God Bless my wife...we're having a cleanup we have lots of old skiing "stuff" Its a 1986 ski trip..... To Buller..... yet strangely also picked up a Thredbo trail map
Between 1980 and 1984. Snowgums chairlift opened in 1980 and Qantas changed the flying kangaroo logo in 1984.
Awesome stuff @Donzah. I've been looking for an early 80's trail map for ages to remind me of all the old trail names. I see very bored children in my future.
The 1988 season. Article from the Canberra Times dated 15 May 1988. The expansion all kind of happened in one off season. Thredbo promises great skiing Thredbo promises to be an exciting place to ski this year, with $22 million of new development doubling skiing facilities on the mountain. After June, Thredbo will have twice the top-to-bottom skiing as before, double the chairlift capacity, a second car park and a second valley terminal. Two new quad chairs, carrying four skiers at a time, will boost the traffic up the mountain from 3000 people an hour to 7500. It is expected to cut waiting time for lifts by more than half during peak periods. At other times you'll just have time to get your breath back after skiing one of Thredbo's long runs before catching the next chair. The opening of the two new chairlifts also makes it possible to ski a wider choice of runs. Extensive slope grooming has given super-trail status to Merritts, High Noon and a new run called Sundowner, which connects Crackenback Mountain to the new carpark. The new Gunbarrel quad chair goes straight to the top of High Noon, from where the whole mountain opens up. You can even ski Antons, Sponars or Merritts, or ski straight back down High Noon to join the new quad chairs again. Before the start of the 1987 season Thredbo management installed a snow making system that will enable skiing from June to September. All that is needed to make snow is sub zero temperatures and low humidity at night, conditions which occur most of the ski season. Man-made snow is not artificial. It looks and feels the same as natural snow but has a more uniform crystal formation, which means it packs down well, is more resilient and doesn't get carved up as much by heavy ski traffic. The installation of 80 new snowguns will guarantee snow cover most of the time and, by adding to natural snowfalls, will extend the season. The Gunbarrel quad chair starts at the new Friday Flat base which duplicates all the services of the Thredbo Valley terminal. At Friday Flat you can hire skis, buy ski passes and have ski school lessons. There is an information centre and a restaurant for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Friday Flat will be a boon for one-day trippers and people staying in the village. It's situated right next to the car park where you enter the resort and has free sealed parking for a extra 700 cars. For beginners and families with young children a special area has been created and will open in June. The Easy-Does-It chair and run and the new Beginners' Bowl have been built to give new skiers lots of confidence and so help them learn faster. The Beginners' Bowl is next to Friday Flat and is a wide, gradually sloped bowl where novices can overcome the first-day wobbles. From then on they can ride the Easy-Does-It quad chair to the top of the Easy-Does-It run. The name says it all. It is a slope for beginners with gentle uniform grading. There is even a half-way stop so you can stick to the easiest slopes until you feel confident enough to tackle the top. And the quad chair runs at a slightly slower pace to give the newies plenty of time to settle in. Most novices are introduced to the sport by skiing friends. Since the beginners' area is close to the bottom of the Gunbarrel chairlift, the experts can still do their own thing and keep an eye on the beginners' progress.
Aaaahh.... the old High Noon. Skinny little sucker in the lower section. Thigh burning hell. No snowmaking or real grooming that you pampered pooches enjoy these days. Good work donzah.
Descends about 300m vert in about 1km. The last 200m of vert tightens up. When the run was narrower than today in that last pinch......
That’s so cool. Apparently my first trip to the snow was the 1988 Thredbo season. Pity I was too young to remember.
I didnt even know Thredders existed back then. However catching up nicely now with about 18 visits all up to date
I do recall the maps not changing for several years. The change of sponsorships would be a good clue. I don't remember the Mitey Mite still at Merritts in 1986. One year can meld into the next quite easily though.
Hi kids, first skied Thredbo in '72 but that was on the timber skis, so properly in the mid 70s... will try dig up a photo
Cannot remember exact first year at Thredbo but it was late 70s or 1980.. Flew from Brissie to Cooma. Stayed at the Thredbo Alpine Hotel. Skied Merritts. Fond memories.
