Hotham 08 – Day 2 – To the summit!

Day 2 started early – 7am to be precise. Everyone was packed and ready to go by 7:45am, and the now 2-car-convoy headed for the Bright Bakery for the now traditional breakfast. This was enjoyed by all, and we departed from here just after 8:30am.

From here, the drive up the mountain began. This always scenic drive was glorious again, and we enjoyed perfect weather to go with it. The snow line was lower than we had seen in previous years – at least for the last few years from what we could remember.

As we approached the top of the hill, although the entire drive had been in perfect weather, the mountain became covered in a thick white-out. Driving became more of a challenge – especially for Ed while trying to drive wearing sunnies. We all made it to the top of the hill with no worries, however, and the weather cleared a little as we did.

We managed to obtain carpark passes and park our cars behind the accommodation – which was much nicer than parking them down at Big D! From here, we moved to Hotham Central where we attempted to organise ourselves – getting ski gear and lift passes and the like. Unfortunately for us, using a 5-day (Mon-Fri) lift pass, they were only obtainable after 1pm. Somehow, Mich managed to obtain her family’s passes before this time – although none of us were able to replicate this. We wasted time while we counted the seconds until 1pm, having lunch at the Hot Doggies store, and bumping into Kadis while we did.

When we finally got our lift passes, we hit the slopes and remained there until last run at 4:30pm. We all moved back to the accommodation to move all of the gear from the car to the room – and here we met Sarah and her family, and Kevin with his. Everyone relaxed a little after completing this, and we waiting for our 7pm dinner booking.

Dinner was at the Last Run Bar, which was particularly expensive ($30 a head [average] – even for children!) The food was nice, however, and everyone had a good time. We made the slippery walk back to the room following this, and everyone relaxed after a big day of moving, skiing and driving.

John and Ed were keen to get up at the crack of dawn the day after, and so everybody went to bed relatively early… but not too early of course!

Stay tuned for more updates as we get access to the internet!

Hotham 08 – Day 1 – The Journey There

Day 1 of the 2008 OnSno.com Australian Ski Adventure started bright and early, with most members rising at 3:00am. A nasty time for anybody to be thinking about driving 900km during that coming day… We met at the Resort by 4:25am, and were prepared to leave as the clock struck 4:30am.

We managed to get to the top of the freeway, before we pulled off on the Mt Barker off-ramp to fix a strap that was creating a racket on top of the car. The stop was brief, and we were quickly back on the road towards the East. Unfortunately for us, this first stop failed to fix the problem, and so two off-ramps later, we were again on the side of the road trying to discover where the noise was coming from. After discovering (and fixing the problematic strap), we were back on course – although a little behind schedule.

Luckily, however, this one-car-convoy was moving a little faster than the convoy tended to as it snaked 3 or 4 cars long. We quickly made up time as we raced away from the lights of Adelaide, Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend, and arrived at our first (but brief) stop – Lameroo for a toilet break. We arrived here before the sun was up, and left again within that same period. The sun rose shortly after as we drove towards Ouyen – across the Victoria border.

We arrived at Ouyen – the Mallee Bakery – about 9am (Vic time), and made selections for a much-needed breakfast. Bacon/egg/cheese etc muffins were the go of the morning (as these were really the only selections for a hot breakfast!). We didn’t stay long, but long enough for everyone to indulge in a sweet or two before hitting the road again.

From here, drivers were changed and while Scott drove, Ed enjoyed the comforts of the back seat. We powered on, only stopping once for fuel. The drive here was a bit over 3 hours, as we headed between towns – heading for Echuca. We stopped at our usual bakery location, enjoying a view over the (lack of) river beside the establishment. We had such a good view as we were sitting on the outdoor balcony – all of the inside seats were well and truly taken. While we experienced our first taste of cool weather (the wind was certainly blowing), we enjoyed a substantial lunch and more sweets to boot.

After lunch, we hit the road again – now 6.5/9ths the way to our Saturday destination! The remainder of the trip was an uninterrupted run – except for a brief petrol/stretch stop at the “Valley of the Golden Arches”, just outside of Glenrowan. With our first snow sightings occurring on the Hume highway prior to turning towards the mountains, everyone was in an excitable mood – at least those of us who were fully awake.

As we followed the road towards Bright, we enjoyed the alpine countryside and views of the snow-covered Mt Buffalo. Taking the customary final shortcut into Bright, we arrived in the town centre and met up with Mich and Dave, who had just finished shopping at the local IGA. Ed organised chains for the car, while the rest of the crew caught up on the week’s tourist-visiting activities. From here, we returned/checked in to the motel, and organised some minor things ahead of dinner at 6pm.

Dinner was at the Alpine hotel, in Bright’s town centre. A good meal was enjoyed by all, and we were certainly lucky to avoid the rush that poured in as we finished eating. We returned to the motel not long after 7pm, and everyone settled down for a good night’s sleep. With 70+cms of snow waiting for us at the top of the hill, nobody was waiting around awake any longer than necessary!

Tomorrow we head up the mountain, with the aim to be at the top by 10am.

Stay tuned, and keep praying for snow!

Today’s winners:
- Snowfall prediction: Winner, John (77cm) – answer 67cm.
- Max temp prediciton: Winner, Ed (11C) – answer… 11C.