Autumn in the air up here in Bathurst too BLI. Hope you get a good season this year. Should be a good change over the next few weeks, systems seem to be allowing the cool air a bit further north atm.

 

Looks like the day shelter is about to get a new floor. Tender was in the paper on Saturday. The deck outside has also been replaced by PWS.

 

It's 30 deg outside and I'm checking the snow forum. Damn you winter, for being so far away!

 

Light snowfalls and hail yesterday around 4pm on the Ben, Unsure if any more fell over night.

Winter is on its way

 

Few pics of recent building works

 

Power plant?

 

Sewerage treatment plant I reckon.

 

Yup, upgraded poo farm agitator

 

That's shithouse

 

someone lit a and the old one burnt down

 

Some one tell me it is snowing on the Ben... please :

 

Speaking with LCC 'contact', they are intending to do some more road works on the lower sections of the road, outside park boundary. Widening a couple of sections and improving some corner sight lines. They are just working through the possibility if increasing speed because of better vision and maintains good surfaces conundrum.
Will post dates and details as I have them.

 

Someone has to have a photo of the Ben at the moment yeah?

 

from the Creek Inn

 

I would be surprised if this system hasn't deposited something on the Ben, anyone?

 

We can only hope.. Still nothing to speak of on Mt Mawson

 

B 4cm of very wind blown snow and ice on the mt over the weekend

 

Something showing on the Mawson cam this arvo,

 

She all but rained off mawson now, hope temps are still cooler on the Ben

 

Story in today's Examiner

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1576366/mountain-is-open-for-business/

 

Thanks Brad a little base builder looks like it should stay cold the next few days.

Is the snow gun operating this season ?

 

The guns have started

 

Web Cams back up and running for the year thanks to Ben Lomond Snowsports.
Not much can be done about the location of the cams due to limited reception on the mountain, but these two give at least an idea of the current conditions.

Should update hourly from 0700 til 1700 daily.

Cheers

 

We did try different windows in the building but they gave a worse angle that what these two do.

 

-11.1 at Liawenie last night a new June record I believe.

The Ben must have also been chilly, any unofficial readings from last night ?

 

The photos emerging this morning all look extremely promising! Keep delivering Huey..

 

Any thoughts on weather a mission to the Ben is worthwhile this weekend?

Living in Geelong, $69 airfares to Launceston, bugger all snow in Vic, never been and I have a itch that is getting worse as time progresses. May feels like so long ago!!

 

No need for tows, happy to hike. is their enough on the ground to make it worthwhile? Places near by to set up a camp? Huts?

 

The question remains....
Will this be a season starter?
Excitement is building in Hobart Town

 

Looks like at least as much at Mawson and its only starting to turn SW.

Dove Lake is coping it too

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=28485

 

Lifts are strung and prepped to operate, awaiting the weather to clear. At the moment the forecast doesn't indicate the conditions changing too much until at least Tuesday. Stay tuned.

 

sure is enough for the tows to run

wil need some more snow to fill in village tow line after people walking up that way today (why do people do that?)

 

Because AE have not got there act together as usual. That is why no one buys a season pass on Ben Lomond anymore. There could be 2 meters of snow and nothing would change. That is why people go up the lift line.

 

I reckon that is bollocks. People go up the lift line because it is easier to walk along the tow lines. These areas have been kind of groomed (re rocks etc). So perhaps a different way of looking at this is that if sufficient people tramp up the ski tow line, in a sense this is human powered snow grooming such that the snow cover will be compressed into rough shape. Afterall as people traverse the tow line with skis/boards this is what they too are doing. So perhaps it is not such a bad thing.

As to AE, well lets put it this way, sure they may not be ready to open, the weather up there is still crap so who cares you can't ski or board comfortably under the current conditions. The other factor is of course no one is going to buy a season pass here in Tassie, the ski seasons over the past 15 + years have been too inconsistent/limited. It makes no economical sense. I would't bother either. If I get up from Hobart for a few days that might be about as best as it gets.

Am looking at going to Perisher for a few days but it is so expensive up there, that is why we normally go to NZ for a week, its cheaper, better and more reliable.

 

Snow cover was so soft and fluffy almost anywhere you walked yesterday left knee deep holes.

When I was shoveling out the door to the lodge it was like moving sand rather than digging snow.

And the 2cm frozen crust on top gave a very big false sense of security as to what was hard enough to walk on or even take a skidoo over.

Without a big freeze first, the lift lines would have been tracked out in no time.