Best of Season 2014

Season 2014 starred a couple of massive early dumps and then an eternal spring, the warmest on record.

I got fit for touring running the TGV in the Vanoise, and then returning for the tail end of Snowmageddon and Snowzilla and some exceptional powder days with my mates. 

A low and beefy base leant for some new and perhaps never before skied lines in the Hotham BC, with the western faces of Loch the most memorable - and then our best ever day's ski-touring on the Bluff and Eadly-Stoney.

I then broke my thumb and needed surgery which put the moz on a few of my other plans, but still some exceptional spring corn was to be had.

However September was mostly about the family and the kids. I got Charlotte skiing some steep BC lines, and all of them progressed in leaps and bounds such that even the 4 year old can now keep up with the rest of the family no matter the pitch. 

Without a doubt this was the highlight of the season.

Despite the early notions of Christmas lines, it was all over by October such that a planned Main Range trip didn't eventuate.

The Mile High Club

 Charlotte has become my newest running buddy - a fellow trail junky. 

I think it started on Mt Jajungal back when she was eight. This year whilst I was training for the TGV, she started running sub-hour ten Ks with me. I'm not sure if that's a good time for a nine year old: you can't find that kind of information on the internet, nor even whether it's a healthy thing or not.

Anyway, she recently started accompanying me on my long Sunday trail runs along the Yarra where I've been pushing her gently but easily up towards 20K. For her tenth birthday last weekend I gave her a pair of Salomon Speedcross and an entry into the Mile High half marathon, and she nearly cried with excitement.

I was disappointed to miss the inaugural DP Mile High last year, and likewise the Alpine Challenge this year, which unfortunately falls on the date of the kid's school fete (which is sacrosanct). 

Charlotte and I drove up Friday night through Bogong moth plagues like snow. Before the climb, we chowed down at the Snowline in Harrietville where the food is really good these days.

On Saturday it was difficult to keep her rested. Like her father, she likes to move. I took her mountain biking to Dead Timber Hill where we did some bouldering (and met Gib, another DP local). After one particularly successful climb, she shouted down to me that she didn't think that I was capable of this particular pitch. She almost proved correct.

At the race debrief at Rundell's on Saturday evening I was a little nervous. Online entries for the half marathon were only for those aged over 16, and so I had lied a little - and then instructed her how to lie a little more such that she could pick up her bib 'on behalf of her big sister'. Fortunately no questions were asked, and we met some more lovely DP locals including Rory who was running the half, and Karl who is head of DP mountain bike riders.

After some pretty wild weather overnight, Sunday dawned beautifully. Charlotte was so excited that she did about a thousand cartwheels en route to the starting line, and then proceeded to climb several dozen trees whilst waiting.

With no other kids in the line up, she had spied the 'Winner, Under 15 women's Mile High Half Marathon' trophy, and declared it hers. I just liked that there was a trophy for an under 15 category in a race for which it was impossible to enter online unless you were at least 16. 

"Sorry to steal your thunder darling, but you have to run the race first..."

Which she did.

Our plan was to run 7 slow, 7 medium and the last 7 fast. However Charlotte set off like a bolt, and no amount of me trying to coax her back into any type of pace seemed to work. We were running against a hot northwesterly and rapidly warming day, and my biggest concern was the pre-adolescent inability to perspire. Whenever she started getting a headache indicative of looming heatstroke, I made her walk. But otherwise she just kept on going - all the way to Slatey Cutting, and then all the way back to DP and a standing ovation from everyone present. 

And her first trophy. Not to mention the youngest ever entrant into the Mile High Club...

By the time we got back down to Bright it was thirty-six celsius and I had to wake her up to throw her in the Ovens.

There were some pretty impressive times for the open half and (particularly) the 32km Cobungra Ditch. I might have cracked the half marathon masters trophy, however it was far more pleasurable running with my little girl and watching her complete her first race.

It won't be all that long before she's holding back for her old man.
Many thanks to Paul Ashton and crew for their usual impeccable organisation. And all the best to those contemplating the Alpine Challenge next weekend.    

Finally. Feather...

There were car and communication issues leading up to Saturday. Although I could see them coming a mile away, Friday still ended up with me driving to the Prom in my old car before spitting the dummy and continuing up via Omeo for a 1200km round trip in a car even older than me.

My juvenile dummy spit also resulted in me forgetting all my food. I had to raid our emergency food stash at Dinner Plain late Friday night. For dinner I had Nasi Goreng noodles which were about a hundred years old and which gave me a shocking case of MSG poisoning and precious little sleep. For breaky and the Razorback I found several sachets of baby food.

Dawn and sunrise were very special. I left the car at Diamantina just after five, and was on the summit of Feather just before seven after a few stops for photos and apple mush.

My entire gear list: skis, boots, poles, pack, EPIRB, camera, phone, 600ml water and baby food.

Apart from the back of Molly the trail was snow-free all the way which made for good running. From High Knob it was good to see several passable lines, although everything had iced up overnight.

The main SE gully looked particularly inviting.

I mucked around on the summit for a bit, and ate another apple mush. It was windy and quite cold. At eight o'clock I skied down the main SE ridge to get to the direct East Face. The ridge was a mix of rocks and ice, but once I hit the face it proved good skiing. I climbed up and had another down the same face, continuing as far down as was possible.

By this time the sun had hit the main SE gully and I was comfortable to give it a shot. It was great: a little cornice, then the steep upper aspects, mellowing out into a bowl and gully. The bottom was a little sun cupped and still a bit icy, with a bit of debri from a few wet slides - however I was keen to find water and so followed it down as far as possible. It ended in impassable terrain, with no water. 

I started eating manky snow and swilled my final baby mush. Climbing out of the SE gully was a challenge, with a bit of rock climbing and holding on to blades of grass on occasions for balance. The next gully further south (above) also looked good, so I had one down that too. 

At this point I was plum out of water and mush. It was about ten, and although it felt too early, I'd already had well over a thousand metres of skiing vertical. And so, after chowing down on a bit more manky snow, I started the slow jog back to the car, arriving just before midday. The Diamantina spring was pure diamond. Water never tasted so good.

Main SE gully in the middle, southern to looker's left, and main eastern face to looker's right.

Fire plus snow = interesting colours.

I don't know if it was the baby mush or the exercise happy hormones still swirling, but the drive back was splendid. I've never seen the Tambo Valley looking so verdant or pretty. The engine was humming along in overdrive at 3000 rpm, and my windows were down by virtue of being unable to turn off the heating.

I got back in time to grab a beer, throw some salmon on the BBQ and watch the sunset with the kids.