Skiers at Mawson Tow
After the traffic frustrations of last week, things are looking up for a great weekend of skiing and boarding at Mt Mawson Ski Field. Fresh snow is falling at Mt Mawson already, and is forecast to continue right through into the weekend (see http://www.bom.gov.au/tas/forecasts/mount-field.shtml) There is even a nice high pressure zone approaching, which should see awesome conditions on the mountain. As a result we are expecting good crowds of snow enthusiasts to be heading to Mt Field National Park to make the most of Southern Tasmania’s only operating ski field, and some of the most beautiful alpine wilderness scenery in the State.
Oldina Ski Club is on tow duty, and volunteers will be heading up the mountain on Friday to get ready for a 10:00 am start on Saturday. STSA has kept lift tickets at an Australian low of just $30, but remember that there are no credit card facilities on the mountain so bring cash and some ID for a swift passage onto the slopes.
But what about THAT road? Well DIER have been working on shoring up the washaway on the lower part of the Lake Dobson Tourist Rd during the week, and STSA has called on the Department to ensure that the contractor is prepared for the forecast snow. With large numbers of visitors wishing to access the road it is essential that the road and Dobson carpark are open on Friday afternoon, as well as early on Saturday and Sunday. We are hoping that the road will be open to 4 WDs and 2 WDs fitted with chains, and remember to drive cautiously and avoid the culverts along the edges of the road.
See you at Mt Mawson this weekend!
What chance of Rodway opening this weekend
Its a possibility, depending on the crowds at Mawson and Uni, and the coverage at Rodway. Given its only the second weekend of operation we may need a bit more cover on Rodway to get it underway.
Yes I agree with Peter. Rodways is a bit tricky! with the amount of snow I’m seeing there, I’d give it a 40% chance. The vegetation on the slope has grown considerably since it was last trimmed many, many years ago, so it needs increasingly more snow depth every year to cover it.
Our procedure is to firstly see if we have a spare Ski Patroller and a Tow operator. If so then they can head over to inspect the slope (for enough cover to be safe to run) and look to see if there are any issues (buried rope etc.). If all is well, then it’s possible to fire it up. It’s probably something we won’t really think about until Sunday though, given that it’ll be a busy day for the volunteers on Saturday. However if there’s a crew from an non rostered club around who are keen, that may kick things along.