Not a lot of people know this about me but I am a full-blooded winter weather nut, I am constantly trawling the models for winter snow systems - even in summer. As you could imagine, coming from Australia that’s a bloody weird fascination to have.

I am now into my 21st year as an active contributor/mod on ski.com.au, and rarely miss a snow system.

The advantage of developing such a skill-set is that I plan for the ‘windows of opportunities’ sometimes weeks in advance. At least that was often the case until the 2020 ski season came along.

Forget the COVID-side of things, that was it’s own train wreck. But after a less-than-mediocre June & July, statistically August was due to bring some sort of promise. The problem was; my availability seemed to be fruitlessly intersecting with frontal systems & howling Westerlies. Until things started to show on the long range modeling around 8-10 days out.

Given we were seeing this system land mid-to-late August it was looking likely that this winter was going to be a one hit wonder.

The Main Range of Australia; the holy grail of steep, fall-line skiing in Australia. Taken late afternoon Tuesday 25th August

By the 18th August we had the system on our doorstep. It was due to last around 5-6 days and drop 70-100cm of snow on Kosciusko National Park, above 1400m ASL.

By this time I’d already logged my annual leave and started trip planning with several mates.

The reported total by Sunday (23rd) was in the 90-110cm range and temps were due to remain sub-zero for a number of days.

We skinned out of Guthega (1656m) 8am Tuesday the 25th with the snow quality in tip-top shape under blue bird skies. The temp was -4C with a 4-5 hours traverse ahead of us.

Snowy Hydro’s reported 1.7m base (27th) suggested the coverage was just enough, as the recent snowfall had single-handily turned the poor season into an average one. Minimal shrubs and no rocks on the traverse yielded a clear path to the false summit of Mount Twynam (2196m).

The four of us arrived at our meeting point on the Western Faces at around 1pm. albeit 10-15 minutes after each other. Blue bird skies and chilly, light SW’ly winds had lived up to the computer modelling.

With the snow-wall constructed and tent erected, we forged on to bag some lines on a popular NE facing aspect.

We reached the top of the classic main range face by around 3pm. A wind-loaded slab had fallen some days ago and without any lines down the face we had to talk this one through.

The sun had been on it all day with the temps still hovering around -4C. We made the call to drop it one-by-one with glued eyes on each other and avi beacons activated.

I dropped first.

The snow pack was consolidated yet still fresh under rail. The boot deep turns were like knife through butter. The entire bowl was laden and each of us rode down with tight conservative lines, stopping halfway down the bowl to an open drainage.

The next feature funneled into a natural half pipe, likely to be a cascading creek of sorts in the summer months. We dropped again one at a time with fun turns to be had. The right hand wall was dotted with some outcropping rocks and shrubs which added some fancy leg work to our turns.

We kicked out, transitioned and skinned up the moderately pitched skin track.

By this stage we’re into our 5th hour of skinning with perhaps 1000m vertical climb under our belt, by no means an acclaimed day, it was for most us the first tour of the season. The group diverged. Two of us heading back to the tent for lunch and the other fit and hungry tourers skinned off to a not too distant SW facing ridge line.

By dusk, the dreaded Westerly had swung in and we were starting to see cloud push through our camping realm. Around the same time we had another two of our party arrive over the Twynam Peak and into camp. Not long after this the other two, who had been out tracking the SW facing ridge, had returned to camp exhausted but very much fulfilled. Stories were shared about the exceptional snow quality and low temperatures that would be sustained and promise great riding tomorrow.

An early night ensued as tents and bivvys were zipped up by 7pm, under a light Sou-Wester with clearing skies.

The following day began in the dark. Just like most great camping experiences; the wake time is determined by the first riser, which turned out to be around 5:30am on Wednesday. Frozen boots were applied and small talk kept the conversation to a minimum - the measure of the tiredness.

The group once again split into two with 4 heading south east, while 2 of us headed north of our camp to a zone known as Watsons Crags.

The Crags command respect. It’s about as far out-of-bounds as you could be on mainland Aus so it’s important to be prepared for the conditions and manage risks accordingly. The special thing about this zone this time was that there had been very minimal solar impact on this aspect (since the storm) so it was bound to be laden with dry, cold, consolidated snow.

We reached the ‘Dog Leg’ by around 6:45am, under blue bird skies. The temp was probably sitting somewhere around -4/-5C, so we knew the conditions were primed. A couple of steps down the drifted entry, along with a few digs of the shovel and it was all green lights to be ski cut, ahead of a confident drop down the trackless line.

Safety checks completed, we dropped. Hoots and hollers were heard across the chasm, from Awesome Spur. It was an amazing feeling to finally drop the Crags in salubrious conditions. Committed yet conservative lines were laid. Boot-deep powder and clear conditions are all you could ask for in a steep like the ‘Dog Leg’. Managing sluff seemed easy with wall-to-wall coverage and virtually no cover variation. It was all virginal snow.

We collected our excitable thoughts (and jaws) at the top of a merging run out and talked through the amazing experience we both shared.

We transitioned, lashed our splitboards to our packs and boot packed out.

By the time we reached the top entry, I’d made a decision to head back over to camp for breakfast. My fitness just wasn’t matching Blake’s, who carried on for another two laps out at the the further-afield Crags. And by all accounts were better than our first line.

By the time I got back to camp the cloud was beginning to spin leeward of Woods Knoll. The Westerly had made an unexpected return. By midday, we were starting to see the clouds reclaim the Western Faces and by this stage half of the tour-party had made the unfortunate decision to take our gains and abort, an evening earlier than expected. We’d packed up camp and skinned on out.

Weather had deteriorated significantly by the time we reached Twynam’s trig point, but we were virtually home and hosed as the rideable traverse down to Illawong Bridge is an easy one.

At the bridge the thaw was well and truly underway with temps nudging 3-4C and the surface softening down to the shrubbery.

The 36 hour skin trip turned out to be as brief as the 2020 season appears to be, but the conditions were about as good as they get in the Aus backcountry. Here’s hoping we get just one more shot before the snow pack surrenders to the heat.

Gear List:

60L pack
Exped DownMat 9 (R8.0)
Mont Hydranaut Spindrift XT bag (-13C)
BCA2 Tracker Beacon
Grivel G10 Crampons
Grivel Ice Axe G1 66cm
Sony A7R iii + 70-200m 2.8f + 55mm 1.8f
Jones 164 Splitboard with Burton Hitchhiker bindings and spark skins
Modified Trangia Cooker set

All images are my own and available in print form. You’re welcome to email me for sizes and prices.

info@tysonmillar.com

2020: A One Shot Winter