soulfree adventures

BIO | ANDY REYNOLDS, SOULFREE ADVENTURES

2010-07-03T13:58:00.012+10:00

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY REYNOLDS, OWNER OF SOULFREE ADVENTURES

By Andrew Reynolds with Frank Wall, Our Hiking Blog

Figure 1 Andy Reynolds, owner Soulfree Adventures

Frank O.K. Let ’s keep it simple. How about a bit of background on yourself. Where do you live? Where do you work?

Andy: Frank, I live in beautiful downtown Buninyong, a small rural village whose key claims to fame I suppose are (1) being Victoria’s first proclaimed inland settlement (Wiki) and being the home of the Scody Australian Road Cycling Championships, on our notoriously gruelling hilly course on the slopes of Mount Buninyong, an extinct volcano. It’s also a pretty nice place to live.

I run my own walking company Soulfree Adventures from my home office on Buninyong, which gives me the freedom to work as long as I want (!) and is a great base for work and play.

Figure 2. Andy in the Flinders Rabges on St Mary'sPeak, May 2010

Frank: Let’s get into your early bushwalking experiences. How did you first get into bushwalking? Any particular mentor or group?

Andy: I first got into bushwalking as a student at a well known Melbourne private school. Back in the 70’s we still had 3 term school years and each school holidays our loosely described bushwalking group would head for Breakfast Creek, north of Licola in the heart of Victorian Alps. There after some pretty basic rudimentary training we would leave the luxury of this ex forestry camp and head off on our planned bushwalks. We did 5 day walks in May, 7 day walks in September and 10 day walks in summer, all on our own, leading ourselves with no teachers, no radios, no phones, no GPS heck this was even pre Gore Tex. How well I remember the arrival of Gore Tex and so called ‘lightweight’ camping – back when we were teenagers, we had competitions to see who could carry the most, a constant teenage macho contest in one upmanship. Jaffle irons were packed in, cold roast chickens were packed in, cans were packed in, we all packed in camp stools - but not your basic stool, heck no, ours had backs on them! We camped in style but sweated every step of the way!

We didn't just bushwalk, we kayaked our hand-made Olymp '75 kayaks down a swollen and icy Wellington River; skiied our wooden skis with hickory poles across the Snowy and Wellington Plains, practised river crossings in the freezing Weillington River, froze, sweated and loved every politically and environmentally incorrect minute of it! Early bushwalking memories include:

my first ever bushwalk, 5 days, camping in the CVhromite Mine after countless river crossings of the Wellington & Dolodrook rivers, then climbing and scrambling up a steep and exposed summit of Mount Hump along the Razorback. Sleeping on a bed or rocks on the stony summit and awakening above a sea of clouds
freezing ourselves in the 'brass monkey' water of Lake Tali Karng and having competitions of who could stay in the longest!
leading early bushwalks across the Wombat Plains and climbing up and down the Gable End to the Razorback, as well as down the scree slopes from the Gable End descending directly into Lake Tali Karng
countless hours spent puring over maps at home and at school, planning my next bushwalk. I still have most of my early maps, including the next-to-useless contour maps at 1:100,000 scale and my prized early Stuart Brookes maps, lovingly annotated with the most minute detail. I have retained a near photographic memory of these maps and this terrain and would have little trouble finding my way amongst these mountains unassisted today
trundling boulders off the summit of Mount Wellington, spending them vcrashing into the (hopefully) unpopulated forest below
stopping off in Drouin (who remembers Drouin!) on the way to a 7 day snow camping hiking trip and purchasing incredibly warm $5 woollen sports coats from the Drouin Salvos Op Shop
hitch hiking up the Snowy Plains Road near the start of our 10 day summer hikes, sticking out the thumb and our exuberance when the loggers pulled over and allowed us to throw our packs on the back, jump on and hold on for dear life as they barrelled up the road, one hand on the wheel, the other on the CB, empty beer cans and wrappers littering the cabin floor (if our parents only knew) and the ensuing lazy day that followed when we'd knocked off a 30km 'road bash' in one exhilarating hour
then there was the time we had to escort a violently ill student out of the Caledonia River valley up to the Snowy Plains Road, camped the night, then hitched a ride with a logger the next morning down to our camp at Brekky Creek, rudely waking up the teachers at 3:00am in the morning with logging truck's horn loudly blaring
sunsets from our canvas makeshift tents (sticks for poles) on top of the Crosscut Saw
blazing huge binfires in the middle of winter
'vegie bombs' on the fire, sometimes exploding and sending shrapnel flying into nearby tents
and there was the time my trusty Optimus 8R shellite stove almost exploded, sending a pencil thin jet of flame 3-4 feet in the aire from the fuel tank
crouching late into the night inside our tents with billies of water ready to throw at the possums as they descended from the trees to eat our dinner left-overs

My earliest mentor was a teacher at our school, Peter Dick. “Oh for God’s Sake” was both his nickname and favourite saying (and hence, his nickname). I think he was a Pom but could have been from New Zealand, certainly he had both an accent and extensive experience. His passion for the outdoors was palpable – he made a much better outdoors instructor then science teacher, a trait I would later share with him. Our bushwalking group was called LGR and it still exists to this day, in a somewhat more modern and safety conscious incarnation.

After a couple of years teaching, I did a post grad diploma of Outdoor Ed at Latrobe Uni Bendigo and was introduced to modern principles, ethics, philosophies and skills of Outdoor Education, an education I badly needed and I guess soaked up. I took up rock climbing, white water kayaking and skiing and re-engaged with the outdoors with a passion. After years of climbing, I managed to struggle up a few 23’s and even managed to leave my name on a few new routes at Arapiles and in the Gramps, but most of all I just had a ball, climbing in Victoria, NSW, SA and Queensland. In between I taught Outdoor Ed.

During this climbing phase of my outdoors life most of my walking was associated with finding our way into new “secret” and “hidden” cliffs in the Grampians and Blue Mountains. I ended up in Outdoor Education and remained an Outdoor Edder for the unlikely term of 20 years. Following a final 10 year stint as Director of Outdoor Education at Ballarat Grammar, I resigned, burnt out and badly in need of a change in career – there’s only so many hundred nights you can spend under canvas, camping with teenagers and their accompanying teachers and still remain sane. Sanity questionably intact I managed to get out before being carried out and resolved to use my skills to start up my own business. It’s been a steep learning curve learning business and tourism. Starting a boutique walking business in the heart of a global financial crisis did not make things any easier, either.

Frank: O.K. What about your walking now, Andy. Do you walk solo or with someone? Who is your preferred walking partner?

Andy: Most of my walking I now do solo, checking out new areas for our guided walking tours. I still enjoy my walking, in fact so much so that I have set up my own walking company, Soulfree Adventures. We offer boutique guided walking tours for those who prefer “glamping” to camping. Our walks are all multi day, 3 – 6 days and combine sensational walking, with great food, wine and 4 star accommodations; this model certainly has appeal and glampers are a growing market as more people search for something different in their travel. We currently offer guided walks along the Great Ocean Walk and are looking offering further guided walking holidays in Victoria and South Australia.

Figure 3. Soulfree walking guides Andy and Mitch, Ryans Den, Victoria's Great Ocean Walk

I recently returned from the Flinders Ranges, where I was reccying new areas for our walks. I had the bizarre experience on the one hand walking solo in this beautiful, rugged and remote location and on the other being ‘tracked’ in real time by a colleague in Melbourne via the SPOT satellite tracking device I was carrying.

I have recently being exploring the Flinders Ranges, Yarra Valley, Daylesford-Hepburn Springs and Adelaide Hills areas for new guided walking locations for Soulfree Adventures walks. Another highlight has been exploring the rugged northern coastline of Kangaroo Island, where we shortly hope to open a completely new and stunning walking location – no-one else currently goes there and this country just has to be seen to be believed! It will a truly new guided walking location and one we here at Soulfree are very excited about.

I am an active member of Bush Search and Rescue (BSAR and Alpine Search and Rescue (AlpineSAR) Victoria. I enjoy my walking and SAR exercises with the AlpSAR crew and also enjoy backcountry skiing with my local buddies from Harrietville and Hotham.

I also enjoy walking with my wife and young boys, Jack & Sam. They have really enjoyed their walking along the Great Ocean Walk and even helped me carry in supplies for camping clients along this track.

Frank: If you had a couple of months off just to hike, what would be the three multi day hikes in Australia you would complete?

Andy: Easy: the Jatbula, Larapinta and I’d also love to do the whole Alpine Walking Track in winter, as a couple of my mates did a few years back in 2005. I’m definitely attracted to doing some exploring in Litchfield NP in the NT.

Frank: Alright, unlimited finances, money and time what would be the three multi day international walks you would complete?

Andy: Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, I've always dreamed over heading there. I used to want to climb Fitzroy but now I'd just be content trekking through this amazing area.

Carpathians – there’s just something haunting about Transylvania, gypsys and hiking in the Carpathians. I would love to some exploring here, but then the Atlas mountains beckon as well...

Concordia – follow the Baltoro glacier, the longest glacier in the world to Concordia, where you are surrounded by 8000 metre peaks in the heart of the Karakoram.

A good friend and AlpineSAR buddy of mine, Linda Beilharz recently became the first Australian woman to ski to the North Pole, having already skied to the South Pole and across Greenland. She is still planning to cross the Patagonian icecap having been forced back once already. The Poles aren’t calling me though I would definitely like to explore Patagonia and Chile, given unlimited finances...

Frank: My favourite bits of gear are? Why?

Andy: Being a bit of a gear freak, I’ll have to think on that one. O.K. here’s a bit of a short list of my fave bits of gear:

· Cactus Patrol rucksack – Cactus gear is all bomber, the Patrol pack is my ‘go to’ guiding pack and I can pack enough for a 3 day alpine lightweight snow camping trip inside

· My Bluewater super dry 9mm rope, best rope I ever owned

· My Wilderness Equipment (Sea to Summit) sil_nylon small tarp, a super lightweight tarp shelter great for packing light and rigging emergency shelters

· My custom made One Planet down sleeping bag. Ah ... sweet warmth

· My Bomber Bishop tele bindings, super bomber, super solid, best tele bindings I’ve ever used

· Black Diamond Whippet self arrest pole

· My Obsidian Mantles – lcally made twin tips, I had’ em mounted tele, now their mounted alpine after one two many knee reconstructions

· Not forgetting my Garmin eTrex Vista GPS, the easiest to use GPS I’ve ever owned

· My SPOT satellite messenger – in the midst of equipping all our groups with SPOTS. After using these on the Holding rescue on Feathertop last year, we could see their value. Police in Bright could “see” one of SAR groups turning around from the summit in blizzard conditions even before the group radioed in. Now we can track Soulfree groups in the field from our office in real time and our guests’ families & friends can also follow their progress in real time via a private link to Google Maps. Pretty neat huh?

· My Snow Peak super lightweight titanium stove

· Mee Goreng noodles, gotta be satay flavour

· Sushi roller – the BEST stove base for the snow ever made, check it out!

· My bum mat – three layers of closed foam and no wet bum in the snow kitchen

· Cactus SPG gloves & Cactus HD Dreadnoughts – my “dreadies” are the best, hardest working ski pants I’ve ever owned and can handle all the abuse full time snowshoe guiding and skiing can throw at ‘em

· Is that enough?!

Frank: I really hate it when I am bushwalking and ... ?

Andy: “..... I step on a snake!” Yes this happened to me in April this year, guiding along the Great Ocean Walk. We had come from Moonlight Head and had enjoyed a magic lunch stop at Ryans Den (above). We had rested at the saddle at Bowker Point and I was just leading off when I inadvertently trod on a tiger snake who had obviously been enjoying the warmth of the rock steps. I don’t know who was more scared, but jumped about three feet up and backwards and the snake quickly slithered off into the bush. Needless to say all our guests were very glad they were wearing the gaiters as we’d advised.

Leeches are another thing I, well I don’t hate them but I do dislike tiger leeches, especially when they burrow under your shorts.

Frank: What trips have you planned in the next 12 months?

I also really hate it when I am bushwalking and .....

..... I get to camp and realise I’ve left the sleeping mat/fuel/coffee behind

..... I get back to the car and realise I’ve locked the keys in the car

..... I choose to go lightweight, pack a tiny sil_nylon tarp, and then it pours

..... I run out of coffee

..... my camera goes flat just when there’s the best sunset anyone has ever seen

Frank: What trips have you planned in the next 12 months?

Andy: OK, N0 1 priority at the moment is getting our new trips up and running. That’s Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley and Spa Country (Daylesford-Hepburn Springs). We’ll be heading back over to Kangaroo Island soon to fully explore and GPS map our walks before sitting down with DEH staff on KI. Apart from that I’ve got a couple shorter fast & light trips planned:

· Diamantina > High Knob > Kiewa River > North West Spur > Feathertop > Diamantina (in winter)

Actually that’s it, if I can get that one done in the next 12 months, I’ll be happy

Frank: What is your favourite outdoor website?

Andy: http://ski.com.au/forum/index.html Moosh! I hang out here for all the ski news and gossip. I posted frenetically last year but then I was living full time in Harrietville running my snowshoe business and shuttle. I’m not doing that this year, so will be posting less. Sites like this are great though and allow people not living in the snowfields to really find out what the conditions are doing, rather than have to rely the resorts’ own reports.

http://tasmania.bushwalk.com/forum/ Tasmanian bushwalking site. There’s heaps of great info and discussions here, not just about Tasmania but all other states and territories as well,

Frank: What is your favourite outdoor hiking store?

Andy: That’s an easy one, Bogong Equipment, in Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. A small specialist equipment store whom I’ve always supported, I’d much rather support guys like Bogong than the larger supermarket style chain equipment suppliers. They hand pick their gear and don’t stock rubbish. All their gear is good and their staff actually know the products they sell.

Frank: What trips have you got planned in the next 12 months?
Andy: OK, N0 1 priority at the moment is getting our new trips up and running. That’s Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley and Spa Country (Daylesford-Hepburn Springs). We’ll be heading back over to Kangaroo Island soon to fully explore and GPS

Walking Holiday for Singles

2010-01-18T16:38:00.004+11:00

Walking Holiday for Singles

With so many tours seemingly aimed at couples and families, Soulfree Adventures hits the mark with its new guided walks for single travellers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 18, 2010 – Singles holiday travel in Australia is taking off and is accounting for an increased share of the travel market. With traditional demographics changing and an increased number of single travellers entering the travel market, it's time for the Australian tourism industry to improve its offerings to cater to this growing market.

Cashed up single travellers are looking for experiences aimed squarely at them and it seems a small Victorian walking tour company Soulfree Adventures has hit the mark with its latest offering. Aimed squarely at the Singles Traveller market Soulfree Adventures is offering a guided Great Ocean Road Walk for Single Travellers. Not families, not couples, just singles. This is a refreshing and welcome change. Single travellers no longer need deal with the awkwardness of mixing with couples. Singles travel allows singles to meet, mix and have fun together. What better way to do this than on a walking holiday.

Soulfree's Great Ocean Road Walk for Singles package starts and finishes in Melbourne. Soulfree lay on transport, guides, accommodation and meals. Their guides are highly experienced, know the Great Ocean Walk intimately and are adept at facilitating diverse walking groups. This walking package allows single travellers to see some great scenery and have a great time doing so.

This 5 day package is attractively priced at AUD$1499 with deluxe upgrades available.

Contact Soulfree Adventures for more details or visit their website via the following link: http://www.soulfreeadventures.com.au/g1007

# # #

Soulfree Adventures | Australian Walking Holidays
Guided Walking tours
Self guided walking tours
Walking holidays for single travellers
Great Ocean Walk
Grampians
Great South West Walk
Bogong High Plains | Victorian High Country
Heysen Trail South Australia

View this full press release here

soulfree adventures: Portable Mobile Phone Chargers | How Good is This?

2010-01-07T15:51:00.001+11:00

soulfree adventures: How Good is This?

Portable Mobile Phone Chargers | How Good is This?

2010-01-07T15:22:00.005+11:00

MOBILE PHONE CHARGERS ~ A MUST HAVE "EXTRA" THAT'S NOW CHEAP AS CHIPS!!

In my last post I listed the Top 10 Extras worth taking on your next walking trip.

Well check this out: portable mobile phone chargers have come of age. I got this beauty from Aldi for AUD12.00 AND it came with 2 x Energizer Lithium batteries!! That's LESS than the cost of the batteries!!!

In terms of essential kit this little beauty now ranks high on my list of "must takes" & it goes with me on ALL searches and ALL extended trips. It uses the same AA cell batteries I use in my GPS. Plus it comes with a range of connecting leads to suit most mobile phones.

For searching where I'm often using my phone a lot and in the snow this can really drain your battery this is essential for giving my phone (Nokia E51) a quick "juice".

Spare mobile phone batteries are expensive. Now there's no need. Now you can pack one of these lil' "juicers" for the cost of a few coffees and head out bush safe in the knowledge that if your phone runs out, you can quickly juice it up in 30 minutes with this light & handy device.

Get one now!

Happy Trails

Soulfree Adventures | Australian Walking Holidays

List of Top 10 Extras to Take Bush Walking

2010-01-05T17:38:00.009+11:00

It does seem strange in a sense to be posting this: usually as anyone who knows me can vouch, being an advocate of lightweight walking, I'm more often telling people to leave stuff out of their packs! I still believe most walkers pack too much, and maybe it's just me getting older, but seems to me walking is so much more enjoyable when you're not lugging a heavy pack around the bush.

I also subscribe to the "multi use" principle: everything you take should ideally have more than one use. E.g. walking poles are great. They take the strain off your knees, you can use them to set up a quick shelter with your tarp, I can use them to fashion a makeshift splint, they help you keep your balance on steep rocky terrain and crossing rivers, etc etc. Very useful items indeed!

(Picture: Andy guiding at JB Plain, 2008)
Even so I also subscribe to the "one luxury" principle: get your pack weight down, then put in one little luxury for you to look forward to on your walk: pillow, book, caffeine, whiskey, whatever but just that one little luxury amongst your otherwise monk-like austerity can make your life on the trail that much more enjoyable, especially on a multi day hike.

And so to my list. This is my list for walking, it differs in winter for back country trips on skis and snowshoes but here it is.

All these thingsI believe are very useful: perhaps you don't need them all, perhaps several can be packed in the designated group kit (if you're walking in a group) which is a good idea. Anyway here it is:

1. Duct tape
2. Portable mobile phone charger
3. Multi tool knife
4. Cable ties
5. Flint & striker
6. Elastoplast
7. Walking poles
8. Lightweight tarp
9. Bivvy bag
10. Caffeine

Did I miss any of your favourites?

What's your "must take" list?

Post a comment or drop me a line | enquiries@soulfree.com.au

Happy trails!

Soulfree Adventures | Australian Walking Holidays

soulfree adventures: Blisters when Bush Walking

2010-01-04T09:48:00.000+11:00

soulfree adventures: Blisters when Bush Walking

Blisters when Bush Walking

2010-01-04T08:58:00.013+11:00

If there's one thing that will ruin your day on the trail, it's the infamous blister!

Blisters are caused by friction, this friction generates heat and this heat initially creates hot spots which if left untreated, pretty soon progress into blisters. The blister itself is a fluid fiulled sack (the fluid is plasma). Blisters occur when things all gets out of whack: your boots could be too stiff so they don't move when your feet move, or your socks ruck up in your boots causing creases which rub. The foot sock and boot should all move as one. Common areas affected by blisters with walkers are the heels (pictured), tops and pads of the toes, and also under the ball of the foot. I would say the heels are the most commonly affected area for walkers.

Seems there as many treatments for blisters as their are hangover cures, so I won't be postulating one all embracing cure-all here; if it works for you, keep on doing it.

Predictably the best treatment is prevention. If you don't get blisters in the first place, you won't need to treat them, so let's have a quick look at what we can do to stop getting blisters in the first place.

Break your boots in before you go on your walking trip. I grew up walking in the 70's when walking boots were all made of leather. Out of the box they were as stiff as a board. Try walking in those for five days with a 20kg pack and pretty soon your feet started sporting a nasty assortment of blisters. The trick we learned was to break them in by doing lots of walking in them first: walk around the house, down to the shops, around the park, etc. Softening the boots up was also popular: after walking in your boots the trick was to stuff them full of tissue paper and leave them in a tub of water overnight. Then walk in them again the next day, then repeat. Of course doing the 20 odd river crossings of the Wellington River into Lake Tarli Karng tended to have the same effect! Modern boots aren't all stiff leather (though a boot like the Scarpa SL with a stiff shank certainly needs all this preparation) nevertheless it pays to break all boots in a little. If you don't, you take your chances . . .
Take care in choosing your socks for walking. Back in the 70's we really only had one choice: the good old Explorer. Now we are spoiled for choice. Make sure your sock is a firm fit and has good quality elastic. You do not want your socks falling down inside your boots. Should you wear two pairs of socks when walking? Old school thinking said yes, with some advocating a thick / thin combo, I used to wear two thick. Now I wear one thick. In my ski boots I wear one pair of long super thin socks (so I can feel the ski through the boot, it's a skier thing). Whatever your choice, make sure you have your boots properly fitted with the socks or sock combination you intend to wear walking.
Pre-tape. If you have been prone to blisters in the past, then it's a good idea to pre-tape using a compund such as Compeed or Spenco which you use to cover your blister prone areas. Personally I always do this on an extended ski tour as my ski boots are stiff and after all the effort prepping for the trip I don't want my trip cut short by blisters (really I don't want my buddies poaching my fresh trax!) . I rarely pre-tape for walking as I use soft boots and they're always well broken-in so I tend not to get blisters when walking.
Don't borrow or hire boots. On a walk / ski tour your feet are your most important item. If you get foot problems, chances are that's it, your walk's over. So if there's one bit of kit we should all purchase, it's a good pair of walking boots. Even for skiing if you're going to at all get into the sport, buy your own boots and have your inners specially moulded to your foot. Even the plastic shell moulds to your foot. If you borrow someone else's boots, you're setting your self up for more of these:

5. Look after your feet. As soon as you start to feel a hot spot developing, stop and treat it. Initially this might just require taping up using a gel pad like Compeed, a slippery frictionless tape like Sleek or using a gel based treatment like Spenco (the duck's guts!) If you don't stop and treat it, the hot spot will turn into a full blown blister. So don't worry about slowing your walking party for a tiny hot spot. Down the track you'll hold them up and cause much greater problems if you get full on blisters. So when you're with a group, think of blisters as a group issue not a personal issue. In this sense you owe it to the group to look after your feet and every group member should share this commitment. Also check your feet in your tent each night, look for hot spots, anmd importantly, trim your nails - you don't want them too long as they'll cut into the adjoining toes and give you more grief!

I'll leave treatment for another blog, so stay tuned!

Happy Trails!

soulfree adventures: HYDRATE OR DIE!

2010-01-03T11:58:00.000+11:00

soulfree adventures: HYDRATE OR DIE!

HYDRATE OR DIE!

2009-12-31T09:14:00.012+11:00

I don't know how many first aid courses I've completed over the years, probably over 20. Whatever, it seems like a lot and a long time since I first practised tying triangular bandages with the school nurse back in high school.

The best first aid courses for the outdoors have always been ones presented in a wilderness context . A useful context if a bit misleading: you could be in a "wilderness context" if you are moored in your yacht on say the Gippsland Lakes and you can't get back to the shore for some reason; or for that matter if you're stuck in a traffic jam. The point being of course that these courses provide you such key skills as:

- improvising first aid materials from stuff you already have with you (do more with less)

- provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide extended patient care (you could be stuck in the bush with your patient for hours, overnight, days, etc). Urban based courses like St Johns and Red Cross as a rule do not present from this perspective and their trainers are generally not from an outdoor guding background.

Anyway ones of the providers of one of these courses I distinctly remember had a motto which featured prominently on their trademark hikers' coffee mugs which they also sold. This motto read:

"Hydrate or Die"

The more courses I completed, the more this motto struck me as making sense. The more you study first aid, the more it becomes apparent how effective adequate hydration is in preventing a plethora of miscellaneous ills & ailments. And nowhere is this more apparent than in summer.

When I worked as a walking guide for 20 years for school Outdoor Education groups, I had a stock list of responses used for a multitude of student presentations / complaints. This is a useful tool to have in your leaders kitbag of tricks.

Students would typically present complaining of a headache. My stock response always revolved upon getting them to "drink more water." Not gulp it, but slowly sip a good litre an hour for the next hour or two or three ...

Of course that wasn't what they wanted to hear. What they really wanted was a Panadol or some similar magic tablet. But what their body needs is to be rehydrated. That pain in your head is telling you something. Yes Johnny pain is your friend.

So with the weather heating up and keen walkers heading out, one of the best things we can do to avoid the onset of heat illness (heat exhaustion and heat stroke or hyperthermia) is to stay hydrated. It's not that hard but it does require a strategy just as avoiding hypothermia requires a strategy.

Here's some hydration tips for walkers:

start the day with a full tank. Make sure you're properly hydrated before you start walking.
know the signs & symptoms of dehydration. Key sign: when you are adequately hydrated, your urine should be clear and copious. So go on,have a "pee and see."
sip water regularly dont gulp water irregularly
make it easy to sip and walk at the same time. Camelbaks and similar hydration packs are popular for a reason and you don't need to wear ear buds and like hip hop to use one either. They enable you to suck water when you're walking (or skiing but then you need to avoid the hydration tube freezing up but let's leave tha tissue till winter approaches). This really makes it easy to stay hydrated. You don't have to stop the group to get out your water bottle; you don't have to worry about catching up to the group; you don't have to ask someone to get your water bottle off your pack for you. You are in control and can drink when you like. And drink you will. It's amazing how quickly you can drain a 2 litrle bladder.
take enough water to meet your needs without overdoing it. For me this is 3 litres. I carry a 2 litre Camelbak with the hydration tube conveniently located on my shoulder strap. Mine has a valve enabling me to close the water off, a useful feature. I also pack a one litre bottle either inside my pack or secured externally so it can't swing or drop of my pack.
if leading a group, call rest stops frequently. Allow those in the group without hydration packs the chance to stop and drink. Chances are if they haven't got a Camelbak or similar, they will be not drinking for one or all of the reasons outlined earlier. If you don't let them drink, they will become more dehydrated and you may have problems later in the day.

So there you have it, some handy hints for staying hydrated. "Hydrate or Die" may sound a little over-the-top, a little melodramatic perhaps, but it sure focuses your attention on the issue. We all know the saying "from little things big things grow" and with dehydration this is the nub of the issue. A whole lotta problems can grow from that one little headache ...

So when you're out there walking this summer, drink, drink and be merry!

Happy New Year and Happy Trails

Want more info? Read this great article

AVOIDING BUSHFIRES WHEN WALKING

2009-12-30T09:54:00.009+11:00

With the summer walking season well and truly upon us it is timely to look at how we can avoid bushfire danger on our walks.

With a bit of forethought, a modicum of technology and a healthy dose of common sense this should not prove that difficult.

1. Take heed of fire warnings. Following the disastrous fires of February 2009 Australia now has a raft of fire warnings. Take heed of these and avoid walking on days of:

CATASTROPHIC fire danger
EXTREME fire danger

2. Obey all warnings and instructions from regulatory bodies. For example, last summer in Victoria on particularly hot and bushfire prone days Parks Victoria (the regulatory and controlling body of all National Parks in Victoria) would not allow commercial operators to conduct tours in the Parks and advised all private walkers not to enter the Parks and if already in them, to reconsider their walking plans and seek to vacate the Park.

3. Do not wait to be told of a fire risk. Use your own common sense and judgement to assess the fire risk. If it is obviously hot and if these conditions are associated with strong, hot, dry winds, the the bushfire risk is obviously going to be great. Do not walk and make plans to leave the bush early. If you have no transport, consider your options. For example, you may be able to head to an open beach or rock platform which may be the safest place to be. Remember, the bush is dry and burns hot and fast. Do not be caught in the bush when fire hits.

4. Check the weather forecast before you go. If the forecast is for hot & dry weather, reconsider your options. The walk can always wait till later. It may be that a swim at the beach is a safer (and cooler) option.

5. Find out about the weather when you're in the bush. You have many options these days so consider the following:

AM/FM RADIO - the ABC has the strongest signal strength and is the official broadcaster of bushfire alerts and information. Pack a small portable radio and tune in to find out.

MOBILE PHONE / PDA:
a. RING THE BOM (Bureau of Meterology) to find out.

BOM WEATHER WARNING NO: 1300 659 217

TELSTRA has by far the best phone coverage in Victoria. You have more chance of getting a signal with Tesltra than other carriers. Be aware that even though your carrier claims your phone will default to Tesltra if they have no coverage this does not always occur.

b. PHONE A FRIEND to find out.

c. TEXT: text a friend to find out OR arrange for a friend to text you when a
pre-determined TRIGGER weather event occurs. This trigger should be concrete and easy to find out.
It could incude:
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING (for your area)
TOTAL FIRE BAN
EXTREME FIRE RISK
CATASTROPHIC FIRE RISK

SATELLITE PHONE: Consider hiring a satellite phone for your walk so you know you will have a communication device that works where you're planning on walking. These are usually pretty cheap (around $20 - $25 a day to hire - cheap if split a few ways and what price safety?)

WITH ALL BATTERY POWERED DEVICES :
- Know how to use them before you find yourself in an emergency. E.g. practise using your satellite phone before you head out; if it requires a PIN number then record it somewhere where it won't get lost
- carry a small laminated CONTACTS LIST of all possible emergency contact numbers and hand one out to each member of your party
- program this list into your phone (backups buuild redundancy into your plans - less chance of stuffing up in a real emergency)
MAKE SURE YOUR DEVICE IS CHARGED
CARRY SPARE BACK UP BATTERIES
DO NOT LET YOUR EMERGENCY DEVICE RUN OUT OF JUICE!!!

6. Avoid walking in bushfire prone areas at times of known hire fire danger.

A sobering thought: bushfires are real and people do die.

Respect the bush, respect the weather and mother nature and follow the SIX Ps at all times and you should be able to enjoy your walking year round without getting caught in the bush at the wrong time.

Happy Trails!

Spot Satellite Messenger

2009-10-09T16:57:00.000+11:00

We are excited to be an authorised retailer of Spot Satellite Messenger, the world's first satellite messenger. These are available for purchase through our website.

Spots are an amazing life saving device and if you head outdoors, or for that matter go anywhere remote, even if it's out of cell phone range in the car, you really should have a SPOT.

SPOTS do a few things really, really well.

1. They allow you to send an OK message via SMS or email to anyone on your pre-prepared contacts list ( up to 10 contacts). You hit OK and SPOT sends its message via satellite to your contacts, also sending them your GPS position and a link to where you are in Google Maps.

2. If you need non urgent HELP you hit the HELP button and this sends a pre-prepared message to your contacts telling them where you are (again GPS position and a link to Google Maps) and that you're OK but need their help. This lets you keep it 'in the family' so to speak. Nice.

3. IN EMERGENCIES: This is where SPOT really shines. If you really need to be rescued, you can hit the EMERGENCY button and this sends a message via email and SMS to the local authorities telling them you need HELP urgently. Of course the SPOT also sends them your position (GPS coordinates) and link to where you are right now in Google Maps and your SPOT keeps on sending this message every 5 minutes and till you hit cancel.

4. Live Satellite Tracking. SPOT allows your family and friends or business to follow your progress live, in real time, via satellite. Once you have set it up, your SPOT keeps sending out your location (GPS coordinates) and your position in Google Maps, allowing your contacts to follow your progress and see where you are, right now.

This feature is incredibly useful, which is why SPOTS have proven so popular - not just with recreational users, but with schools, mining companies, fishermen, search and rescue services, farmers and any company who has workers working in remote areas.

Many companies now use SPOTS to fulfill their Remote Area Policy obligations as part of their OHS risk management strategy.

Soulfree Adventures has SPOTS availble RIGHT NOW at the LOW LOW price of AUD229.00.*

Furthermore, if you order one now & register before Nov 15, we will include 12 months free live satellite tracking (normally USD49.99 per year).

orders: sales@soulfreeadventures.com.au

*registration fees apply

Cactus Climbing Equipment Clothing & Gear

2009-10-09T16:06:00.000+11:00

A HUGE THANK YOU to our Kiwi friends at Cactus for allowing us to distribute & sell their awesome clothing and equipment through our website. We are huge Cactus fans and use their gear for all our guiding.

We're only too happy to sell the gear we use because we have no problems recommending it. We doubt if you can treat it any tougher than we do!

Cactus make rugged purpose built clothing & equipment for most outdoors pursuits.

Check out their range on the Soulfree Adventures website.

We proudly support Cactus ethical construction.

30 August Last Snowshoe Tour for the Season

2009-09-30T09:05:00.000+10:00

My apologies for taking so long to get around to posting this!

This was our last tour for the 09 season and couldn't have been with a nice group.

The young couple arrived with their Moms to scope out the area for their wedding in 2 years' time, which will be in Dinner Plain.

We had lots of fun despite the weather and found plenty of good spots for wedding photos in amongst the gnarled Australian snow gums.

We would be happy to take the bridal party out for a complementary snowshoe on the big day!

All the best for your wedding guys!

Soulfree Spring eBrochure Now Available

2009-09-03T13:50:00.000+10:00

Soulfree Adventures' Spring eBrochure is now available!!!

For your copy email Andy: andy@soulfree.com.au

In this eBrochure:

- new Assisted walks
- new walking venues: Victorian High Country, Mount Hotham & Dinner Plain, Falls Creek & the Bogong High Plains
- walk from Mount Hotham to Falls Creek in a day!
- Spring 'wildflowers in the high country' walks
- Group Socials
- advance notice for winter 2010: Challenge Week Snow Treks five days of snowshoeing in the mountains, including ascents of Victoria's Five Highest Peaks. Challenge yourself like never before on one of our Snow Treks!!!

Andy on Feathertop Search for Missing Minister

2009-09-03T13:40:00.000+10:00

Returned Tuesday afternoon from search deployment on Mount Feathertop to assist in the search for Victoria's Minister for Water and Tourism, the Hon. Tim Holding. I went as an Alpine Search & Rescue member (AlpineSAR) of the volunteer group BSAR (Bush Search & Rescue). Big thank you to the Hotham Lift Company for flying us searchers back by helicopter from Federation Hut to Harrietville. Our group searched Monday and Tuesday and were high on the ridge line of North West Spur above MUMC Hut looking on as Minister Holding was located and winched out by chopper. SES team members from Bright also spotted the minister signalling with his reflective space blanket.

Was good to be searching in my 'backyard' and ironic that we held Alpine Search & Rescue training in this same location three years ago, camping in the gully where the search efforts were concentrated.

29 August Calorie Burning in the Rain!!!

2009-08-29T17:03:00.000+10:00

Guess who had the most fun at Hotham this morning? We did!

Yes though the weather gods definitely were not smiling this morning, three very keen and lovely ladies and good friends, Ruth, Leanne and Fiona, joined Sean and I on a calorie-burning snowshoe sojourn to Dinner Plain. This fearless group refused to be daunted by wind, rain, thunder and lightning and we boarded our trusty troopy intent to get amongst the snowgums for several kms of fitness snowshoeing.

Down Dinner Plain way it was much more sheltered that up at windy Hotham. And really not that bad, though we had to pull our hoods up over our heads occasionally and sought shelter in a cattlemen's hut for a few minutes, it's surprising how little we noticed the weather once we got going, started gasbagging and hit our stride. We did stop a few times, listening to thunder and commenting on some lightning we had sworn we saw; we did speculate as to whether Hotham would close its lifts due to lightning; but apart from that, undaunted we trudged onward and before you could say quantum physics (well that was Sean), we had covered a lazy 6km.

When we returned to Hotham Central, guests were definitely not happy Jan, several having been left below in the valley when the lifts were put on wind and lightning hold and we did think we heard some grumbling about refunds. Which just goes to show: when the weather turns sour and you want to put a smile on your dial, come snowshoeing!!!

Unfortunately we all left our cameras in our packs today so the only pic I have to share is one I snapped on my return. This shows just what the weather was like at Hotham this morning.

Thank you Ruth, Fiona, Leanne and Sean for being such good sports and having such a good spirit this morning!

27 August Half Day Tour

2009-08-27T17:11:00.000+10:00

Well it was just Ruth and I and the wind today! Ruth and I headed out for starters from Diamantina along the Razorback and down the upper half of Bon Accord Spur, from where we could see Harrietville and the Ovens River valley 10 kms below. The wind was howling but the snow was delightfiul and soft, after 27cm of fresh in the last 36 hours.

Dropping off the southern side of the upper ridge of Bon Accord spur provided us with a lovely spot for morning tea!

The snowgums looked extra special today sporting a new mantle of snow. At times all you could see was the tops of them poking through the deep snowpack.

Can you spot our tracks leading down off the ridgeline? A pretty amazing place for our morning tea. Afterwards we headed south through Hotham towards Dinner Plain. There wasn't enough snow cover to head across the snow plains, so we enjoyed a warm-down cruising along the firm packed trails, chatting to a few a skiers along the way. By the end of the tour we both thought we'd had a pretty good workout and earned wine and desert this evening. I decided I'd leave skiing till tomorrow.

22nd August Half Day Tour

2009-08-23T10:09:00.000+10:00

Today Rob and Ann joined us on a half day tour. Rob had booked his tour months ago and timed it perfectly, lucking into perfect touring conditions in the morning out along the Razorback and Bon Accord Spur.

If he had booked for yesterday, the tour would have been cancelled, as conditions were atrocious!

We headed out from Diamantina and ambled down the spectacular snowy ridgeline of upper Bon Accord spur.

We had a lovely stop for morning tea
and cookies amongst the snowgums, sheltering from the wind.

Australian snowgums (euacalyptus pauciflora)

Rob and Ann from Melbourne

With the temperature well below zero and the clouds and wind increasing, we headed top JB Plain. We had alovely snowgum ramble, stopping for views of Mt Tabletop.

We also stopped for a chat with David Chitty from Adventure Guides Australia who was out scouting the snow conditons for a school group he is teaching next week.

Rob has expressed an interest in our Sno Treks next year - 5 day snowshoe treks in the backcountry, including snow camping and peak bagging!

Tuesday 18th August Hotham Backcountry

2009-08-19T17:32:00.000+10:00

Lovely morning for a half day snowshoe tour in the Hotham Backcountry

Here's Tracey and Frances enjoying the snow out near Derrick's.

This is the lovely creek you cross on the way to Derrick's: today we had to cross a little snow bridge to get across.

Spring has come to the backcountry .
And here's the very welcome Derrick's Hut, looking cared for after a rennovation last season by its proud custodians the Wangaratta Ski Club (thanks guys!)

Derrick's makes a great stop-over in summer or winter when you're walking from Hotham to Falls Creek. For more of these walks, contact Andy at Soulfree: e. andy@soulfree.com.au or
m. 04 8847 7271

Razorback Sat August 8

2009-08-09T11:49:00.001+10:00

Ahhh sunshine returns to Mount Hotham for the best and biggest snow weekend of the season!

A perfect morning to check out the Hotham backcountry. Here's the group starting out on the Razorback from Diamantina, Saturday morning

Kez and Robyn descending the Big Dipper!

14yo girl tele skier ripping it up!

Robyn, Kez, Dajarra and James out on the Razorback enjoying awesome conditions

Now for the silly pic! Thanks guys for a great morning

Hope you enjoyed seeing the Hotham backcountry at its best

Oh ... and the champagne sunset tour was awesome!!!

JB Plain

2009-08-09T11:29:00.001+10:00

Well the weather Gods have been depriving us of sunshine here at Hotham lately. Never fear, even when Hotham itself is windy and blown out, we can still find sheltered snowshoeing on the snow covered snow plains to the south.

Here's Judy at JB Plain on 31 July

We've been hosting the media at Hotham lately, here we are at JB Plain enjoying the sheltered snow plain snowshoeing

Marketing and media have some fun!

July 24 Razorback Tour

2009-07-26T15:41:00.001+10:00

Another glorious day for a tour. The cold weather and sub zero temps have meant no freeze melt has occurrred yet, so the fresh snow from days ago has stayed soft and dry ... mmm.

Today six of us strapped shoes on our feet and headed out along the Razorback for a morning's snowshoeing. After checking out Bon Accord Spur, we headed back up to the ridge and out and down to the "Big Dipper", ther lowest point along the entire Razorback.

After climbing up the following ridge, we stopped for photos and water, then headed on back to the troopy at Diamantina, not forgetting to raise our "high heels" for the climb out of the Big Dipper.

Here's the group giving their snowshoe tour the "thumbs up."

Check out our walking tours at our website: www.soulfreeadventures.com.au

July 23 JB Plain to Tabletop

2009-07-26T15:13:00.000+10:00

Well we've had a cold and windy week, so this morning after checking out the conditions along the Razorback, we decided the cold north westerly wind was blowing too hard and we headed south through the resort for the peace and sheltered tranquility of the Mt Tabletop walking track. Francis and Kym joined us today (here's Kym and Francis - above).

We enjoyed beautiful conditions heading across the snow plains from JB hut . We made it over half way to Mt Tabletop and had lovely views of this remote peak. The track was at times hard to follow but it always stood out, sort of sinking into the depression of the underlying trail.

Later this afternoon Andy filmed a short segment with the Foxtel program "Older, Wiser, Feeling Younger", being interviewed by the lovely Delmae and filmed by Christian.

Check us out on Foxtel this week! Here's the link: http://www.olderwiserfeelingyounger.com.au/

July 14 Snowshoe Blog Brandy Creek Mine

2009-07-16T10:45:00.000+10:00

(above) Alison and Carol

With 34 cm of fresh and Hotham Central blanketed in cloud and buffeted by winds, we decided to head to the shelter of Brandy Creek Mine. Our meeting place does seem to be one of the coldest spots at Hotham!

Today we welcomed four lovely ladies for their first snowshoe tour with us: Alison & Carol and Lyn and Marina.

Though it was blowing a gale at Hotham, the track down to the mine site was lovely and sheltered. Lots of fresh animal tracks and the snowgums looked beautiful today wearing their fresh mantles of snow.

The dam looked a treat, partly iced over and layered in snow. Enjoy the pics!

Hotham is so good for variety; it's amazing how within such a short distance from Hotham, conditions can change so much.

Once the snow sets in, it's rare we
can't find somewhere suitable to go 'shoein.

(below) Lyn and Marina

Snowshoe Log 10 July

2009-07-11T09:58:00.000+10:00

Today we welcomed a lovely group of eight for a delightful 2.5 hour tour out of Hotham. It was lovely to welcome back Lisa (and her friend Penny). Lisa was our first client when we commenced last year and loyally stuck with us for a week (thanks Lisa!) I hope you enjoyed yourself today Lisa! Here's Liz

Here's Leonie.

It was also great to welcome back Kathleen and Deb. Kathleen has enjoyed three tours with us this week and Deb two. Deb and Kathleen enjoyed a four hour backcountry tour with us along the Razorback on Thursday, and a here's Deb and Kathleen with the Razorback as a backdrop.

Here's Lisa and her friend Penny , two girls who like to have fun!

From Western Australia here's Ann Marie and her son Jake

Here's the group descending from Eagle Ridge. Later in the season a large cornice will form here.

Penny and Deb descending

At the conclusion of the tour we arrived back at a bitter and blowey Loch car park. We estimated the temperature with wind chill factor at minus fifteen degrees! So we hastened our return to a comparatively warm Hotham Central.

Full pictures from this and (and all our tours) can be seen on my Photo Bucket site here http://s482.photobucket.com/albums/rr184/telesoul/

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You can catch up with all our latest offerings on our website: http://soulfreeadventures.com.au/

Snowshoe Log: July 9

2009-07-09T23:59:00.000+10:00

Another excellent day for touring around Hotham: crisp cold air keeping the surface firm, and clear air which lets you see for miles.

Today after a few cancellations from sickness - must be something going around Hotham this week ! we welcomed Kate and Jodie on their first snowshoe tour with us.

Here's Jodie and Kate having fun on Maclachans Shoulder. That's Marys Slide in the background.

Bracing, invigorating, just a couple of words to describe the feeling of snowshoeing in this lovely crisp clean cold air.

Snowshoeing in the mountains: a real mountain high!

Today we did an interesting tour around Hotham. After heading out to Loch, we skirted round past The Orchard
and along Spargos access, then ducked off down to Maclachans Shoulder.

After checking out theviews, we headed around to Spargos and One Tree Hill, where we bumped into a couple of telemark skiers: Mark and Dave, who kindly showed us their 'stuff' by skiing down the breakable crust of One Tree Hill.

Leaving One Tree, we headed off track to the top of the hill, from where we could see Derricks Hut as well as views of the Bogong High Plains.

After a quick breather to recuperate, we commenced the return jounrey, enjoying having the place all to ourselves early in the season.

We returned past Keoghs Bash to the top of The Ridge, and had a look at the 'extreme zone': The Ridge, Marys Slide, The Chute and Gotcha Ridge.

Extreme snowshoeing!

Above, Mary's Slide, the heart of Hotham's extreme terrain

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Hotham Central from Machlachans Shoulder.

Snowshoe Log 8 July continues

2009-07-08T15:38:00.000+10:00

Mel, Kathleen and Deb obviously enjoying themsleves in Hotham's stunning backcountry.

Today's snowshoe tour was spectacular. Today we had Deb, Kathleen and Mel joining us. Here are some pics from today's tour starting with on the left, Mel, Kathleen and Deb on the eastern face of the Razorback

Here's Mel traversing

... Mel makes her way back along the Razorback ridgeline after Kathleen, Deb and I traversed around the lower eastern side of the face

Feathertop looking a treat from the top of our little known "alp"

To see all the pics from today's tour, follow our link to PhotoBucket:

http://s482.photobucket.com/albums/rr184/telesoul/

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http://www.soulfreeadventures.com.au/

To come snowshoeing at Hotham contact Andy:

m. 0488 477 271

e. andy@soulfree.com.au

Snowshoe Log July 8

2009-07-08T15:06:00.000+10:00

Dear fellow snowshoers and mountain lovers, conditions have been superb these past three days. Sorry for the superlatives but the snow, the weather, the scenery, not to say the company have all been top shelf.

On Tuesday Roslyn, her son Peter, Tracey and I headed out to Mount loch. 360 degree views.

Here's Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest peak taken from Mt Loch.

We could see:

Mt Howitt, Crosscut Saw, Mt Buggery, Mt Speculation, Mt Cobbler, Mt Buller, Mt Stirling, Dargo High Plains, Mt Buffalo, The Horn, Cathedral Pinnacle, Mt Feathertop, the Fainters, the Jaithmathangs, Mt JIm, Mt cope, Bogong High Plains and Mt Bogong and the list goes on. Not a breath of wind. These could all be seen from the top of Mount Loch, only a short hike out of Hotham.

Next we rejoined the cat track out towards Spargos and headed off track for something special: Maclachlans Shoulder, a gorgeous little spot inside the resort not many know of. Here's the view across to Mary's slide from Maclachlans Shoulder:

This morning Wednesday we headed out along the Rzorback to a little known gem of a knoll off the beaten track.

Here's Deb and Kathleen traversing

More pics to follow in next post.

Check out all we have to offer here: http:www.soulfreeadventures.com.au

Soulfree Hotham Snowshoeing Touring

2009-07-07T05:29:00.000+10:00

Well the Soulfree Blog's been down for a couple of days, so my apologies, but we're up and running again! Thanx Nitecruzer for your help.

Weather has been superb for snowshoe touring at Hotham these past couple of days :

Sun 5th July: we ran an afternoon Introductory Tour out along the Razorback to Bon Accord. This tour had a delayed start but worked out better as we had the most brilliant sunset to enjoy. This should have been a Champagne Sunset tour!

Mon 6th July: We ran a Half Day Tour out past The Orchard to Mount Loch, and then continued around to the eastern face of Machinery Spur. Here we had stunning views of Mt Feathertop, the Bogong High Plains, Mt Mackay, Mt Bogong, the Fainters and Jaithmathangs, Buller. We could see for miles! The top pic is of Kathleen yesterday. In the background is Mount Feathertop. This pic was taken from the eastern face of Machinery Spur yesterday morning. As you can see, it was looking in stunning condition!

Here is a pic of Joanna on Saturday as we haded out along the Razorback to Bon Accord.

The tracks coming down the hill in the background are snowboiarders' tracks.

By this stage the snow pack had developed a layer of crust on top and was not good for skiing. Good to see some melt freezes happening now to consolidate the snowpack and firm up conditions for touring.

We have Half Day Tours scheduled for today Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th July We will try and run a could of Introductory Tours over the coming weekend. If this weather continues, we'll be starting up our Champagne Sunset Tours for sure!

Fresh Snowfalls Blanket Hotham!!

2009-07-03T08:12:00.000+10:00

Over half a metre of fresh snow has blanketed Mt Hotham in the past 48 hours!

It's still snowing and should snow for at least another 3 days, so the resort and backcountry have been transformed into a winter wonderland.

This is great news for backcountry aficionados : while this snow will start to cover up most of the heath and rocks, we still need to let it form a base before conditions ripen for snowshoeing. Heading out too soon into fresh snow can be hard work as you sink below your knees in the soft snow. Good for skiing but hard work slugging along the ridgelines and snow plains.

Following this first real season dump, we need to wait for a melt freeze cycle to come into play. This will firm the snow up and give us a solid base.

Once we get another 30cm - 50cm on top of this new base we'll be set and heading out to Feathertop will be on!

We have a Feathertop tour booked for Monday but this is on weather hold. I'd also be suspicious of the snow conditions this soon after a dump - so I'll head out along the Razorback over the weekend and check the conditions for you.

Skiers thinking of checking out the backcountry steeps remember, the snowpack hasn't stabilised yet and avalanche danger is high off the Razorback and eastern aspect of Machinery Spur. I'll dig a pit when I get time to check the pack out more closely.

Enjoy your turns everyone and I'll see you out there!

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You can catch up with all our latest offerings on our website: http://soulfreeadventures.com.au/

Latest Press Release

2009-07-02T10:15:00.000+10:00

New Shuttle Service Announced For Mount Hotham

*** View All Our Latest Press Releases Here: http://www.prlog.org/ ***

A new 4WD shuttle service now improves transport options for Mount Hotham resort guests, and will improve the safety of guests visiting the resort this winter.

The Great Alpine Road, which is used by most guests who visit Mount Hotham, is Australia’s highest and most exposed alpine road. Each year sees several accidents during the snow season, with the combination of snow, ice and poor visibility often proving too much for motorists.

The new service, being operated by Soulfree Adventures, utilises a 4WD vehicle well equipped to handle Hotham's often bleak conditions. Driver experience is crucial when it comes to handling Mt Hotham's snowy roads. Soulfree's drivers know the road well, driving it every day.

Andrew Reynolds, Soulfree's owner, also doubles as a driver and snowshoe guide. "Inexperience and a lack of respect for the road are often the determining factors", says Mr Reynolds, speaking of vehicle accidents. "Drivers need to slow down, fit chains when directed, and avoid sudden braking. Tailgating is also a problem on our hills, often resulting in bingles."

Soulfree's service certainly makes it easy for guests to get to Hotham safely. Guests can leave their vehicles in secure car parks in Harrietville, then have Soulfree drive them safely up the hill to their accommodation. This also means guests don't have to worry about having to fit chains; Soulfree's drivers take care of this as well.

With rugged looking tyres, a roof rack and an external ski basket, Soulfree's 4WD Toyota Troop Carrier certainly looks the part. "We can carry plenty of luggage", says Mr Reynolds, "I took a group of eight up on Monday and we still managed to fit all their luggage on board, and they weren't exactly travelling light."

So there you have it. If you are thinking of visiting Mount Hotham's skifields this winter, Soulfree can ensure you arrive there safely without the worry of negotiating icy roads, fitting chains, and leaving your vehicle to freeze in the snow for a week.

For more details, visit Soulfree's website at http://www.soulfreeadventures.com.au . Alternatively you can email Andy direct : andy@soulfree.com.au or phone : 0488 477 271 to make your bookings.

Blizzard Conditions Turn Hotham's Skiing Around

2009-07-02T10:05:00.001+10:00

NEWS ALERT
Thursday 2 July

24CM OF FRESH SNOW TURNS CONDITIONS AROUND AT HOTHAM

Blizzard conditions at Hotham Alpine Resort have provided 24cm of fresh snow in the last 24 hours with predictions it will continue to snow until Sunday.

At 5am yesterday morning, the impressive but unwanted rain storm turned to an amazing blizzard, transforming Hotham into the winter playground; it is so well known for.

Len Dobell, General Manager of Operations said “If conditions continue like we’ve had, School Holiday makers should be confident they will be skiing great, groomed snow on the Summit, Big D and Village areas…and maybe even more.”

“It’s amazing how good these conditions are, they’ve turned around so quickly” said Dobell.

As in 2008, the week leading up to school holidays has been a mix of conditions, but Mother Nature again has pulled the good stuff out of her bag and provided the perfect conditions for the week ahead. Come on up to Hotham, enjoy the school holiday activities, great snow and value package deals.

To book a snow holiday call the Hotham Holidays team on 1800 hotham or email holidays@hotham.com.au
Guests can keep up to date with weather conditions on http://www.hotham.com.au/ or on their mobiles at http://www.hotham.mobi/

For further information or to request imagery please contact:
Gina Woodward, Hotham Skiing Company M 0400 223733

Gina Woodward│Sales & Marketing Manager
Mount Hotham Skiing Company Pty Ltd
PO Box 140
BRIGHT VIC 3741
p 61 3 5759 4464
m 0400 223 733
e ginawoodward@hotham.com.au
http://www.hotham.com.au/

I'm Going Snowshoeing: Do I Need a Guide?

2009-07-02T09:45:00.000+10:00

So you've bought your snowshoes, practised strapping them on and are ready to head backcountry! Should you take a guide with you?

As a snowshoe guide, I get asked this question a lot. Generally, the answer goes like this: if you have to ask, then these answer's usually yes - you need to employ a guide. You know you're ready when you have measured your experience, knowledge and skills against a common yardstick. For me, that involves being an active member of an alpine Search and Rescue group, who are called on by police to assist in bush and alpine searches. My involvement and training with my peers reinforces and affirms what I know and what I can do and, more importantly, what I don't know and what I can't do. It's all about knowing your capabilities and knowing your limits.

Snowshoeing is basically bushwalking in the backcountry, so requires all the usual backcountry skills, such as navigation, first aid, etc as does bushwalking, with the additional requirement of knowledge of the intricacies of the alpine environment. That subject alone can take up a whole book!

Entering the alpine backcountry in winter is a serious proposition and should not be under estimated. The risks for the inexperienced and un(der)prepared are many: getting lost in a whiteout; hypothermia; enforced bivouac; and depending on the terrain you're in, potentially fatal slips down long icy slopes, to say nothing of cornice collapses and slab avalanches! And that's just here in Victoria, Australia. Until you are confident with your own ability to assess and mitigate these risks and ensure your safety and those of your group, you should seek out the services of an experienced snowshoe guide.

That way you can ensure you have a fun time snowshoeing the backcountry and most of all, will do so safely. That post snowshoe schnapps or beer is so much more enjoyable when you're not wearing plaster!

See you out there!

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How Easy is this Snowshoeing Thing Anyway?

2009-07-01T05:27:00.001+10:00

It might sound like a cliché but if you can walk, you can snowshoe. Yes, it's that easy!

Guiding people snowshoeing opens your eyes to what a brilliant activity snowshoeing is for getting people out and about in the snow. Coming from a ski touring background, I was always aware of the need to build a solid skiing skills base before heading backcountry. With snowshoeing, after a few little pointers, you can strap them on your feet and head on out. Technical skills really only come into it when negotiating steep icy terrain, and traversing steeper slopes - these require a few skills to perform safely, so beginners should stay away from steep icy terrain, which should really be obvious to most of us!

To find out whether snowshoeing is for you, consult the following checklist:

Want to reconnect with nature? aCheck
Want to do something that keeps you fit? a Check
Want a break from the hustle and bustle of your ski resort? a Check
Want to see the snow up close and personal? a Check
Don't want to risk hurting yourself? a Check
Looking for a new fun way to lose weight this winter? a Check
Want a fun activity to do outdoors with friends? a Check

And there you have it. Snowshoeing ticks all the boxes.

In my next post, I'll talk about the need for a guide or relevant backcountry skills to ensure your safety out there.

Thanks for reading!

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Great Ocean Walks

2009-06-30T17:23:00.001+10:00

*** WINTER SPECIAL ***

10 For 10 Discount

Now's the time to start thinking about booking your next walking holiday with Soulfree.

We have a special "10 for 10" deal on at the moment where we will give a 10% discount to anyone who books a group of 10 into a 4 or 6 day Guided Great Ocean Walk by the end of October.

So start networking with your friends, get everyone organised and drop us a line. October, November and December are excellent months for walking along the Great Ocean Walk.

Drop us a line.

Call Andy:

m. 0477 477 271
e. andy@soulfree.com.au

Feathertop Razorback Snowshoe Adventure

2009-06-30T16:36:00.000+10:00

We have a Feathertop Tour booked for next Monday 6th July.

This is a truly spectacular tour and a not to be missed opportunity to stand atop our most majestic peak.

It's a full day tour with an early start and you need to be reasonably fit to complete it. Around 20km of walking - last 8 km is downhill to Harrietville.

Like any good snowshoe tour, it finishes at a pub! End the day by the fire with a drink or two and relive your adventure over a pub dinner, before we drive you back up the mountain to Hotham.

Call Andy to book your tour:

m. 0488 477 271
e. andy@soulfree.com.au

Hotham Shuttle Service

2009-06-30T16:22:00.000+10:00

We are operating a 4WD Shuttle Service servicing Mount Hotham all through the snow season.

Avoid the hassle of chains, dangerous icy snow covered roads a poor visibility by letting us do the snow driving for you!

Fully accredited and insured, we'll safely transport you to Hotham up Australia's most dangerous alpine road. Our experienced river will ensure you arrive safe and warm!

We are flexible and are not locked into a timetable. Competitive prices charged per head.

Simply book your car into a lock up in Harrietville, and give us a call to organise a collection time.

We also do pick ups from Bright, Wangaratta and Albury.

Call Andy on 0488 477 271 for more info

e. andy@soulfree.com.au