Trip Report Watsons Crags and Crag Creek - ticked off the bucket list

[BrianWilson]

Pretty much the same as ChokenChickens' report. Skied the first chute on Watsons Crags and then onto the bottom of Crags Creek. Hard packed snow on the Crags and better snow in the Creek. Next mission is to think how we can ski the main chutes......

XX - seems Vimeo has shrunk the movie to 720 thus there is a lot of footage of looking down - Disappointing....





We skied the first chute (furthest east)

View from the bottom

 

[Majikthise]

*respect*

 

[piolet]

faaaaaaaaaaarrrrrkkk yeah

 

[Untele-whippet]

Fair, not to bad

 

[CarveMan]

thus there is a lot of footage of looking down -

That's why I don't take my gopro to France - 98% of the footage would be me looking down and saying fcuk.

 

[chokenchickin]

Great stuff. What a long run (and climb out!).

 

[Angus_McCrory]

Some serious vertical. Margaret and David say three stars

 

[climberman]

Nice BW - am a bit (very) jealous.

looks v do-able once in?

 

[Rimey]

Well done BW.

 

[Telemark Phat]

Nice

 

[Snow Blowey]

Sweet as.

Is that avi debris all the way down the creek line?

 

[BrianWilson]

Nice BW - am a bit (very) jealous.

looks v do-able once in?

Skiing from the top of Crags Creek is very doable. Entry from there is wide open.

There was a lot of avi debris at the bottom. Perfect terrain trap at the bottom there.

 

[ojisan]

 

[Boodwah]

Wow what an awesome line. How much longer will that snow hold up? Love that filthy Oz mank at the bottom. Always amazed at how the skis still track in it - must be the eucalyptus oil. That line needs a drone... 1st person POV does it no justice. How low did you go? How much vert total for that line?

 

[sbm]

Eh, I could do that if I felt like it.

 

[BrianWilson]

Wow what an awesome line. How much longer will that snow hold up? Love that filthy Oz mank at the bottom. Always amazed at how the skis still track in it - must be the eucalyptus oil. That line needs a drone... 1st person POV does it no justice. How low did you go? How much vert total for that line?

We clocked it at over 500m vertical. Started around 2000m and finished just below 1500m.

I think the snow in Crags Creek will hold on for a while yet. Faces due west but the Crags provides plenty of protection from the sun. Might not be able to ski as low in a couple of weeks but definitely a couple hundred vert.

I'm looking forward to seeing footage from the drone. Has it arrived yet?

 

[climberman]

Skiing from the top of Crags Creek is very doable. Entry from there is wide open.

There was a lot of avi debris at the bottom. Perfect terrain trap at the bottom there.

Ta. Looked to be a lot of litter... Be spooky in mid winter. You going to get out again this year?

 

[Boodwah]

We clocked it at over 500m vertical. Started around 2000m and finished just below 1500m.

I think the snow in Crags Creek will hold on for a while yet. Faces due west but the Crags provides plenty of protection from the sun. Might not be able to ski as low in a couple of weeks but definitely a couple hundred vert.

I'm looking forward to seeing footage from the drone. Has it arrived yet?

Nope. I have to hang out in Melb for the next couple WEs w frog-in-laws, but might be able to fly up to MR on the drone WE of 11/10...

 

[dayzoff]

Awesome, big mountain line! The two gopros worked well when looking down at or back up to the other skier. The important question; how long did the boot pack out take and did you use skins at any stage?

 

[BrianWilson]

The boot pack took about an hour. I led us astray trying to gain on of the ridges towards the Awesome Spur - won't do that again - just stay walking up the creek. I tried skins for the first 50m vertical and had a lot of sliding. If you have a good back to lock your skis in nice and tight boot packing is a much more efficient method.

Climberman - thinking there will be one more trip. Need to hit the elevator at least once a year. If the Mexican can make the 11th, and the weather cooperates, it might be on.

 

[climberman]

Cool, am trying to line up that weekend as well....

@PiniPowPow ?

 

[DJM]

Nice work BW. Now you have it sussed, next year you can hit it with a full pack and stay at the OH Hut.

 

[climberman]

next year you can hit it with a full pack and stay at the OH Hut.

The Horror, the horror!

 

[Boodwah]

Nice work BW. Now you have it sussed, next year you can hit it with a full pack and stay at the OH Hut.

I was actually wondering about that thisarvo. Possible?

 

[DJM]

Not having done the chute but seeing others do it...absolutely. Careful skiing, light load....maybe some decent plums. Could get a little scrubby down low depending on how late in the season you leave it.

 

[chokenchickin]

Not having done the chute but seeing others do it...absolutely. Careful skiing, light load....maybe some decent plums. Could get a little scrubby down low depending on how late in the season you leave it.

In mid winter in 1999 and 2000 I had a couple of attempts of getting to Opera House Hut skiing via Crags Creek. Got to 1350m on both occasions but the scrub after this psyched me out. Pulled the pin and walked back up Crags Creek. This is situation after 1350m (looking downhill...please excuse my crappy scanned photo..):

I imagine now that the bushfire regrowth would be even tougher to get through now....

 

[DJM]

I remember that Choken, awesome concept. I climbed from the OH hut up a chute from further out on the crags and found the going not too bad. Obviously your chute may be different. I know people have ridden Carruthers North and contoured around to the hut.
I guess it depends on your determination to get there.
What do think about an overnight pack down the chute Choken?

 

[chokenchickin]

Wow, getting to OH hut via Carruthers North, that's a great effort! I am not too fond of scrub bashing, but I guess if you left your skis/board and other unnecessary items at the bottom of the run and then did the final bash with just your overnight gear it might be o.k.. I think skiing down Crags Creek when the conditions are right would be o.k. with an overnight pack (But it would want to be a light one...). The most challenging bit is the top section. After that it opens up and the grade is not as steep. Maybe a little bit of rope might come in handy for the walking section along the creek. I would love to do this before I get too much older. Maybe if the overnight pack is too heavy, just do it in two runs. If the snow is good that would be a bonus!

 

[Untele-whippet]

The exuberant youth of today.
Bags not carrying your o/n gear and skis back up the "hill"!

 

[Snow Blowey]

Probably wouldn't need much more than a sleeping bag, pot and food. Cook and keep warm with a fire (if not one in the hut), running water near by and the hut to sleep in.

 

[climberman]

Probably wouldn't need much more than a sleeping bag, pot and food. Cook and keep warm with a fire (if not one in the hut), running water near by and the hut to sleep in.

Smoke pot and then get munchies? What would you cook in?

 

[The Bush Patrol]

Can Pinni release the photos of that scrub bash looking for the hiker now he doesn't work for NP ????

 

[Majikthise]

prior to the fires the OH log book only had a handful of winter entries, mostly via curruthers west. the regrowth would be the great unknown.

 

[Snow Blowey]

Can Pinni release the photos of that scrub bash looking for the hiker now he doesn't work for NP ????

The scrub bash he did in a chopper?

 

[PiniPowPow]

haha maybe just this one. I think I wait until the next opera house hut thread.

Love your work @BrianWilson you have really smashed it this year.

 

[AndrewA]

Yep, a whopper. Makes our short lines on Bogong seem so insignificant.

Well done..

A

 

[Kletterer]

Bump. Has anyone been back to these lines Brian did ?