The huge snowfall that fell on Sunday August 19th 2018 that led Vic Roads to close the access road to Lake Mtn. on Sunday and Monday morning attracted my attention as a keen XC skier.
So with a Wed. free and the roads open, I rose at 6 am on 22.8.18 and was packed , ready and on the road to LM by 7 am.
It was not overly congested with traffic on the Heidelberg-Eltham- Yarra Glen- Healesville- Narbethong- Marysville - LM run that I know oh so well in white season.
I stopped in to say hi to Teckel at Mystic Mountains ski hire and to put on my ski boots somewhere dry because r**n was falling.
The snow started to become visible at Nicholl's lookout which is not that far up the hill from Marysville.
When I arrived the car park was one row full. It did seem to be rather warm up there but one hoped that up near Panorama Track there would be snow falling and not drizzle .
I put my skinny skis on and took my lunch in my day pack.
Immediately some 200 M. up the track from snow ball thrower land at the Village, I was struck by how much snow there was. The cover was prodigious and it seemed that 2 cm or so had fallen overnight because the Green runs that lead to the Snow Gum Track were nearly untracked and ungroomed.
Helicopter flat was just WOW.
The soft fresh snow was a bit wet and rather slow but overall that is being churlish. I thought it was quite good to ski on indeed. There were a few skaters and fish scale classic skiers about before 10 am which is when I set off but mostly I had some trails to myself in beautiful mild weather. It was too mild to wear gloves and the wooly beanie came off rather soon too. There was NO WIND. It was very still.
Daggers made of ice were falling from the trees as the sun loomed higher behind the clouds and it made me glad that I had chosen to wear my helmet.
One of those chunks of ice falling with speed from some height indeed could concuss anyone if it connected with the skull.
Being my first ski back after a 9 day lay off due to a ski fall induced injury I was keen to ski in control and not get too cocky on the blue runs.
My usual lunch spot at The Camp was buried in snow so I skied onto Woolly Butt track which I enjoy skiing . It has Mr. Tee friendly descending bends.
I snow ploughed and step turned my way through that without any incident. I found it to be easier to ski on this time. I would say that is because my abilities and technique have improved .It was so nice I began to sing to myself .
My gammy Hammy leg was warming up and so far so good with the skiing as physio therapy scheme.
I had lunch at The Gap which is when the sun came out for a bit.. Again the wheelie bins were all buried up to their lids and the picnic table was almost submerged by snow.
I then skied the upper Muster track which was very nice to ski on, smooth and soft , gliding along was a breeze and nobody was out there either. There were big sticks that were dropping like knives straight down from the trees into the ski surface as well as more ice falling from the trees. Skiing over the chunks of ice on skinny skis without metal edges was occasionally unsteady but one had to just keep one's XC ski slouch posture and ski forwards until the fish scale pattern reconnected with snow and not ice.
I went to the Lookout rock turn off on the Panorama track and then turned around and skied all the way down Royston return run. It was by a series of serpentine snow plough turns and a wide complete braking snow plough that I skied that last 1.8kms back to Snow Ball thrower land ( the Village).
I did land on my rump twice along Royston but I just got up and kept skiing down that hill. I did it even if my sore leg was giving me some grief. The mind is a powerful thing and telling your brain to just concentrate and just keep skiing the way I have been coached this season is the key to getting back up and skiing on.
It was snowing with wet snow at Triangle Junction and the skiddoo groomers were out at that time .The tall bare trees along Royston track were still plastered with snow that showed which way the winds were blowing the snow on the weekend during the snow storm. There was no view from Melbourne Lookout.
The car park was full of cars and snow ball throwers wearing Demin jeans in the sleet when I returned from my lap of the ski tracks.
By then it was sleeting at the car park and I threw my gear into the Tee Mobile, had a hot thermos cuppa and drove back down to report to Teckel at Mystic Mountains ski hire what the skiing was like.
On my way down the hill a huge deer with antlers popped out onto the road and soon afterwards a lyrebird with its fancy tail feathers also appeared by the roadside.
Chains were not being fitted to 2 WD so that made for less dangerous Nuff Nuffs on the loose and no eye rolling on my part over clueless drivers .
The snow needs to be machine groomed to make a base that will last the coming warm front.
I suspect today was the last gasp for this remarkably deep and complete snow cover at LM before it begins to melt.
Don't forget Teckel has all your snow gear hire needs covered at Mystic Mountains ski hire in Narbethong.
Photos are coming soon.

 

22.8.18
Heading up the hill for some more skiing at LM

 

There was plenty of snow on the way up , in fact, further up the hill , the snow plough had made Mt. Hotham road /Charlotte Pass style walls of snow that had reached higher than the road signs.

 

22.8.18
Heading towards Echo Flat E 15 snow gauge.
I thought , yes, I like this .

 

Helicopter Flat. It is the best I have seen it for years!!

 

For all the marginal rock hopper days I have skied at LM this made up for a lot of that . This was deep complete cover, not resort marketing spin or bullsh*te.

 

The Camp. My usual food stop was transformed by this deep snow cover.The bench I usually sit on with my skis off was GONE, deep under the snow !

 

That would be my snow plough track coming down a hill on Woolly butt trail.22.8.18

 

Lunch at The Gap .
The snow was easy and pleasant to ski on.

 

Sydney siders don't have something like Lake Mtn. I mean in less than 2 hours in the car you can be skiing on this!

 

Bare Trees and tree trunks covered in snow along the Royston run 22.8.18

 

Skiing down the Royston run. It is one of the longest descents at LM.

 

Back at the Village a.k.a snow ball thrower land.
22.8.18

 

Pointing the camera and the Jalopy towards a departure...…
I can't say when or if I will be back at LM this year.We shall see what happens.

 

I cannot imagine why you'd pay 56 clams just to have a BBQ in the snow 2 metres from the LM car park. What is it with these people? At least they are not clogging up the XC ski trails. I would estimate 90 % of LM day trippers will never see the lookout views at Panorama lookout.

 

Yes I suppose if these snow ball throwers graduate to snow shoes then they might make the journey to skis. It has worked for me. I support LM and am glad it is there, so close to home(under 2 hours and a scenic drive too ).

 

Perhaps I was being churlish about the great unwashed daring to have non chook footing based amusement at LM.Indeed the fewer people clogging up the ski trails during the mid week period the better.