22nd August Half Day Tour

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!

Snowshoe Log 10 July

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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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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