I swear started a similar thread a few years ago but i can't seem to locate it... anyway, I was looking at an old run map when the Koala Park platter caught my eye. I was too young to remember it at the time (probably spent most of my time at the Big D!) and would like to know why they got rid of the lift and what is there in its place - I'm picturing trees and shrubs? Also, with the run names changing and all that, do the current hotham boundaries contain the same runs that have always been skied, or are they located elsewhere? eg pink hamburg, womens downhill etc. Feel free to add any other interesting run history, all the more to feed my curiosity! Cheers
OK, I want to know where the Koala Park platter was located (maybe Bogong too). Most mountains have set up beginners' lift in inaccessible places before realising that they were not well received by the newcomers to the extreme sport of playing with gravity. Who can remember the adrenalin produced when approaching the steepest part of Summit, or the recurring nightmares after managing to avoid the trees during the first trip to Brockoff , like an Olympic bobsled run of ice and ruts... brrr
If you are really interested in Hotham ski history, then find a copy of Mick Hull's "Mountain Memories". The first half has some great stories and heaps of photos. You will need to look for it in a second-hand book store; I believe it is out of print now.
Koala Park was moved from the Basin to behind Hotham Central. It was on relatively flat terrain and had lots of things set up for kids ski school. It was latter moved the Summit.
I posted a great old pick of Hotham from the top of Higgi looking towards Feathertop a few years ago. I have it some where I will see if I can find it. Would be worth another look.
Seriously, what a kick ass place to build a ski resort. Just a damn shame the road runs straight through the middle of it.
Just need to go back to the days of snow and ice covered road and problem solved Imagine how much fun that would be for the punters.
They'd love it! As they slid down the hill into a gully... I think it's time for another great Australian engineering feat - a tunnel for the road that goes right under the 'village' and pops out the other side, leaving a nice pedestrian only area around White Crystal and Zirkys
I am not sure who all these belong to, so appologies if they are your, let me know and I'll make sure I acknowledge you!
Funny thing, we were just discussing this yesterday over a glass (or two or three or four) of wine. Anyone have the capital to fund it?
Don't know what year it was Toff. late 60's would be my guess, but Bogong, or Sandy may help further. I know we discussed this last time posted it. BTW I would love to see the next few frames of the last shot Trappers posted of the guys skiing off the roof. All I can imaging are cartoon like shots of them stuck head first in the snow with only their legs and skis visable!
It's hard to date Luken's photo, but the summit Poma was installed in 1966, so it would have to be after then. Old resort maps would show when lodges were built. Wonderful pics trappers. No one has written a full Hotham history yet, but club histories also tell a lot about the resort, the best published sources are: Donald Bennett. Hotham horizon: the Alpine Club of Victoria. The author, 1987. Jennifer McLennan. Not below 5000: a history of the Ski Club of East Gippsland. S.C.E.G., 2001. Lynette Sheridan. University Ski Club: 1929 - 1979. U.S.C., 1988.
any chance you can scan and post the run map, the oldest ive seen is the one posted by azz last year.
The original Hotham Heights Chalet. Open 1925 - 1939. Along with the Buller Chalet (1929 - 1943) and Buffalo Chalet (1910 - 2006), it was responsible for skiing becoming a major sport in Victoria. Here is the newly rebuilt Hotham Heights in 1939. This was a rush job after the old one burnt down in January of that year. It was to be extended in the summer of 1940, but the war intervened and the additions weren't added until the late 40's by which time there were 5 other lodges on the mountain. Hotham Heights Hotel, early 1950's.
There are a ton of great pics in a book I read called "Mountain Memories" by Mick Hull. It would be a tough book to find now
Mick Hull. Mountain memories: sixty years of skiing. The author, 1990. 440 pages There is some good history and interesting photos, but like many self published books, it really could have benefited from an editor with a big red pen. It isn't an easy read and the last third is pretty much a very long "what I did on my holidays" report on European ski resorts. You can get it in second hand bookshops for about $50. I think I have a spare copy in storage if anyone really wants one.
It is well worth the read! Some really awesome stories in there about some tragic trips up Mt Bogong and stories about Bill Spargo.
The map I'm referring to is from a link to old ski maps in wikiski, and I think its from 1990. If anyone (like Azz maybe?) has some older ski maps it would be great to see them! This is the link to the map I was referring to ---> http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Mount-hotham_1990_map.jpgo And thanks everyone for all your replies, the photos are especially great, so much snow!
that photo of luken's i'm 99% sure is a photo i took years ago of what was on my dunny door. Anyway i think it was from an alpine resorts commission calendar run mid 80s maybe
now i'm not so sure about either...i had an image like that, i took photos of it, lukens image is on my harddrive, exactly....did you get that image from here luken? just trying to ascertain if i have finally lost it...the plot that is
I scanned that image from a pic that was in an old Calendar. I don't know from when as all I kept when I was a kid was the pic and didn't tink too much about anything else. But mid 80's does sound about right.
Here is the link to the full size one. I think it works.... http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/Killersmits/oldcalendarhotham.jpg
i observe in that pic that over towards the orchard runs, there are no lines going down into the valley, just trees. So am i to believe that those runs were made from trees being uprooted etc?
I used to have a map from before the Village chair and even a brochure from early 80s but I don't think I have them anymore.
Yes, its a little hard to read from about the halfway point. But the early history is great reading and the pic's really convey the story. P.S. I have a signed copy from Mick Hull. I bought it at a ski show, all those years ago when Mick was first selling them. I think the show was in the old Exhibition building.
Yeah we have one at Trapdoor too he signed it with "Up the trapdoor" or something The first half is addictive reading
Not long with some bulldozers! What's very interesting is too see how much "summer grooming" (actually earthworks) that has happened on Heavenly. Track down Imagine - or at least try to...
Here is my very quick effort to illustrate where the runs are today showing how much summer grooming has been done. Shhhesh....I don't know how VSG has patience to do these drawings all the time.
Imagine (Harper's Gully) and Slalom Gully had extensive work done to it when HV was put in. I believe that there was a rock slide during the works.
I remember hearing about and seeing some pics of a mud/rock slide around the bottom of Imagine into Slalom Gully one year not long after Heavenly was put in. But I don't think it was the one Cuppa was talking about.
A good place to start looking would be the Swifts Creek bookshop. I picked up a copy there a couple of years ago, and Peter will chase a copy if he doesn't have one. I notice the business is up for sale incidentally.
The Swifts Creek bookshop owner was a crusty old bloke, probably the only revolutionary socialist in the Omeo region. He had a pretty good stock of mountain history but it was pricey. I've bought a fair bit of stuff from him over the years. Don't overlook The Octagon Bookshop in Omeo. A really good stock of new stuff including things that I thought were long out of print. Opening hours are a little erratic, but given a days notice, they will usually open for you. http://www.omeoregion.com.au/bookshop/
Oh! my!! Its wonderful to see the mountain as it used to be ! I haven't posted here for a very long time and I see that my photos pop up!! On post # 710904 from trappers, I have these postcards .I have # 2 and #4 On the post # 710910 , #1 and 3 are old postcards that I have and the photos # 4 & 5 are mine!! I scanned these a long time ago for a thread here on Hotham in 1980, when we had an exceptional snow year. The two guys in the photo are a friend of mine and the lodge manager at the time. They were skiing off the roof of Vagabond Lodge onto our roof. The Snowbird was amazing that year.To get into the building , there were steps up to an entrance through one of the upstairs bedrooms!! Great days!! May they come again...please!!
I could be wrong but I dont think the Brockoff Poma is in that pic. Summit was built in 66 but Im not sure when Brockoff was put in. That would narrow it down a bit.
Summit Poma = 1966 - 1987 Brockhoff Poma = 1973 - 1986 That picture shows the old Hotham Heights Hotel, so that also dates it Hotham lifts and the dates they were built are listed here: http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australian_ski_tow_directory#Mt_Hotham The people that put together lists like this have way too much time on their hands!
