A spring backcountry day in Kozi
As Erryn, Tristyn and I looked over to the main range from Charlotte Pass early on Saturday the 10th October we couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces. It was a primo bluebird spring day and there was plenty of snow out there, a lot more than usual for this time of year. We had planned a super chill day at Club Lake, ride the chutes, set up a jump and do a pond skim.
We set off and arrived at Club Lake to find it in thaw but still frozen over. The cover in the chutes looked great and even though it had been super warm the week prior and no freeze cycles it was still nice spring corn on a hard base. One thing we did notice is a big cornice on climbers left of the chute with huge stress marks all around where it was about to calve. We were shocked to see that people had still been riding off it, it’s an accident just waiting to happen. We decided to stay well away from it, especially as it was due to reach 18 degrees.
We began our climb up and in the main chute the snow was great, a nice soft top cover but a very solid base. The plan was for Erryn to just ride the chute and not top out the first time, so I could get some shots looking down into the chute. He did that and then we both climbed to the top of Carruthers. Going up we both wore our crampons and used ice axes, making it super easy. After last years incident doing a self arrest after falling on a decent slope and almost dying, I’ll never go backcountry without them again.
At the top Erryn set up a nice little jump and I got the shot I really wish I nailed in the winter (I’m still angry at myself about that). Erryn rode down to the top of another chute and I had a run from top to bottom, I did the main chute. It was a super fun run, it was the first time I have ever felt properly comfortable in a chute during spring before. I got about two thirds down and then straightlined out, I lost a bit of self control and started screaming stoke, god it felt good.
Next up was Erryn, I took some shots from a hill on the other side. Not to be outdone he bombed it out straightline and carrying huge speed, did a massive pond skim into the lakes edge at the bottom. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo as I was up too high on a hill and couldn’t see down in front of me.
It was around 4pm and the big storm that was forecast to hit at around 6 was starting to roll in. We decided to get a photo of another pond skim before we headed off. We left Club Lake feeling super relaxed and high on stoke. When we arrived back at the car the rain started to fall, perfect timing.
I am going overseas for 7 months with work shortly and this was my last adventure before I go. What a season it was, so much snow and so many awesome adventures. I got to ride from May to October, I say it all the time but damn Australian snow is fun.
sooooo rad, i wish i had the motivation to do this!!! how long is the hike from carpark to the lake out of curiosity??
Thanks man, it’s so worth it, once you go out there once you get the itch, in winter it is so stunning. Hike from carpark varys, around a hour to hour and a half.
This is so sick!
What camera/ lenses did you use for these?
So sick! I tip my hat to you guys for making the effort to explore the backcountry this season. You definitely reaped the rewards. So stoked on this, and as before, truly inspiring to get out there more!
This is so sick!
What camera/ lenses did you use for these?
Thanks man, using a Canon 5Dmkii and 24-105mm f4 lens and also 70-200mm f2.8. I took my 1.4x extender this time as well. Usually in the winter i just take the 5D and 24-105 due to weight and needing room for more clothes and safety stuff. Being spring, now i can ditch a heap of safety gear that i don’t need, so more room for camera gear.
So sick! I tip my hat to you guys for making the effort to explore the backcountry this season. You definitely reaped the rewards. So stoked on this, and as before, truly inspiring to get out there more!
Thanks mate, it’s been a great season for BC. Erryn and i made a pact to do more overnighters next year so that should be great. Work wont be so hectic next season so i “should” have more time. In saying that, i worked away for 7 weeks of the season and still managed 28 days on snow.
Great effort, mate. You should be proud. 
Absolutely wicked stuff yet again, Jake!!!!! 
Froth at all time !
This looks sick. Wish I wasn’t so injury plagued this season. Love to check it out next year.
Funny reading this, my FB popped a memory the other day from a year before when myself and my fiance did a Main Range Hiking trip and rode, Carruthers, Litle Austria and Mt Lee. Looks very similar to this time last year. Don’t think we’ll get a crack this year but I’m happy to be proven wrong!
Is your mate Erryn on a DC PLy or is the colour scheme a bit similar?
Planning on heading out again ?
Couple of pics from our trip last year, hard work but fun as!
Funny reading this, my FB popped a memory the other day from a year before when myself and my fiance did a Main Range Hiking trip and rode, Carruthers, Litle Austria and Mt Lee. Looks very similar to this time last year. Don’t think we’ll get a crack this year but I’m happy to be proven wrong!
Is your mate Erryn on a DC PLy or is the colour scheme a bit similar?
Planning on heading out again ?
Hey mate, Erryn is riding a Voile splitboard in these pics, not sure what model. Yeh how good is the Spring out there, so much fun and super accessible. I must admit though, after getting two proper pow days out there during the winter this year, nothing compares to that. I wont get out again this year, unfortunately i have to go overseas with work for 7 months, super bummed. I wanted to try and ride all the way into December, last year we got to very late November but Blue Lake chute was the only snow left and it was getting super sketchy haha.
A mate of mine nicknamed Bear Grylls is mad for it, he took me out my first time and it was epic fun which is why I dragged my fiance out last year. Bear has done 7 day trips out in August before, heads out at the beginning of a storm, weathers it in the tent and then gets epic pow sessions out the Sentinel or other areas depending upon what the wind was doing during the storm. I have looked at the Crags every time I’ve been out and that scares the crap outta me, even in summer it looked messed up.
Your pics are great but I still have yet to see a pic that conveys how steep even Carruthers is, pretty ballsy effort from your mate Erryn to drop into the chutes with an air, would want to scope it out a lot. Most probably just don’t get how ballsy that 4ft air is, if you fuck that up it’s not just a case of lying there and waiting for ski patrol to drag your busted arse off the hill. It’s an 1hour trek over 3.5kms back to Charlottes when you’re 100% and powering on snow shoes, with a busted knee or otherwise it’s gunna take you triple that in great pain! Not sure I’m a good enough rider when weighing up the pro’s and cons of that.
I totally understand the crampons comment especially in mid winter, I’ve slid about 30m in spring corn trying to get to the top of the cornice/ridge line on climbers left of Club Lake, if it was ice I would’ve ended up in the lake!
Club Lake in Summer
The cornice ridge I slid down is in the left of this pic
A mate of mine nicknamed Bear Grylls is mad for it, he took me out my first time and it was epic fun which is why I dragged my fiance out last year. Bear has done 7 day trips out in August before, heads out at the beginning of a storm, weathers it in the tent and then gets epic pow sessions out the Sentinel or other areas depending upon what the wind was doing during the storm. I have looked at the Crags every time I’ve been out and that scares the crap outta me, even in summer it looked messed up.
Your pics are great but I still have yet to see a pic that conveys how steep even Carruthers is, pretty ballsy effort from your mate Erryn to drop into the chutes with an air, would want to scope it out a lot. Most probably just don’t get how ballsy that 4ft air is, if you fuck that up it’s not just a case of lying there and waiting for ski patrol to drag your busted arse off the hill. It’s an 1hour trek over 3.5kms back to Charlottes when you’re 100% and powering on snow shoes, with a busted knee or otherwise it’s gunna take you triple that in great pain! Not sure I’m a good enough rider when weighing up the pro’s and cons of that.
I totally understand the crampons comment especially in mid winter, I’ve slid about 30m in spring corn trying to get to the top of the cornice/ridge line on climbers left of Club Lake, if it was ice I would’ve ended up in the lake!
Yeh man, it’s so hard with photos to convey how steep it is. I feel like i did Blue Lake justice this year with this pic, it’s all about trying to get up high enough to shoot into the chute. Blue Lake was really really steep this year in August, so much steeper than Club Lake. I worked on my photos a lot this season trying to get different angles. unless you’ve got a helicopter it’s really hard to show steepness, you need to be high or directly side on, directly side on doesn’t work on chutes and i try to get as high as i can.
Yeh that jump certainly had consequences if we stuffed it up. I didn’t go as big as Erryn did but what the photo doesn’t show is how steep the other side is, you sail over the top and land quite far down, stuff it up and your in trouble. In 2013 i got stuck in a slide just above the elevator chute, really scary and i managed to stop about 10m above the cliff face, i sat there for about 15 minutes before i got the courage to keep riding down haha. The vertical may only be a 200m ride but these incidents certainly make you realise it’s still dangerous out there.
I love Blue Lake and Club Lake as it’s so accessible, unless you are going to the crags it’s the steepest stuff around. The Sentinal is painful as it’s the same steepness but a really ugly walk out from the bottom. The north facing chutes over the back of Carruthers are fun too, but again the walk out is hideous. Next year we will hopefully be heading to the crags conditions depending of course, already looking forward to next year, need the next 7 months to fast forward haha.
This photo is from the north side of Carruthers we did last year, fun line but that walk out sucks
That’s sick Jake! Looks like you had an awesome time.
As it turns out I almost bumped into u. I was in that same area just a few days before with a friend of mine.
We went around Konama Cirque ridge line and down and then did the Club lake shutes (similar line I think).
Love your photos man. I should have taken more myself.
Nice one!
Nice one Jake and NBC can you tell me if you can drive to Charlottes after the season finishes as I have never been there and I have heard great reports about the back country. I ride the main range out of Guthega and mainly Guthega Trig as it’s a short round trip from my lodge in Guthega, still hate the walk out.
Here is a short video the day they opened the Freedom Chair I had to get some freedom as it’s was so packed out.
Also tried out my MTN Approach skies this year with my solid board the verdict is still out which is system is better.
Yeah you can drive to Charlotte’s as soon as the season is over.
Bring a towel for the river crossing 
This year we tried to find this mythical snow bridge over the river that we were told about, instead of using the crossing stones… there was no snow bridge… just a deeper river to cross 