Snow Report Thredbo 2022 - Trip Reports, Pics, Updates and Conditions.
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There seems to be at least one fatality in OZ resorts each year (other than medicals) RIP to someone too young, hope thats it though. It can literally happen to anyone, sure you mitigate, but still.
I tend to agree, where he went to school has no relevance to the story.
I have read several articles that make reference toward the end of the article that he was a valued member of the school community which is fair
No fight intended!!
SMH were reporting his school from the first reports yesterday. SMH often seems to feature the private school angle, even though as you say it’s just totally irrelevant to the terrible accident. But once out there most media just tend to copy it.
I didn’t think it aggravated the tragedy so didn’t worry about it
It can catch you out.High Noon over the years.
I would consider myself very competent, but it's the one run in Aus that I download on the lift rather than skiing if I'm tired at the end of a day.
This is one of the biggest issues we face, whether it is High Noon, Merritts or Friday Flat (or anywhere else). People need to learn somewhere, the first time down new terrain will always be sketchy, but there is an incredible amount of people on the hill who are over terrained and under skilled for that terrain. And while 99% of the time (random figure plucked out of the air) it’s all a learning experience to maybe not go there until the skills improve, occasionally it is a disaster.
I know nothing of this young lads skills or experience, and he quite possibly could’ve been a gun who happened to lose control at a critical moment and had terrible consequences. So my comments are absolutely not about his tragic accident, but more about what I’ve witnessed on the hill the past few days.
People hiking up Friday Flat just before 4pm when it’s icy and skiers and boarders are still on the hill with their youngster on a big solid plastic sled, another on a metal sled bike, both sliding out of control down the hill. I watched as the child on the plastic sled took a stationary skier talking to someone at the bottom off the hill past the chairlift off at the knees. Full bowling alley style.
Coming down HN with one of our top examiners, he was almost cleaned up by a skier who did not give any heed to giving way to the downhill rider (while he was demoing long turns (intro carve turns). The skier got a mouthful as they should’ve.
HN littered with people yesterday afternoon who couldn’t manage the icy conditions.
Today at cruiser it was carnage, with yard sale after yard sale, skills were required to train demos without being hit. These people should have been on Friday Flat, or under instruction on Merritts. When we buy our lift pass we agree to the mountain code which says to know your limits, always ski in control, take lessons and give way to downhill and adjacent riders/skiers. This sport is dangerous enough when we follow those rules. It becomes exponentially more dangerous when we don’t.
Rant over.
(Not aimed at you Robbo, just bouncing off your comment, and my personal frustration at the dangers that I’ve witnessed the past few days - grumpy, tired LMB - early night I think)
Private school intrigue, scuttlebutt and discussion forms a key pillar of the SMH platform.No fight intended!!
SMH were reporting his school from the first reports yesterday. SMH often seems to feature the private school angle, even though as you say it’s just totally irrelevant to the terrible accident. But once out there most media just tend to copy it.
I didn’t think it aggravated the tragedy so didn’t worry about it
It’s bizarre.
Wait until school holidays! There is a nice sample of people who have bought accommodation/passes, but couldn't get any lessons, so I guess they just have a crack!
Stick to the T bars, they won’t be able to get up there
This is definitely a factor.
Met a young girl at the T bar last night excited to see her first snowfalls. Her little brother broke his arm on his first run down Friday flat having a go before his booked lesson.
I think also the publicity about the bumper snow falls has brought a whole new excited demographic to play in the snow for the first time who actually don’t know that there are dangers. You don’t know what you don’t know, right? How hard can it be. Click into hire skis and go!
Haha, that time, people turn up at FF, throw skis down, look at them, pull out phones, google how to get in........
Good luck!IMHO HN requires more detailed signage as to its condition at any given time.
So very very variable from morning runs to afternoon homeward bound.
I noted previously it was a no fall zone on Sat evening.
Like The Rock Garden at PB, HN has a vibe that requires the upmost respect.
RIP young skierOn a mountain conditions note:
Puked for a while up at Cruiser, there were some nice powder stashes up high there (from 5 ways up), will be lovely up the t bars.
Sadly the conditions meant the terrain park jumps were closed - the main thing I need practice on before exams this weekend. Yikes.
Dream Run will need some fresh or snowmaking from the lift line cross over down. It’s skiable, but pick your line well.
Drying room full of wet gear tonight.
So true. Which school did best in HSC is always one of their most clicked stories of the year
With regards to the private school thing, it seems the school was the one that released a statement, identifying the unfortunate lad. The fact they did this obviously would have required the permission of the parents. It is quite possible the parents were overwhelmed by the tragedy, and sought help and support from the school community. I'm only speculating, but it is hard to see how the school would have become involved otherwise, given he wasn't a current student.
I recall many times over the years that the sandwich board would be out on the track to High Noon just after getting off the lift letting you know that HN was riding as a double black - experts only. I haven’t seen that this season, and it has definitely had a few sketchy days or parts of days where it should not be attempted by anyone who is not comfortable on pucker terrain.
The little blue square on the piste map is misleading. It’s a very different beast to Ballroom.
This is spot on. By all means, get there. Tell us who he was. I, like any reader, want to know. But leading with it (twice) created an entirely different toneRe HN.
Its fabulous that the gondola can now be used to download.
Our options were either Merritt's chair . Sketchy af.
Or duck dream run ropes and walk out.
I didn't trust the crew on HN around my wife.
The first time I skied for a week…1994 ish (edit, was 1993)…a very very low season…after spending a couple of days skiing at FF, we then progressed to Merrits and then ended each lesson with a trip down High Noon. For that trip it was a patchy ribbon of snow maybe two or three skis wide…that was it.IMHO HN requires more detailed signage as to its condition at any given time.
So very very variable from morning runs to afternoon homeward bound.
I noted previously it was a no fall zone on Sat evening.
Like The Rock Garden at PB, HN has a vibe that requires the upmost respect.
RIP young skier
After that, particularly learning on that, it’s always been sunshine and rainbows. I’ve never seen it even close to that bad since.
My bad.
I had accidentally quoted while scrolling and deleted the extra content. Must’ve combined both posts and when I deleted I’ve deleted Alleves name and left yours. Sorry. Brain fried this week. Studying/Riding/not much sleep.
I read a story that mentioned his younger brother is a current student.
Rock garden is far easier to ski than high noon with traffic, straight lining snowboarders and slick ice. I tend to ski it very slow and very tight in the fall line skiers hard leftIMHO HN requires more detailed signage as to its condition at any given time.
So very very variable from morning runs to afternoon homeward bound.
I noted previously it was a no fall zone on Sat evening.
Like The Rock Garden at PB, HN has a vibe that requires the upmost respect.
RIP young skier
HN, it’s upper cruisy slope lulls beginners from Merrits wanting to get down to FF at the end of the day, like a lorelei. Then they get to the rollover. Steeper than a lot of blacks elsewhere. Polished concrete terror sometimes.
Exactly! Pity they cut it open all those years ago. It's become a bloody M1 ever since.
Ski Nazis be everywhere. Just let people go where they want to go. Can't learn if you don't have a go. Cant progress without taking on stuff above your current level. Not everyone want to take lessons. Some people just like to work stuff out on their own. It's why skiing is good. You find your own challenges.
Chances are the kid was a good skier or boarder and was bombing it and came undone. Unfortunate. But no need to blame everyone who has skied high noon trying to improve their ability.
It’s not really the terrain though - it’s the respect that people pay to it.
With basic decent technique and patience it’s eminently skiable. It’s people skiing beyond capacity for the conditions that is the concern. I’m not suggesting that of this recent tragic accident incidentally - I have no idea what happened there.What I am saying is that a low intermediate giving respect to the conditions should be able to ski down there, safely.
Woody nailed it, it isn't marked properly. It looks like a fecking easy ballroom from the beginning. Then comes the surprises.
Where’s the run to the bottom from Merrits for intermediates? Dream Run is no easier. Traditionally the bottom of that has been as steep and icy as HN.
HN is it.
Maybe there’s a case for Thredbo to find an easier gradient run from Merrits though? Maybe a snakey meandering green from behind the restaurant there?
I think you could add over geared to this rant as well!
For the record I agree with most of what you have said but @Snow Blowey has a point too people need to develop. I think it was last year in a lesson with @dawooduck untele Zac and @Lady Penelope i watched as an out of control skier almost took out Ducky’s knees. He was a lot more reserved than I would have been and lucky the skier didn’t hit any of the kids as the mama bears would have gone nuts!
(I had the kids with me while the ladies had a lesson).
I see people trying to ski fast and skidding out their turns on long skis, basically going from half hockey stop to half hockey stop. They don’t realise how close to the edge they are and changed conditions put them over.
Again this has nothing to do with the accident;
one of the reasons we skipped the opening few weeks was because untele Zac felt too many people would have missed a few seasons would be up there charging and letting adrenaline and ego kick in.
Merrits was always a download for beginners. They have the fancy new unit to ride down with now.
Gondola or GB download in icy conditions.
Should be widely promoted when conditions dictate.
I still think they should offer a free champagne as you get into the Gondola for the down load. Has to be better than HN in rough conditions.
On Sunday we saw a runaway snowboard on dream run while we were heading up Gunbarrel - it was moving at warp speed and got airborne for about half of the pitch above the bridge. Fortunately the entire run was empty as the snow was rubbish, and the board ended up in the creek. Very lucky.
Besides that I thought everyone was very tame and sensible.
Are beginners on high noon such a safety concern? How many are getting hurt or requiring help?
I am often passed by skiers that make me feel like a beginner when i think I am going fast in the early morning These are the people more likely to have a fatal mistake.
For beginners, sure. But not intermediates.
Like I say, thredbo ski school was taking me down far worse HN conditions after day 3 on skis.
A patchy ribbon of snow is far safer that a full width frozen solid sheet of frosted glass.
Ah, you were guided down by ski school. See the difference?
