snow & dolerite
Words and photos by Hamish Lockett.
It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while Tasmanian mountains get enough snow to warrant a multiday walk. Lugging skis, snowboard, and everything else we need to survive, to find fresh snow.
Winter of 2024 gave us a few of these days… Including one potential honey pot in the mountains of south west Tasmania.
Shaun, Sakura and myself were keen for the shot at some epic turns.
It begins...
Some missions involve a mission to just start the mission. This is a shot of one of many obstacles in our way on the drive in. Big storms bring big snow, but they also bring down a lot of trees. After our chainsaw ran out of fuel, the remainder was done with Shaun’s hatchet. Came in handy after all….
The ascent
As we reached the snow line on the hike up it got increasingly difficult. By the time we got to the boulder fields, careful decision making was necessary and everything slowed down a bit. It became pretty chaotic just to keep your skis or snowboard from hitting the rough dolerite sticking out in all directions.
Camp found
An early departure the following morning was called for. We hoped for a sunrise, and a clearing mountain. It’s never easy leaving a tent at 5:30am… Especially surrounded by snow. But sometimes you’ve got to try for that sweet light.
First runs!
Sakura ripping a turn in the first chute we explored as we waited for the weather to clear up.
We continued hitting this chute as sun rays began to beam over the distant mountains. We had been doing a lot of snow missions this winter and this was the first patch of rays we’d seen. There’s nothing like hitting a few turns on nice snow as the sun pokes through. Tassie turning it on for us.
The second spot we found had a classic south west Tasmanian backdrop. Dreamy views out to Lake Pedder and the ranges beyond. The day was shaping up to be a ripper!
The shot
This was the shot I was targeting the most on this trip. An open Tassie face with the mighty peaks to back drop. Pictured is Sakura dropping into this large bowl. About as perfect an outlook as you could hope for skiing in Tasmania.
We must’ve all done three or so laps of this face, with multiple wide open turns to be had. A brutal hike back up each time, but well worth the effort.
What more could you ask for, really?! A fantastic few days out in probably my favourite place in the world, with enough snow to ride around on. We left very happy.
The hike down was extremely tiring. Wrecked legs after a big day on the slopes, but we managed to get out of there that same day.
The missions continue…
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