Where is their report! The last one, with no snow depth data, was Tuesday 6.23am. No report = people not going to Baw Baw this weekend. Gwinear has reported 33cm this morning so Baw Baw might be quite good. The ball has been dropped by the resort staff and it might have rolled down a wombat hole .
Best to look at the snowcams IMO. Anyway, they'll have fun squeezing the several hundred Snow Train day-trippers tomorrow on their small patch of tobaggan slope...
Is there a snow train tomorrow, Hermon? I live in Pakenham and I distinctly heard the lovely sound of a steam loco whistle last weekend. I remarked to my wife that that will probably be the snow train. I had another great day on Thursday at BB. An overnight top up fall gave a beautiful powdery top on the base. I havent skied the Painted/Playground run for many years, but since it was open I relived old memories. Regarding the comments about skiing under the access chair, I remember there was a mid station on the chair, and skiing down to it was ( for a klutzy skier like me) a bit of a challenge. I agree with those who are not happy with the snow reports from BawBaw. The gauge beside the summit T was showing about 45cm on Thursday. Great cover! I don't know why the reports here on Ski.com show zero. Richard?
The chair had two mid loads when it was first built (69-70), the lower didn't have enough snow to make it usable most the time the upper was used a lot. I don't recall the exact reason they got removed. I expect having an operator at the mid load might of been part, leaving empty chairs at the bottom another. Maybe to somewhat to reduce the load on the motor, to reduce the running costs. Also, they would have been difficult to secure when the lift was closing (every Sunday in the early years till the following Friday). One year, a guy decided to jump over the closed gates at the top, load his gear on chairs ahead of him, then his son and himself after that. The lift stopped a hundred metres or so before he got to the bottom, then he got to watch and the staff pack up, kill the generator and head off mountain for the week....
hmm, I knew that was coming... I don't recall the detail, they did live, and then tried to sue the lift co. I think that must of been when the lift co added the red flashing lights to the top station once the lift was closed (but still running to get the top station operator down).
Great day on the hill today. The deepest and driest snow I’ve seen at Baw Baw in my 15 years visiting.
Time for another update. Great day yesterday. Firm base with a dusting of fresh on top. The lower part of Summit and Hut became softish and chopped up by mid afternoon. Sunny with a little cloud at times. Maltese, Hut, Summit, and Painted running. For some reason, Tank was not running which makes returning to the car park a bit of a slog since Home run cannot be accessed.( I wonder if Baw Baw would ever consider introducing a Zoo Cart, Hotham style to make getting to the lifts and back to the carpark easier. I guess with a tight budget, that's not going to happen) With Painted running, I had a few runs on Playground and also visited Muellers Lookout. Great views. I've heard that it is possible to see Mt. Buller on a clear day, from Muellers, but it was a little hazy with some cloud on the horizon, so I couldn't really see. While I was there, The Howling Huskys sled teams came by. They stopped, so the riders could take in the view. Hope this season lasts well into September.
Alrighty Baw Baw Brains Trust! I'm making my first ever trip up on Sunday, along with my uncle, cousin and girlfriend. Does anyone have any tips to make our maiden visit to BB better? Where should we park, any roads to avoid? Best places to eat etc. My girlfriend and I have our own skis, and uncle and cousin will hire in Melbourne the day before, so no gear hire necessary. Is BB the same as Hotham/Buller in that it's best to purchase resort entry permit online the night before? We will be leaving from Mornington early Sunday morning, is this recommended Google Maps route the best? Thanks in advance
Not sure about the 'brains trust', but here are some of my tips, others will add I'm sure. Chains are mandatory to carry, if you can, practice beforehand how to put them on (and take them off), and on which wheels, if unsure check your vehicle manual, carry gloves and small tarp for this purpose. If anyone prone to car sickness, go via Sth Face. If severe weather conditions, go via Sth Face, be aware that both approaches were closed the weekend before last due to severe weather. Keep checking BB's FB site and BOM for weather/road conditions updates. If diesel car, put some additive in. No fuel sold on the mountain. Resort entry fee paid at gate. Now for the other brains trusts!
Cheers, have lots of experience with chain fitting so no issues there. Good tip RE the road updates, thanks
Just some clarification, chain hire/fitting is available at resort entry UNLESS severe weather/snow conditions, see their website for more details on this. Diesel additive generally only required if staying overnight.
I know Mt BB is not exactly the same as Mt. St. G. but I always come into MSG from Moe and Erica to access Mt. St. G. The times I have been to Mt. BB I have used the South face road because the windy twisty turny other way is not my kind of thing at all , especially if you get stuck behind a caravan :-0.
Just a note, correct me if wrong though, south face rd is unsealed so Not sure what car you have, but if you have a 4WD you’ll have no issues on there!
First visit to Baws yesterday and had a really fun day! Was worried it was going to be crazy busy with Fathers Day but crowds were not an issue. Fun little mountain and was great to explore with my 15 cousin who is still learning skiing. Would go back in a hurry though as we skied all of the runs, twice haha. Small but enjoyable place that's perfect for beginners and families. Snow quality was excellent and it snowed, sometimes heavily, most of the day. Some take away's: Drive up via Tanjil Bren sucks hard, so slow with a heap of blind corners and being stuck behind slow cars with no option for them to pull over Black runs are a joke, and most of the blues would be considered green runs at other resorts. Don't try to be something you're not. Own the family friendly/beginner vibe and pump up the fact that confident begginers can explore the whole resort. Baw Baw has such a friendly vibe! Had lots of chats over the day with many different peopl
Run gradings are not there so people can make comparisons of runs between resorts. Rather, they are there to show the relative difficulty of runs within a resort.
Really? I always assumed run ratings were supposed to be relatively similar across various resorts in a country. In Japan, NZ or Europe where you might ski a different resort or area every day you would want the run ratings to be consistent. Imagine if you skied a black and Baw Baw, then went to Hotham and thought you could ski a black there?
Yes, really. Resorts tend to grade their runs in a relatively consistent manner, but ultimately it is an internal grading system. You should never assume that because you can ski a black run at one place that you will be comfortable skiing a black run somewhere else. Resorts use run grading as a marketing tool. Some are desperate to show more black on the map, others are keen to have more blue. Apex in Canada is a good example of the latter. Some of their blues would be blacks at places like Big White.
I have XC skied at many different places this season and what I have learned is that the gradings of difficulty are not the same at another place. For instance XC BLUE runs at Lake Mtn. are not the same as XC BLUE Runs at Mt. Stirling. The XC RACE LOOP( A Blue Run) at Mt. Stirling would be graded as a black run at Lake Mtn. The XC Blue runs at Mt. Buffalo are not comparable with the Blue Runs at Dinner Plain to Hotham or at Falls Ck and/or Mt. St. Gwinear etc. etc. If you like Mt. Baw Baw then put on chook footing skis and check out Mt. Erica and Mt.St.G.
Sounds like a great day - it was great at Lake Mtn too. It's no secret Bawb's run grading system is unique. I guess it provides beginners some feel good factor ticking off the colours. As for the road, try the South Face Road (SFR), via Erica next time. It's gravel but a very good std gravel & much less windy than the BBTR. Much less traffic too and usually has little or snow (below 900m). For people who have car-sick prone passengers - it's the only real choice. It's a bit further in distance from SE subs but roughly the same time to drive. Hopefully will be sealed some day.
Hmm.. Tomorrow (Sunday) negative all day. Snowfall clearing in the afternoon. But when is the road clearing? http://www.bom.gov.au/places/vic/mount-baw-baw/forecast/
Wow. It has been a great season at BB. Last Tuesday was my 9th trip this season. The warmer weather has taken some toll on the snow but the cover was still very good! Turned 70 a few weeks ago so now I'm enjoying free skiing. Thanks BB! Just love the laid back atmosphere. All I want for future seasons is South Face Road sealed and maybe a chairlift on either Summit or perhaps Maltese.
Free skiing? Sounds great! SFR sealing would be nice but with a Fourby its not a biggie for many (me) - great for summer tourism though. Chairs would be good - great for mtn biking in summer too! A decent top to bottom (real snow) snowmaking system with sufficient water storage and licence would be ideal and I'd say vital as seasons lean off with time (I'd say this one is against trend - which is fabulous!) In fact 'fancy new chairs' without decent snowmaking is a 'bit cart before the horse' Imo. But yes decent SM - then bring on the chairs!!
A chairlift with footrests or closed gondolas and music ? And pretty "mountain representatives " to tell you to have a nice day ? Be careful what you wish for, you might then lose free mountain entry. And the calamari at Central might no longer be a bargain...
What I’d like to see at BB us some engagement with public - esp over the green season. Perhaps a user/stakeholder meeting in both the Valley & Melbourne - like the big mtns do/did? Despite BB being nominally run by /for the Govt., I cant recall a single measly invite for such a meeting in recent years. Sure they have surveys but how would one know if they’re even read & considered. And the survey seens more aimed at accomodation & food issues, parking sevs. Meetings need to look athe bigger long term picture: lifts & SMing & their future? Same with water storage & licence, elec & gas plans? Plans to repair the village loop xc trail which has been shamefully ignored (virtually unskiable & rideable (in summer) for 20 years.( Just an idea for anyone connected to the board/mtn. The ideas are out there!! (/:-/)
Hut running top to bottom yesterday and Summit, too, with a diversion to the right half way down under the lift. By midday, however, it was soft and slow going. After lunch, muddy patches were appearing in the tow path and rocks emerging towards the bottom. An Indian family was surprised to see a skier appear suddenly near the bottom of Maltese. Another report said the bottom of Champagne had full cover. But it won't last long; fat lady could be heard above the gurgling of mountain streams. See you next year, friendly lifties!
