Beginners XC ski trip!

If you like skiing (or think you might) and exploring the outdoors, then this is the trip for you!

The snow cover is great atm, so we’ll be heading down to the Selwyn area, where it is nice and flat and easy to learn. The trip will be over three/four days to try and make better use of the long drive down (~5hrs). Leaving Friday night, arriving back Monday night. We will be camping in the snow, so make sure you have all your warm gear and plenty of food.

The primary goal is to learn how to stop, turn and get up once you’ve fallen down. Once we have the basics our time will be split between travelling to broken dam hut, practising some downhill at Selwyn, and (if ready) climbing Tabletop mountain.

In terms of gear,

• Warm clothes. This means downy, jacket that can fit over the downy, gloves, beanie Woolen socks, waterproof pants, and thermals.
• Active clothes. XC involves lots of walking up hills. You can get hot. I often wear just thermals and a jacket 80% of the time.
• Sleeping bag. needs to be comfortable at -5C, or even a bit less.
• Sleeping mat. You need this, otherwise, you will be sleeping on snow, which will melt and make you wet and very cold.
• Lots of food, and a stove. Nothing nicer than hot food on a snowy winters night.
• Skis. This is going to be the tricky part. I will discuss in the chat.
• Boots. I think we will just hire boots from Cooma.
• Tent. 4 season is preferable.
• Water bottle. Wide mouth is better.
• Sunnies. You need this, or your eyes will hate you.
• Sunscreen
• Toiletries. We will try to camp near the huts which have toilets, otherwise, it can be a bit of an ordeal.

Please message me to get accepted. People with 4wd cars will get priority. I don’t mind if you haven’t skied before, but general outdoors experience will also be preferred.

PS: I’m going to run another event later in spring, when conditions are better, up to the main range where all the mountains are. This is a qualifying trip for that (which is epic).