TR: The Season Continues Weekend Warrior Style
Back to the grind of going to work and doing the weekend trips to the snow unfortunately. I did do a weekend with the girlfriend and a mate the weekend prior which was pretty fun, had my first runs over at Bluecow and Guthega for the season on the Sunday when James and I went up sans better halves. There was an interesting altercation with Ski Patrol on a cat track at Bluecow, long story short I scared the shit out of him, he got pissy, by the time everyone had got to the top of the chair everything calmed down, we spoke and shook hands no harm done.
Other than that it was a good trip, my girlfriend was getting down runs by herself and linking some turns, I left her to her own devices for an hour and came back to find out she had done three runs by herself. I also won a Perisher season pass holder prize of a lunch for two to the value of $150 at Snow Gums restaurant that I donated to the girls so James and I could ride.
Looking back down Blue Calf to Burning Log and beyond into the main range.
Last week I was getting a bit antsy about making the trip down. There was a fair bit of indecision on display in the perisher thread from me as I weighed up snow reports, snow forecasts, lift and run openings and other outside influences like surf forecasts, girlfriends needs etc etc. DRC made the decision a little easier as I really didn’t know if I could be arsed driving the whole way up and back by myself.
With the decision finally made I hopped in the Rok about 2:30 Friday arvo and headed off out to the M2/M7 run and stopped off to pick up DRC at the M7/M5 crossroads about 3:30 as arranged. The trip down was quick for a few reasons, conversation was not in short supply and I was doing the usual 7-8kmh over the speed limit with no detrimental effects to my licence. We strolled into Qbeen as it was getting dark and DRC informed me he had a rather urgent desire to empty his bladder so we pulled up at the servo and did what needed to be done. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful from memory and went really quickly, at one point I was wondering if we’d been through Cooma yet and a minute or two later we hit Berridale, it was that kind of trip.
We arrived in Jindy about 7:50, pretty awesome time for a trip with two stops and set about finding our camp site. For reasons that now appear unclear I elected to leave the chateau at home and go the FDome. DRC had a brand spankers tent that he wasn’t entirely sure of how to put up. Right on cue as we got out of the car to set up camp Murphy and his law turned up and it proceeded to piss with rain and the wind picked up substantially. Not such a drama for me, I’ve owned the FDome for over 10 years (a well spent $39) so setting it up is literally a 5 min exercise. DRC’s tent on the other hand was slightly more involved. I leant him a hand and after a couple of false starts it began to bear a passing resemblance to a shelter.
Murphy decided to really turn it on and as soon as we were done the rain and the wind disappeared, fcuk you very much for DRC’s “interesting” intro to tenting in Jindy. We bailed over to my favourite dinner spot to get dry and warm and were fed by 9 and I was socially lubricated by 10 and at that stage we called it and retired to our respective non chateau like domiciles. Once again our friend turned up and it started to sound like a procession of 747’s were taking off over our heads as the wind turned the volume right up.
I was tired so fell asleep pretty quick, the wind must have died as nect thing it was 2am and I was woken by the pissed idiots returning to the campsite next to us without any thought or regard for anyone else not having a desire to hear about whatever the fcuk it was they were talking about. Eventually they shut up and I went back to sleep, the next morning DRC informed me he didn’t get much sleep at all, as it turned out his tent really wasn’t put up right and while the wind was about the tent delighted itself by beating him the face at regular intervals.
In the morning after a hearty brekky of quiche Lorraine for me and some fruit or something for DRC we headed up the hill about 7:15. Sounds early but after seeing they were fitting chains at Wilsons it seemed like a good idea. As a result we missed the usual carnage and got up the hill in good time and onto the first lift on the V8. Unbelievably after the night before and everything the forecast had said it was a bluebird morning. We bailed straight across to lickarse tbar which opened early and found the park itself had a layer of pow over the groomers. We did one run through there and both of us hit the jumps which have been toned right down to not much bigger than poopoo park for one reason or another.
We went straight over to the double chair at MtP and were literally about 3rd or 4th chair up the run.
The first run down was interesting, at the top it was fairly wind scoured but by halfway we had bailed off piste between the chair and international T. DRC was in front of me and made the massive mistake of stopping in ankle deep pow for me to catch up. As a result of his kindness he copped an absolute toe side in your face and whole body pow spray courtesy of yours truly, this is still my favourite part of the entire weekend. DRC was very gracious about it, I guess he figured that if the snow was good enough to do that it was a good day.
The next two hours were pretty much sick fun, it was ankle deep in a lot of areas with windblown and freshly fallen snow and we hunted out as much of it as possible as the bluebird conditions persisted. That all came to an end about 11 and the clouds rolled in and started to snow again, not a huge drama really. We kept up over at MtP for a while until DRC decided to knee a rock and take some bark off. We found DigitalReaver down the bottom of international and we all took a T up and visited the ski patrol hut so DRC could get patched up by Oz.
I think at that stage as MtP was icy at the top and totally tracked out down the bottom we headed back over to centre valley. My hip flexors were totally killing me, I’d pulled them a bit the weekend before and one stack I’d had in the pow in the morning had really pulled them again. The very act of straightening my body was like unbending a rusty hinge and hurt a lot. DRC’s knee bandage was giving him a little curry as well and I think DigRev was starting to get a little tired. We got back into CV and jumped on the quad, as we got to mid station I noticed the mini half pipe they put in at Yabby and got all excited. DRC and DigRev elected to have lunch while I went and rode and hiked the pipe.
The mini pipe apparently has 13ft walls, I actually found it fairly hard work to ride compared to the superpipe they had in FV last year. Not in that technically it was much harder it was just you had less time to set up, more pumping was required and generally more effort needed to go into each run, despite that I enjoyed it a lot, was a shame the vis was totally ratshit by that stage. When the boys had finished lunch they came down to the pipe and DRC had a pretty decent first shot at the pipe, he just needed to overcome the apprehension that proceeds the transition turn from toes to heels and vice versa at the top of each side.
I think all up I spent an hour or so in the pipe and DRC did a couple of runs, Dig Rev elected to leave it alone till next time, his ridings pretty decent considering it’s his first ever season and we headed off to FV. We fooled around on FV for a little while before pulling the pin about 2:30.
Getting back to Jindy we set about fixing DRC’s tent up, didn’t take long but it looked a lot more solid when wehad finished. I had my usual 6 pack to keep my company and DRC went to have a shower while I used shower in a can after forgetting to pack a towel. We ended up watching videos in my car till about 6ish when Oz rang and asked if we had seen the BOM radar. We had indeed and we hastily decided that some floorspaces at Ozparents was going to be far more comfortable than the tents so we packed everything up and DRC drove us over to OZparents. DRC never did get to test out his tent properly as a result but it was probably for the better.
For dinner that night DRC, Oz DigRev and I all went to the Brumby bar, I hadn’t been there in over 10 years so it was quite a trip down memory lane. The food was okish but nothing to write home about. Oz had to sit through dinner and a few drinks afterwards while DigRev and and DRC to a lesser extent talked crap about various things, I thought it was amusing but cannot speak for everyone else. Being an old man and tired and sore we headed back were in bed by 10:30, I scoffed a few nurofens in the hope it might help with my hips.
Next morning we were up bright and early again and back up the mountain for first lifts again. We went for a repeat of the day before as the BOM told us they’d had 25cms of fresh overnight. The V8 part was easy but then we got held up at lickarse t for ages.
Imagine sitting at the bottom of this for 15mins waiting for it to open.
Finally we were off and I did a quick run through lickarse park and we bombed over to MtP triple. As per the day before the top was still a bit icy but vastly improved but dropping into the lower parts of towers was deep dry pow. The only issues was the vis sucked so you were kind riding by feel. We did towers two or three times before they opened the international t and eyre t and we started to ride through the off piste pow. Needless to say that because of the wind the T’s were much more comfy to ride and the actual riding back down was probably some of the best riding I’ve done in Oz.
I have no idea how many runs we did but it was relentless, so many fresh tracks and so many pow turns, so epic. We finally decided to get a few pics of what we riding, this was probably two hours in, I was kicking myself I hadn’t taken my pole as the footage would have been sick.
DRC has a pic of himself on instagram, he got me onto it over the weekend as well, total newbie so I cannot lift his framegrabs and post in here for one reason or another, perhaps he would be kind enough to do it himself. Oh this was the view on the way up the hill that morning, fresh snow all over the place.
We rode till after midday, basically until DRC’s binding decided it was over it and his ankle strap refused to stay done up. We kind of Macgyvered it back together and we made our way back to FV and eventually off the hill by 1. As we set off back down the hill I think both of us were pretty rooted but totally stoked with the weekend. Was a really fun trip, I haven’t remembered everything that occurred but if it was important DRC or DigRev or Oz can chime in, can’t wait till this weekend!
Actually I think it was Dan doing all the talking on Saturday night!!!
You were just passing round photos!
You have to go to a third party website to get photos off IG unless the poster has posted on FB>
here is a link to you on a third party site http://statigr.am/mikesams2211
and DRC - http://statigr.am/dcourtney13
and the actual riding back down was probably some of the best riding I’ve done in Oz.
Wow what a TR details down to my bladder and choice of breakfast! It will cement some fantastic memories. The quote above says it all, but one of the best times I’ve had down at Perisher both the company, the snow conditions and the non stop riding!
I can’t help but laugh at mother nature fking with us at the campground. Truly brutal way to learn to put up a tent in the dark while it’s pissing down, windy and cold.
Thanks again to oz and her parents for the warm shelter on the 2nd night.
DRC was in front of me and made the massive mistake of stopping in ankle deep pow for me to catch up. As a result of his kindness he copped an absolute toe side in your face and whole body pow spray courtesy of yours truly, this is still my favourite part of the entire weekend. DRC was very gracious about it, I guess he figured that if the snow was good enough to do that it was a good day.
Haha lesson learnt, it was a great spray wish we had it on film. The snow conditions made it worth riding the rest of the day with a cold/wet face! 
Here’s a few more photos:
Great stuff, guys. I need to get down there! 
I think NBG needs to get a PRIZE for his TR it makes me feel like i am on the snow….
i think that is my favorite smiley
Maybe a prize Lano??
Maybe a prize Lano??
I dont know what you talking about.
noice TR as always my man.
If I wish very hard do you think I can win the lottery and spend all my time travelling and just make an enormous TR travel blog to entertain you guys? Reality hits hard, just done a couple of 12 hour days in the office trying to get this tender response done, I submit tomorrow so the rest of the week should be ok I hope! Putting this TR together is a good way to remind myself that the weekends are the saviour ha ha!