JonDSCHLINK HILTON HOTEL
September 5th 2006 10:59
The Schlink Hilton Trip 2006.
I recently returned home in Sydney from an amazing trip up in the high country of Kosi National Park. Anyone interested in some stories of great snow from a relatively crap snow season, read on! Readers who do not or never plan to Cross Country ski in Australia, may want to re-consider.
The Party
- Myself, Julie Melrose
- Paul, my boyfriend
- My mum and dad who are quite experienced X Country Skiiers
- Dennis and his son Alex who are Tasmanians that mum and dad met in Nepal
- Mal, Ralph and Rob....more Tasmanian climbers/mountaineers
- Mark, a Sydney Lawyer
- Tina, a Sydney primary school teacher
- and finally, Basil and John- two old guys who i dont know, but are very very fit for their age.
The Trip
We began by staying one night in East Jyndabyne in a motel right on the lake. It was beautiful. It had been snowing all day when we arrived and the hilltops of Jyndabyne were dotted with white.
The next morning (Saturday) we packed up and went to get gear from Wilderness Sports at Nuggets Crossing. Bruce, the man at the store, was incredibly rude. I had spent a whole lot of $ buying new skis in Sydney and as soon as i walked in with them, Bruce said: "What did you buy them for, their shithouse!"
What a start to the trip huh.
Anyhow, turns out our skis were great, it just so happened he didnt have any of those in stock and wanted the gentlemen in the store to think his were of superior quality to land a sale. Throughout the morning he continued to be rude and unhelpful. If you go to Wilderness Sports, do not hire anything off Bruce, he does not deserve it.
So the hiring fiasco was a nightmare, but we eventually got we came for and headed to Guthega Power Station around lunchtime. I was a little shocked when i got to Guthega. I hadn't been on a X Country trip for two years, and the last time i was there the whole place was covered in snow...this time...there was not a trace...just dirt and alot of water coming down the river- it didn't look good.
Luckily we brought sand shoes to wear as we walked up the ridge instead of our heavy ski boots. Take Volleys- the all purpose shoe, can withstand anything. Two hours later we reached HorseCamp Hut, where we were to stay the night. At Horsecamp there was some snow, but nowhere near enough to ski. This was to be only a short stay as in the morning we were to get up reasonably early to make our way furthur up the valley to Schlink.
Schlink
The walk/ski up to schlink was a hard slog with a full pack. We were able to put on our skis just before Whites River, which was pleasing. However the snow cover was quite disappointing, probably only a few centremetres. However, once we reached schlink pass the snow improved. Schlink Hut is a beautiful place. There is noone around, you feel like you're in the middle of the universe- the stars that night were absolutely amazing. Schlink hut is called Schlink Hilton because of its class above all the other safety huts in the region. There are actual bunk beds with matresses!! (Matresses are an extremely rare occurance...however in quite poor condition- but better than a carry mat).
Tin Hut
Today we did a day trip to Tin Hut. I had a bit of trouble with my new plastic boots, so i was slow at getting there. However, i took out the sole of my boot and it allowed for a little more room (good point to note if trying plastics). Tin Hut is lovely as it has some wonderful trees of interesting shapes dotted around its exterior. Perfect weather! Great day! Great snow! We found a small cornace to ski off about a trillion times before we headed back to camp for some hot tea and dinner....followed by a long game of cards and wine.
Mawsons Hut
Another day trip to Mawsons hut. This is a hut that is quite close to MT Jagungal, although we were too lazy to go all the way up to the mountain. Instead, we took instant MASH (potato) and cooked up a stew for lunch and sunbaked on the grass. The weather was beautiful once again, i actually took off my shirt and sunbaked it was that hot! It is the type of temperature that is just right- balmy but not too hot so as that you wouldnt feel like exercising. Another wonderful day on the slopes...perfect snow while up high.
Dicky Cooper Bogong
Today we decided to venture up higher onto the begginings of the Rolling Grounds where we were to climb the rocky peak "Dicky Cooper Bogong". Another perfect day! We found a beautiful slope were i practised by telemarking turns and built a "snowoman". My mum went round taking photos of all the interesting rock formations in the area.
The Rolling Grounds
Twenty kms skiing this day- we felt energetic. We skiied the entire Rolling Grounds in less than five hours. The views were spectacular. You could see all the way to the Victorian Mountain range. We could not beleive our luck with the weather as usually you could never even reach the rolling grounds if conditions were not suitable. We skiied back to the hut for a sunset that took your breath away.
My story proves everyone wrong when they say that downhill skiing is better than X Country. We had perfect snow up in the high country compared to Thredbo and Perisher. We had perfect weather. We had NO crowds. We had our own Schlink Hilton Hotel which was candlelit at nighttime with no blaring televisions. We had our friends, our family, and the wilderness. I never wanted it to end.
I recently returned home in Sydney from an amazing trip up in the high country of Kosi National Park. Anyone interested in some stories of great snow from a relatively crap snow season, read on! Readers who do not or never plan to Cross Country ski in Australia, may want to re-consider.
The Party
- Myself, Julie Melrose
- Paul, my boyfriend
- My mum and dad who are quite experienced X Country Skiiers
- Dennis and his son Alex who are Tasmanians that mum and dad met in Nepal
- Mal, Ralph and Rob....more Tasmanian climbers/mountaineers
- Tina, a Sydney primary school teacher
- and finally, Basil and John- two old guys who i dont know, but are very very fit for their age.
The Trip
We began by staying one night in East Jyndabyne in a motel right on the lake. It was beautiful. It had been snowing all day when we arrived and the hilltops of Jyndabyne were dotted with white.
The next morning (Saturday) we packed up and went to get gear from Wilderness Sports at Nuggets Crossing. Bruce, the man at the store, was incredibly rude. I had spent a whole lot of $ buying new skis in Sydney and as soon as i walked in with them, Bruce said: "What did you buy them for, their shithouse!"
What a start to the trip huh.
Anyhow, turns out our skis were great, it just so happened he didnt have any of those in stock and wanted the gentlemen in the store to think his were of superior quality to land a sale. Throughout the morning he continued to be rude and unhelpful. If you go to Wilderness Sports, do not hire anything off Bruce, he does not deserve it.
So the hiring fiasco was a nightmare, but we eventually got we came for and headed to Guthega Power Station around lunchtime. I was a little shocked when i got to Guthega. I hadn't been on a X Country trip for two years, and the last time i was there the whole place was covered in snow...this time...there was not a trace...just dirt and alot of water coming down the river- it didn't look good.
Luckily we brought sand shoes to wear as we walked up the ridge instead of our heavy ski boots. Take Volleys- the all purpose shoe, can withstand anything. Two hours later we reached HorseCamp Hut, where we were to stay the night. At Horsecamp there was some snow, but nowhere near enough to ski. This was to be only a short stay as in the morning we were to get up reasonably early to make our way furthur up the valley to Schlink.
Schlink
The walk/ski up to schlink was a hard slog with a full pack. We were able to put on our skis just before Whites River, which was pleasing. However the snow cover was quite disappointing, probably only a few centremetres. However, once we reached schlink pass the snow improved. Schlink Hut is a beautiful place. There is noone around, you feel like you're in the middle of the universe- the stars that night were absolutely amazing. Schlink hut is called Schlink Hilton because of its class above all the other safety huts in the region. There are actual bunk beds with matresses!! (Matresses are an extremely rare occurance...however in quite poor condition- but better than a carry mat).
Tin Hut
Today we did a day trip to Tin Hut. I had a bit of trouble with my new plastic boots, so i was slow at getting there. However, i took out the sole of my boot and it allowed for a little more room (good point to note if trying plastics). Tin Hut is lovely as it has some wonderful trees of interesting shapes dotted around its exterior. Perfect weather! Great day! Great snow! We found a small cornace to ski off about a trillion times before we headed back to camp for some hot tea and dinner....followed by a long game of cards and wine.
Mawsons Hut
Another day trip to Mawsons hut. This is a hut that is quite close to MT Jagungal, although we were too lazy to go all the way up to the mountain. Instead, we took instant MASH (potato) and cooked up a stew for lunch and sunbaked on the grass. The weather was beautiful once again, i actually took off my shirt and sunbaked it was that hot! It is the type of temperature that is just right- balmy but not too hot so as that you wouldnt feel like exercising. Another wonderful day on the slopes...perfect snow while up high.
Dicky Cooper Bogong
Today we decided to venture up higher onto the begginings of the Rolling Grounds where we were to climb the rocky peak "Dicky Cooper Bogong". Another perfect day! We found a beautiful slope were i practised by telemarking turns and built a "snowoman". My mum went round taking photos of all the interesting rock formations in the area.
The Rolling Grounds
Twenty kms skiing this day- we felt energetic. We skiied the entire Rolling Grounds in less than five hours. The views were spectacular. You could see all the way to the Victorian Mountain range. We could not beleive our luck with the weather as usually you could never even reach the rolling grounds if conditions were not suitable. We skiied back to the hut for a sunset that took your breath away.
My story proves everyone wrong when they say that downhill skiing is better than X Country. We had perfect snow up in the high country compared to Thredbo and Perisher. We had perfect weather. We had NO crowds. We had our own Schlink Hilton Hotel which was candlelit at nighttime with no blaring televisions. We had our friends, our family, and the wilderness. I never wanted it to end.
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