{"id":56971,"date":"2023-08-25T08:17:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T22:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=56971"},"modified":"2023-08-25T08:24:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T22:54:10","slug":"serenity-and-skiing-in-the-bogong-high-plains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/serenity-and-skiing-in-the-bogong-high-plains\/","title":{"rendered":"Serenity and Skiing in the Bogong High Plains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Bogong High Plains (BHP) are a unique part of Australia. To give you some perspective: think of the area as being smack bang in the Victorian High Country, behind the Falls Creek Ski Resort and home to Victoria\u2019s tallest mountain, Mt. Bogong. Snow Gums, rounded hilltops, speccy sunsets and, of course, the snow in winter, are all features that give the area a very \u2018ah the serenity<\/em>\u2019 type of feel (here\u2019s looking at you Darryl Kerrigan<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left: Mt Bogong in respects to Falls Creek and Nelse. Right: Bogong High Plains in respects to Falls Creek.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a school ski trip first introduced me to the area in 2012, I\u2019ve made regular pilgrimages back there and enjoyed every visit \u2013 no matter what time of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time of the year, though \u2013 Winter \u2013 is when it\u2019s at its peak! Take a stroll with me down memory lane, as I showcase some of the highlights over the years of ski-touring in the BHP. Marvel at the fact that we have a winter paradise in Australia that can be accessed for free, with the right equipment and knowledge (don\u2019t let the crowds at the resorts know)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Look at them colours.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I ventured to the Bogong High Plains on my first ski trip as a high school student. I\u2019d never skied before the trip, but after completing 5 days of touring around on skinny telemark skis I was hooked! I had no idea what I was doing, but I had been dropped into a whole new world \u2013 and landed on my feet most of the time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A teenage me thinking \u2018how good is this?!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything was white, people seemed to be happy everywhere we went, and I could fall over as much as I wanted to \u2013 nothing hurt! The first trip I was a part of was based at Johnston\u2019s Hut, just under the summit of Mt. Nelse. Other similar huts exist nearby, such as Edmondson\u2019s Hut, Fitzgerald Hut, and Kelly\u2019s Hut, but they don\u2019t have the same facilities as Johnston. Setting up a base camp near Johnston\u2019s Hut (or any hut, really) is a great way to slowly introduce yourself to ski-touring around the area. Easy day trips to the other huts in the area for lunch, or laps on gentle terrain around the huts are great to both fill the trip itinerary and build on your skiing skills. There\u2019s something for everyone out in the BHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Skiing in the BHP means no lift lines, no tracks, no worries.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solo Night on Nelse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not every ski-trip to the BHP needs to involve a hut though. After a few years of similar-style ski-touring missions based at a hut, I wanted to put my snow camping skills to the test! On a particularly still night, I camped under the summit of Nelse and saw the sunrise from up top the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photo evidence that I survived snow camping on Mt. Nelse and saw the sunrise!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting up camp in the snow and managing all your bits and bobs in a cramped tent is a bit of a process that is almost as involved as renovating your home! Level out the floor with your skis, avoid creating any divots, build a wind barrier with blocks of snow, dig a well to put your feet in so you can sit up in your tent, create space for all your gear inside so it doesn\u2019t freeze overnight, have a hot water bottle to keep yourself warm\u2026 the list of things to do goes on and on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tick them off one by one though, and not only will you be a happy little camper but you\u2019ll also feel proud of yourself for surviving in sub-zero temperatures with all your gear. Since that initial night, I\u2019ve improved my snow camping skills a little more \u2013 but not to the level of my idols, the Oates brothers, who completed a full winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track<\/a> (which passes through the BHP) a few years ago. Great content to read in your next lunch break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now that’s ‘a home among the gumtrees’!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not every ski-trip to the BHP needs to involve a hut!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleve Cole Hut Frivolities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it\u2019s nice to camp out alone in the snow \u2013 but hut-life is very good too. Cleve Cole Hut, over on nearby Mt. Bogong (technically not part of the BHP, but that\u2019s like saying Tasmania is not technically part of Australia, which is a bit rude), is a delightful stone hut that has running water and an entire \u2018Members Only\u2019 section with even more facilities under lock and key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times when I\u2019ve skied around this area, I\u2019ve met a few other skiers and been able to \u2018watch the show\u2019 as they dropped into some of the gnarlier lines heading off Bogong! Being a resident of Cleve Cole Hut also means doing your bit to chop firewood (if you\u2019re using the fire). Sure, you might be tired from a day of skiing, but there\u2019s something very primal and enriching about chopping your own wood for your own fire and providing for yourself and your mates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cleve Cole Hut<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Being civilised inside Cleve Cole.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scenic views from the hut window.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We make fire with this firewood! *grunting noises*<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transport to the Snow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting to the Bogong High Plains and seeing it in winter is usually relatively straightforward: drive your car up to Falls or Hotham, and get out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, park your car at Mt. Beauty and let them drive you up in a bus (save all the riff-raff with chains for the bus driver). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orrrr<\/em>, park your car at Mountain Creek or Eskdale Spur for a real off-road experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fallen trees across the road are common, so waiting for 4WDers with winches and chainsaws might be how you spend a day. Seeing as the road goes above the snowline, you may return to find you can ski all the way down to the bottom, like a mate and I did once. This made for a great picture and memory of a beloved Subaru Outback!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Subaru Outback IN the outback.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Serenity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heading outdoors for a lot of people is about getting away from the big smoke. Out in the Bogong High Plains in mid-winter, with the snow blowing in through the hut door, you can feel a million miles away from your typical daily responsibilities. When it\u2019s blizzarding and you have to keep the hut and yourself warm\u2026 sure, you might be thinking more along the lines of \u2018SERENITY NOW, SERENITY NOW<\/a>\u2019 ala Frank Costanza, but it\u2019s better than worrying about KPI\u2019s and cost-of-living crises!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While it might look like sunny weather, this photo doesn\u2019t highlight the windy conditions very well. The squinting face does.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Much happier at lunchtime!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s fine weather out there though, and you can see for miles (all the way to Mt. Kosciusko!), the serenity of the area is hard to beat. It\u2019s like being in a real-life desktop screensaver. The quiet, the crispness in the air, the stillness in the frozen Snow Gums, all the bloody \u2018ness\u2019s\u2019 you can think of that just make you go \u2018ah, isn\u2019t this great?\u2019. That\u2019s what skiing in the Bogong High Plains is all about to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Crystal clear skies on top of the BHP.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Out here, you can feel a million miles away from your typical daily responsibilities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When it’s fine weather, the serenity of the area is hard to beat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gear<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The quiet, the crispness in the air, the stillness in the frozen Snow Gums…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there you have it: a blog about skiing that\u2019s really not about skiing at all, right? It\u2019s a subtle nod that the most important thing is not how<\/em> you get out in our great outdoors, but just getting out there any way you can so you can check out an area like the Bogong High Plains. There\u2019s still time left this year to see it in all its glory with snow-filled valleys, but if there\u2019s anything in this blog that\u2019s made you think \u2018wow, that\u2019s cool\u2019, then mark a trip over there in your 2024 diary! You won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out Rocky Valley Ski Hire for tips on hiring appropriate skiing gear, listen to the \u2018Those Tele Guys\u2019 podcast (great content for those looking to get started, and can point you in the direction to seek more information). Or, just do what I did and pretty much hire some skis, have one lesson in the resort, then blindly follow your mates and a teacher out there! If you\u2019re smart enough to be reading the Snowys’ blog<\/a>, you\u2019re smart enough to work it out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s not about how you get out in our great outdoors, but just getting out there in any way you can.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This photo was my actual screen saver for about five years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever snow camped before? How did you go?<\/strong> Let us know your experience in the comments below! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New to snow camping? Check out the Snowys blog, ‘How to Plan for Camping in the Snow<\/a>‘. <\/p>\n