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Beginners
Ski Trip
Mike Henderson, July 2001
It had certainly been a stressful preparation for the ski trip we
were about to embark on. Mother Nature had been far from kind to
the snowy mountains so far this winter, and there were times when
it was doubtful whether we'd be able to find any snow at all to
slide on. But then, just when my nails were bitten right back to
the quick, and I was beginning to knaw on fingers, the heavens opened
and it dumped about 40cm of the white stuff over the mountains.
We were away.
Setting off from the uni at 6am saw us all a little sleepy at first,
but as the journey continued, the mini bus filled with the usual
ruckus of a bunch of 11 NUMCers on their way into another adventure.
Arriving in Jindabyne, we picked up our ski gear and then did what
we thought best for the situation - went to the pub. After a few
'soft drinks' and a dinner, we decided it was time to go and find
a campsite for the night. We drove to Island Bend to spend the night
(deciding that it was impossible for all of us to squeeze into the
warm hotel room Frode, Germund, Kim and Jess had booked for the
night). It was a freezing rain that greeted us when we got there
which made the erecting of tents….interesting.
The next day we departed from Munyang Power Station up Disappointment
Spur as a party of 15. We encountered skiable snow after about an
hour of walking, and were fast to put on skis and make the uphill
slog more bearable. The group spread out on the way up and over
Schlink Pass (1804m) to Schlink Hut, but we were all there and accounted
for by just after dark.
The weather was windy, cold and wet, but it wasn't long before we
had the fireplace going and we were discussing the day just gone.
Notable superhuman efforts included Josh's skills on sticks, having
never done any form of skiing before, and Jess's lugging a huge
pack up 12km of uphill trail having never carried a pack before.
The next day we awoke fairly early (as early as is possible in a
subzero environment anyhow) and decided on a plan. Claire would
lead a group up toward Gungartan pass on one side of the valley,
and I would take the others up to Dicky Cooper Bogong up the other
side. Our group set out to find a river crossing and found a manageable
jump not far from the hut. Once across, we began the long uphill
slog to just below the summit of Dicky Cooper.
Here we met up with the Norwegians, Kim, Germund and Frode, whose
legendary telemarking abilities had been whispered about, but not
yet witnessed. The last part of the climb was done on foot, and
the clouds closed in around us on our way up to 2000m.
On the descent we saw for the first time what was surely at the
limit of what a set of tele skis could do - three Norwegians proceeded
to descend a chute not much wider than the length of their skis
and riddled with rocks. We started the long ski down, and halfway
found a suitable site for jump construction, which we undertook
with gusto. Frode proved himself as distance champion, while Josh
continued his legendary efforts, launching himself off the jump
in complete knowledge he had no hope of making the landing - true
balls.
We returned to find the others hadn't quite made it as high as the
pass, but had a great day all the same. Complications came about
when Jess's ski decided to go solo and had to be chased down the
hill from a considerable distance up.
We settled into the hut for dinner, where Johnny casually pulled
out what was possibly the most obscure meal Schlink Hut had seen.
As he emptied the jellyfish into a pot and tried to convince all
of us to try it, the nervous glances that passed between us all
conveyed our apprehension.
After dinner, a game of 'mafia' ensued, where Johnny again broke
his silence and agreed that indeed "someone is going to die" (to
be spoken in a contemplative 'godfather' voice). Danielle got stuck
into the port with Waz, and the two spent the rest of the game accusing
each other of crimes for which they should be eliminated from the
'townspeople'.
Next morning was horrible weather and the snow was soft and wet
- far from ideal learning conditions. Claire decided she would take
a group to Valentine Hut. Frode, Kim and Germund constructed another
jump, while Jess and I spent the day attempting to construct a snowcave
with only 40cm of snow to work with.
The snowcave construction went well (albeit very wet) with hoots
coming from the Norwegians jump site for much of the day. Tim found
it safest to view from the hut, as the rain/snow mix continued to
fall, probably one of the more sensible decisions. The 'Valentines'
group returned after a long and impressive day of touring. Jess
and I decided to spend the night in our snowcave, not inclined to
waste the 4.5hrs of effort, much to the bemusement of everyone else.
Another game of mafia ensued, Johnny etching himself into mafia
history claiming (Jim Beam bottle in hand), that he should not be
killed for he is "merely a citizen!" The Norwegians produced their
respective bottles of Jagermeister and continued to impress, but
this time with their drinking efforts. Jess and I retired to the
snowcave to what was actually a relatively warm night, with a glorious
morning to awake to: the skies opening with a short dumping of snow
falling vertically from the clouds silently turning our surroundings
white. It took us a while to pack, becoming quite attached to our
new home nestled in the Munyang Valley and not real impressed at
having to re-enter the 'real world'.
The ski down from Schlink pass saw us cover 2kms in about 3mins,
and we were back on the spur for the downward journey to the car
park before long. Everyone made it back to the car park in working
order (though with a few additional sore spots). We had a quick
'debriefing' beer at the Jindy bowling club, and parted company
with Kim, Frode, Germund and Jess, who were off to pay a visit to
Canberra. The rest of us spent the night in a game of car wars with
the postal trucks on the long drive home.
We had all achieved our own personal goals on this trip, proving
once again (as is commonly proved by the NUMC), that:
"All men dream, though not equally. Those who dream at night in
the dusty recesses of their mind awake to find that it was vanity;
but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act
their dreams with open eyes to make it possible."
We are all dangerous men and women, daring to push the limits and
get the most out of life. Keep dreaming! |
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Photo: John Li
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"Don't kill me, I'm merely a citizen!" |
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