The STSA Committee met last night for its penultimate meeting prior to the official commencement of the ski season at Mount Mawson. A report was received from Ambrose on the works completed at the April working bee – all tows have now been test run in preparation for the coming winter. We also had a good discussion about the value being provided by the two snow cameras – it is great being able to see what the weather and snow conditions are like each day. Bishwa provided a report which showed that last week we had over 1100 visits on a single day, so there is no doubt that the updates are valued by lots of Tasmanians and visitors.
Keeping the cameras operational in such a hostile environment, with limited power and telecommunications is a real technical challenge, and STSA is indebted to Ian Stewart for his technical wizardry for the design, installation and operation of the system. The next challenge Ian is going to attempt to overcome is keeping the camera lenses defrosted in blizzard conditions – we think he’s up to the task!
At the meeting we also finalised the list of people who have volunteered for STSA over the past summer to prepare the Mount Mawson Ski Field for the coming season. These volunteers receive discount tow tickets in recognition of their efforts. The list is attached here: STSA Volunteers 2015. A great deal has been achieved, including the construction of new snow fences, installation of new tow ropes on Mawson and Rodway, repair of the belt issue deck, painting of the tow huts, installation of new laser lite roofing on the Mawson tow hut and checking and maintenance of the tow motors.
There is a great deal of enthusiasm for Tasmania’s only Southern ski field – and its all run by volunteers. Let’s hope for a great season!
George Brettingham-Moore, Tim Metcalf, Adrian Brettingham Moore, Liz Koolhof and Ambrose Canning ready for action
