Cactus Climbing Equipment Clothing & Gear

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.

27 August Half Day Tour

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.

Tuesday 18th August Hotham Backcountry

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

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

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

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

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

(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: July 9

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 July 8

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

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!!

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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Latest Press Release

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.

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

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?

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

*** 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