As predicted it was a bumper weekend for skiing and boarding in Southern Tasmania on 19th and 20th August as the second weekend for Mt Mawson Ski Field season 2017 kicked off with superb snow conditions. DEIR did a great job of getting the road open for visitors, and a big crowd headed up the Lake Dobson Road to enjoy the best snow so far this season.
Spectacular sub zero conditions at Mt Mawson, Saturday 19th August 2017.
Skiers and boarders queue for the Mawson Tow.
Temperatures remained sub-zero all weekend, meaning that the snow quality was excellent, with good coverage on both Mawson and Uni tows. A number of visitors were at Mt Mawson for the first time, and were impressed with the natural setting of the ski field, and the friendly community of volunteers. The only negative comments related to the lack of a heated public shelter, with the PWS Shipping Container proving to be completely inadequate for the number of people seeking shelter in very cold conditions. Let’s hope that the long awaited new public shelter is constructed well before the arrival of the snow next year.
Overflow crowd unable to fit into the PWS Public Shelter
Late in the day on Saturday a problem emerged for the STSA volunteers from the Oldina Ski Club, with the rope on the University Tow breaking. Fortunately STSA had two rolls on new rope on the mountain, and on Sunday the volunteers tackled the big job of joining a new rope, under the patient guidance of experienced Mt Mawson Ski Patroller Andrew Davey. Members of the public helped to move the 500 metres of heavy rope across to the Uni Tow, and then a team of skiers and boarders assisted with tensioning the rope down the hill in preparation for completion of the final splice.
Getting a new rope across to the Uni Tow
Visitors lend their weight to pulling the new rope down the hill ready for splicing
Finally at 3.30 pm on Sunday the volunteers completed the tricky job of completing the final splice to re-join the University Rope ready for operation next weekend.
L to R Mark Underwood, Karen Davis, Tony van de Vusse and Craig Larsson tackle the complexities of splicing
It was a big weekend on many fronts, but all enjoyed the unique experience of being part of the Mt Mawson Ski Field community. There were some pretty tired volunteers by the time the STSA convoy headed down the Lake Dobson Road late on Sunday evening!
There is more snow forecast this coming week, so it’s looking good for more snow fun at Mt Mawson Ski Field next weekend.
