Just came back from a week on Perisher.
Not bad.
I envy you.
I envy you.7.5hr drive each way, so it's not exactly local.
Iām telling you, next trip, do Perisher. Just been bought by some American mega bucks chain of snow resorts so I expect everything will be gold plated by next year.
I envy you.7.5hr drive each way, so it's not exactly local.Iām telling you, next trip, do Perisher. Just been bought by some American mega bucks chain of snow resorts so I expect everything will be gold plated by next year.
One of the Colorado resorts IIRC. I think you can use season passes at all their resorts (eg - buy a season pass for Perisher and you have twelve months where you can use it at their North American resorts too). I could look up who the company is, but I couldnāt be farked. Still, Perisher is a good hill, just so far away from Melbourne, and I didnāt take often enough advantage of it during the three years I was living in Canberra. Saw some good photos from a friend who was up there about two weeks ago. Had knee-deep snow and no crowds, so thatās nice.
The last three days at Falls were ok, icy in the mornings with a light dusting of fresh snow each night. Got pretty slushy by midday and visibility was horrible for the first two hours this morning, but by this time of the year you take what you can get. Had one spectacular crash where I am once again thankful to my helmet for keeping my brain from turning to porridge. But, hey, if you aint crashing from time to time then you aint pushing yourself hard enough. My 2015 Aldi snowboard jacket (and $15 googles) did the job nicely all season too, which makes me realise how middle-aged and dad-like I have become.
Definitely time to get me one of them Gopro thingys.
See, here I was thinking skiing in Victoria is only 1/2 an hour in any direction.
Yeah lost my legs up to my thighs a couple of times. Too much powder, it was awful. Just ride slightly off the side of what looks like normal run and suddenly youāre stopped dead & your board and boots have disappeared.
So weāre almost at that time of the year again. The resorts had a dusting of snow last night, but it will disappear pretty quickly before the winter proper starts. Iāve started some tentative discussions with the wife about a possible Japan snow trip at the start of next year, but will have to play a few cards right before that gets any serious traction.
The annual Aldi snow sale is on this Saturday. If you want any reasonable snow gear for not much money, this is your chance. But if you want a jacket or pants in adult sizes, get there early. Like waiting out the front before they open early, or you will miss out. The last few years Iāve seen up to 100-150 people out the front of the Aldi in the Greensborough shopping plaza and it gets crazy really quickly once they open. My recommendation is to go to one of the stores not in a plaza! Some people will scoff at the quality of the Aldi gear, but I have found it really good and a fraction of the price of bigger brand-name stuff ($60 Aldi snowboard jacket to replace my $350 Helly Hansen jacket from 10 years ago).
https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/snow-gear-sat-14-may/
And itās just as busy in Brisbane stores for snow gear. Who woulda thunk it?
Weāre goinā to Canada, baby!
We're goin' to Canada, baby!
It burned down
Hotham or Falls creek?
Skiing and possibly some nice day treks.
And where would one stay if one wanted a romantic couply type of cabin?
Hotham or Falls creek?Skiing and possibly some nice day treks.
And where would one stay if one wanted a romantic couply type of cabin?
I always thought Hotham was great but I was biased having worked there. Couldnāt recommend the staff quarters as āromanticā but it sees a fair bit of action. I think Dinner Plain is where all the hip couples stay at if you go to Hotham.
I went to Falls Creek with the family last year and it was really good. Iād place it above Hotham for chilled family skiing. Stayed with friends in Mt Beauty, so canāt comment on the accomodation.
Hotham or Falls creek?Skiing and possibly some nice day treks.
And where would one stay if one wanted a romantic couply type of cabin?
I always thought Hotham was great but I was biased having worked there. Couldnāt recommend the staff quarters as āromanticā but it sees a fair bit of action. I think Dinner Plain is where all the hip couples stay at if you go to Hotham.
I went to Falls Creek with the family last year and it was really good. Iād place it above Hotham for chilled family skiing. Stayed with friends in Mt Beauty, so canāt comment on the accomodation.
Thanks tinhillterror. Nice to know things heat up in the snow too!
Heard good stuff about Dinner Plain. Will look more into it. Cheers
We're goin' to Canada, baby!It burned down
What do you mean?
I thought weād merged with the demonland forum for a minute.
Hotham or Falls creek?Skiing and possibly some nice day treks.
And where would one stay if one wanted a romantic couply type of cabin?
I go to Falls more than Hotham nowadays, but thatās mostly because I stay at a place in Mt Beauty that makes it very cost effective for my family and I. There are plenty of BnB options in either Bright for Hotham or Mt Beauty for Falls, but concur with tinhill about Dinner Plain if you want to stay on mountain. There are plenty of apartments or lodges, it just depends on how much you are willing to tolerate hearing the folks next door snore or doing other stuff. There is the convenience of being right there for the snow, but there are less eating, shopping, spa, etc options than down in the towns. It wil take anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes to reach the respective mountains from either town, depending on the weight of your right foot and the moronity of the other drivers on the road (add another 30-50 minutes if you want to go to Hotham from Mt Beauty or Falls from Bright - but the flip side is the passes for each are interchangeable - if you get a multi-day lift ticket you can use it at either mountain for no extra charge. I recommend looking at what multi-day options are on offer before you go).
If you hire any gear in Mt Beauty, I recommend Skiplus on the main road just past the bus depot. They always look after us and throw in chains and toboggans for a few days free when we hire gear for the kids.
There are also plenty of good wineries in the area, as well as a few breweries (one in each of Bright and Mt Beauty), so plenty of day-trip, open-fire, chill-out options available. the drive from Melbourne can also be planned with wineries and gourmet food stuff as well (Brown Brothers, Milawa cheese, Myrtleford (Mitchellini and Boyntons wineries); the list goes on). Both towns have tourism offices and there are plenty of websites with info, so get into it.
We're goin' to Canada, baby!
Where you heading, Digs?
Hate to sound elitist but I donāt ski often as age has wearied me, but I go to Switzerland often and it is the best value ski-ing I have found. I hear Eastern Europe is good but the snow in Switzerland is always great and catching a train to the ski- fields and then a massive gondola to the top of the World is just awesome.
Not for the beginner and more for advanced skier but Klosters is about 1 hour by train from Zurich, and hire of all the gear is just so much cheaper than locally, as is a pass that gets you all over many mountains.
In my youth, I did NZ, USA, Canada and Oz, but the apple strudel and warmed wine just draws me back. The only drawback is the Dutch and Germans try to take over and have few manners.
We're goin' to Canada, baby!It burned down
What do you mean?
Canada burned down
Thatās no good.