You beat me to it CC. Thursday arvo was bit ordinary as we were skiing on ice dropped from the trees, I was getting blisters and thinking that this ski touring is over rated. However, woke up Friday and the wind had dropped along with a couple of centimetres of fresh snow. the clouds blew away and we just had the most beautiful bluebird day ski touring. We skied up the summit trail onto mcMillans thru Baragwanath then right thru the middle of the Tors. we ended up at Currawong flat then did a leftie to get back to the main track back to BawBaw. At no stage were we lost! Friday really reignited my love for BB, have been there off and on since late 70's! We saw no other skiers once clear of the resort, just the sound of birds and howling wolves (well Huskys)!
Hi CrissCross, I thought the trail through the Tors was marked? Used to be. I think closer to MSG PV in theory place stakes but BBaw is mostly permenant on trees - from memory?? Sounds like cover is (was) ok? Oh to have a metre like ~ 95' and ski everywhere! (Sigh!) Glad you and your enjoyed the slide.
Hello, SG. There were a couple of pink tags near the bottom of Tors trail and some markers in a gully on the other side. We chose not to ski down that tight, lumpy section and instead made our way to the right. I think you are correct in that patrollers from Gwinear usually put out temporary markers through Tullicouty Glen and the Tors (and also the blue 'Saints' trail) but perhaps have not done so, yet. I understand very little involvement by PV but perhaps they have to approve it? Don't mention 95, please, as I foolishly took long service leave and went to visit friends and travel in WA. Snorkelling at Coral Bay and Turquoise was memorable, but missed an epic ski season and realised how much I really enjoy skiing. Haven't missed another winter in Vic. Cover on Friday was really good, but I understand it has been rained on since. More to come tomorrow, fingers crossed. Hope you can get out there soon.
Was up on the hill yesterday sadly not to ski but do urgent repairs, it did rain heavily at times cover seemed to be holding up ok. It was getting very soft by the time i left , village worn badly due to human traffic and lots of it. Should get a top up tonight with any luck.
Been quite a while since we have seen that number Going to need every cm of it, just got our rates notice more than 20k ouuccchhhh
Yes, except for the Old Chairlift, which obviously they couldn't be bothered to move to a better location, or the lovely green tinged Bowl camera. If the other resorts can get it right, why can't BB?
Why would you bother keeping a glorified access chair the top 100m of which you open once a season for 2 days. Old bottom station was condemned too. No wonder really. I lived there many years ago. 20 years of no lasting base marginal snow, multiple owners/changes of management and low elevation might do that. Care to sink some money into a pit? On topic but not on snow. Building a granite rock wall in Frankston sth in the shade. Cold. Brrrr.
Not sure what you're on about, but I was commenting on the 'Old Chairlift' camera in reply to priderocks post.
And that's not all The Plowking got wrong The bottom station of the chairlift was NEVER condemned It had some asbestos sheeting, which could have been easily replaced if the ARMB had wanted to renew the chairlift lease instead of stealing it! BTW, some folks skied the Jeep Track yesterday and today!
I remember the old chairlift and the old (yellow buses?) you had to catch from the carpark to the bottom of the lift. There was some good snow then but I also remember lots of ice and I also recall getting a huge bruise after falling on skinny skis on one of the downhill runs and hitting a huge rock covered by about 1" of snow!
So, you remember all of that weerab, yet you have no idea what you did yesterday? Welcome to my world!
I had to look up my BIL's phone number the other day but couldn't remember his surname! It came to me after about 10 minutes.
I do remember skiing the jeep track, mid station on chair, but the best was skiing from village to bottom station now that was awesome Although many moons ago, was lucky I had free trips back up on chair ahh the good old days
Night times down the road was a good laugh too. And up with a rope and 4x4 Ah the good old days with no police presence or officialdom. Those skidoos got a good workout too! And turning the lifts on after a dump before being officially open. Many good times at Baw Baw
True the no OHS police days,I remember the skidoo we had on the chairlift ,with driving lights on the front. Remember having a tow up the hill in late September on a skidoo , did quite a few runs that day
Another goody was the bottom station at Maltese. Walking across timber pallets over the floor lake to restart after a trip.
Its amazing we survived They had those weird plastic raised cups that you would ski over as well to substitute for snow ,like putting the handbrake on. Not good when skiing on wooden skis with cable binding and leather boots
You have timed it well so many good places to stay ay BB, Enjoy the fantastic snow and they predict more tomorrow
cover at MSG is looking pretty good with more expected tomorrow. I am keen to go up Friday with the possibility of staying locally and going up briefly again on Saturday. Have you had your skiing allocation for this week or are you interested? Does anyone know if the Gwinear road is cleared during the week.
Hi, Rob. Certain cover at MSG will be good, but I would not count on the road to be clear. PV not so reliable up there these days (imo). I would enjoy going up with you but will be in Sydney visiting family out from England. Def at FC 16-23 Aug. Conditions also vg at LM. Get into it, laddie!
Hi there, I'm a newbie on this forum. I went to MSG last weekend and am planning again this Saturday. Conditions were awesome and with this week's snow can only get better ! I'm happy to offer a lift to someone from Melbourne eastern suburbs some time mid morning Sat (can't leave earlier -- have some commitments in the morning). My car can only fit one person - apart from me of course and I would be grateful if that person knows how to drive a manual. Reply to this forum if interested.
Baw Baw now reporting a snow depth of 90cm. While 1995 was huge (apart from a late-August melt), Sept 1994 also saw snow depths exceed 1 metre.
2008 had a peak depth of almost 1.2m IIRC. I was lucky enough to be up there at the peak of that season. Don't think we will quite get there this time around but we should be good into September as long as we don't get too much blow dryer
Does anyone know anything about this accident, doesn't look to be in a good way? http://www.trfm.com.au/news-sport/article/150808/baw-baw-skier-critical/41#.VcgQRnGqpBc
Friend of a friend. Doesn't sound like things are going well at all. I think he has broken one or two vertebrae in his neck and apparently went into cardiac arrest on the slope. I don't know too much more beyond this.
Channel 9 news reported in critical but stable condition yesterday, resus on mountain , then driven to rawson oval, and air lifted to melb. Happened on painted run , prayers and wishes to him and family for a great recovery
My understanding is that full recovery is highly unlikely. Should he survive, it is likely he will be a quadriplegic.
Hi Guys, This will be the first time- after a very long time we will be heading to Baw Baw during peak snow season. I was planning going on Wednesday early morning, being there around 8. Weather forecast is showing snow. So I was wondering what the roads and visibility is like heading into the mountain. Is it easy to drive into the village? How do they compare to Buller? I only drive a small corolla! I'm a noob to skiing, want to teach my wife some basics as well as practice at moving to intermediate stage my self. Is Baw Baw good for that? Altervative is Buller- which I really enjoyed last time I went and is slightly closer to us. PS I'm reposting here as I didn't receive any responses to a new thread I created yesterday. I'll delete that one now if I can. Thanks jag
Welcome to the forum. Are you just going for the day? Where would you be leaving from (there are a few different routes to Baw Baw)? I don't think the Wednesday system is likely to amount to much for Baw Baw, so I don't think you will have too many issues with the roads. Obviously you will need to keep a close eye on reports though (and keep an eye on the predictions thread on here). You will need to carry chains. Of course if it snows you may need to fit chains. Baw Baw and Buller from a skiing perspective are completely different. Baw Baw is all surface lifts, no chairs. The runs are shorter at Baw Baw and there is nothing there to intimidate a learning skier. Baw Baw is small and intimate compared to Buller. In other words, for you guys Baw Baw would be perfect. Oh, and Baw Baw will be much cheaper. I say go for it!
In terms of getting up there, you should be fine. I drive a Hyundai Getz and it gets up there no worries. Only issue will be whether you need to fit chains - there is a chance you might if there is snowfall. Make sure you practice fitting them - once you do it will make sense. It's really only the last 3-4km where it might be an issue (if there is going to be one - which there shouldn't!). As for the skiing, Baw Baw is fantastic for beginners, especially with the amount of snow they have at the moment. Once you master the basics, just about the entire mountain is your oyster. If I wasn't stuck at uni I would be up there teaching all my friends to ski! Have a blast
I think Wednesday is also half price lift tickets so could be busy. Last time I was up there, there was no actual ticket box, you just park then go over to the visitor centre and pay for parking.