As I said, I’m no expert, this is what works for me, others may have different ideas and they would be more than appreciated.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss this series subscribe to our news feed at the top of the sidebar.

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An article in the Australian today, “Cloud Seeding - a Possum threat”, has made mention of the NSW government plans to double the scale of cloud seeding in Kosciuszko National Park.

“Colong Foundation for Wilderness director Keith Muir warned that NSW government plans to double the scale of cloud seeding in Kosciuszko National Park could produce more rain than snow at the Mount Selwyn ski resort.

“Snow-dependant animals like the mountain pygmy possum could freeze to death when rain produced by cloud seeding washes away the insulating winter blanket of snow in marginal areas,” he said.

University of Melbourne expert Paul Metrovsky has studied mountain pygmy possums and agreed increased rainfall could further endanger the species. “If cloud seeding increases the rain, the possums will lose too much energy as they’ll wake up several times from their hibernation,” Mr Metrovsky said.

The possums need the insulation of snow while hibernating between April and October, he added.”

“Mr Muir said NSW plans to double the $20million cloud seeding experiment had been formulated regardless of the impact of climate change. “Cloud seeding is effective only in a limited number of weather conditions,” he said.

“It is a self-evident fact that temperatures will continue to rise, the snow line must also rise and rain will replace snow in marginal areas.”

Snowy Hydro Corporation claims it has conducted successful cloud seeding operations in the Snowy Mountains for the past four winters.

“Results have been promising, with preliminary data supporting the experts’ predictions of an average 10per cent increase in snow falls over a 10-year period,” the corporation said in a statement this month.”

Cloud seeding, a form of weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation.

In mid-latitude clouds,  seeding strategy has been predicated upon the fact that the equilibrium vapor pressure is lower over ice than over water. When ice particles form in supercooled clouds, this fact allows the ice particles to grow at the expense of liquid droplets. If there is sufficient growth, the particles become heavy enough to fall as snow from clouds that otherwise would produce no precipitation. This process is known as “static” seeding.

It has also been told that China will be seeding the clouds for the Beijing Olympics so that there will be no rain during the medal ceremonies.

Personally, I love the Pygmy Possum and do not want to see their population decline any further. Cloud Seeding concerns me on many levels and I think should be better established scientifically before money is heavily invested. With a predicted bumper season ahead of us, do we really need that extra 10% right now?

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Update: Thankyou to those that applied for the position of Lodge Manager. The position has now been filled.

LODGE MANAGER

Nutcracker Ski Club requires a Lodge Manager for season 2008. Nutcracker is a small 16 bed Lodge on Goalpost Road, Mt Buller. The Lodge Manager is required to meet and greet guests, liaise with the booking officer with respect to weekly bookings and where needed, clean and carry out small maintenance activities. The Club provides the Lodge Manager free accommodation for the season and will negotiate a fee for cleaning. It is anticipated the Manager would begin the opening weekend of the ski season which is 7th, 8th, 9th June.

Interested parties should email the President, Michael Griffiths, or call 0418 320 151.

Alternatively please use the contact form on the contact page.

Thanks

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Falls Creek have had 15cms of snow since Sunday, with reports of depths being 25cms in places.

So someone up there decided to get the ski’s out and make us all jealous that we can’t be up there to enjoy the early snow

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