KOSCIUSZKO ALPINE SUMMITS WEEKEND - easy and hard walk options

Don’t miss this weekend of inspiring alpine adventure on Australia's highest peaks at Kosciuszko, the jewel in the crown of NSW national parks, with dramatic ice-age rockscapes, jaw dropping views from epic high points, clean crisp mountain air, and vivid snow gum forests, alpine wildflowers and herb fields. The centrepiece of the activities will be an afternoon walk to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko to catch the sunset, and night walk in moonlight back to base - a hard round trip of 18km and late night finish, but the pace will be relaxed, the experience awesome, and the rewards very great indeed. The second day is a much easier walk at 6.4km, and the ascent helped part way by a chairlift ride, but we will get to visit the equally thrilling summit of the Ramshead Range.

Important: do not book your accomodation in Jindabyne until after the organiser checks the 7 day weather forecast on Saturday 22 Nov and advises that the trip can proceed in safe conditions.

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THE PLAN

1. Organise your transport to Jindabyne

• The very beautiful town of Jindabyne, 460km/6 hours drive south of Sydney, is our base for the weekend.
• It is your responsibility to either drive yourself or organise to carpool (use the COMMENTS section if you want to invite people to share).

2. Book your accommodation in Jindabyne for Fri 28 & Sat 29 Nov

• The organiser will stay at NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park which is right by the beautiful lake and has excellent bathroom, kitchen and lounge facilities. Tent sites are $84 for 2 nights, and cabins that sleep 5 are $258 for 2 nights.
• You can also find other affordable 3-star rooms or cabins in Jindabyne using Google, Booking.com or AirBnB. Examples: Kookaburra Ski Lodge is good, or also try Jindy Inn, The Alpine Gables, Lake Jindabyne Hotel Motel, Jindabyne Discovery Park, Alpine Hotel Motel, Banjo Patterson Inn, etc.

3. Fri 28 Nov - drive Sydney to Jindabyne

• 460km, 6-7 hours including breaks, avoid late night driving, actively manage fatigue with breaks every 2 hours, car pooling encouraged.
• Take extreme care to avoid animals on the roads from dusk onwards, especially through Canberra and on approaches to Jindabyne.

4. Sat 29 Nov - official start in Jindabyne

• Gather at 11am for lunch and coffee in the central courtyard of Nuggets Crossing shopping mall in Jindabyne.
• Mandatory gear check: everyone must have rain jacket & rain pants, wind-proof top, warm under-layers, gloves, warm hat, torch. Missing gear = no walk.
• Check food supply and 2 litre water, use supermarket if needed.

5. Sat 29 Nov - walk Charlotte Pass to Kosciuszko summit (2220 metres altitude, gradual 380 metre ascent/descent from start point, 18km total walk distance)

• Car pool the 40km drive from Jindabyne to Charlotte Pass in the national park ($17 per vehicle per day entry fee payable at the park gate).
• Toilet stop at Charlotte Pass, start walking at 1pm.
• Rest stop at Snowy River bridge, meal break & tea/coffee sheltering at cosy Seamans Hut, toilet stop at Rawson Pass trail facilities, then the summit.
• The organiser will have gas stove to heat tea/coffee for everyone - bring your own mug to drink out of.
• Arrive at summit by 7pm, dinner + hot drink, sunset at 8pm, full dark at 9pm.
• Depart from summit 8pm, night walk back to Charlotte Pass by 11pm.
• Drive to Jindabyne by midnight, keep it to 50kph to avoid animals.
• Concerned that you can’t do this entire 18km walk? The route is there and back on a very safe, wide, even, and clearly visible fire trail … so if you get tired you can choose to turn back at any point and walk safely back the way we came to the cars while the group continues to the summit.

6. Sun 30 Nov - walk Eagles Nest to Ramshead summit (2130 metres altitude, 250 metre ascent/descent from start point, total walk distance is 6.4km total)

• Gather at 9am in the courtyard of Nuggets Crossing shopping mall.
• Check food and water supplies, use supermarket if needed.
• Drive 35km to Thredbo ski village in the national park by 10am ($17 per vehicle entry fee payable at the park gate).
• At Thredbo purchase chair lift return ticket (about $50) on the day of our walk. Do NOT pre-purchase in case we get bad weather and have to do a different walk.
• 10.30am take chairlift 600 metres up to Eagles Nest trail head.
• Walk 6.4km loop through Ramshead Range. Lunch on summit amongst dramatic rock formations.
• Return to Eagles Nest well before the 4pm chair lift closing time.
• Leave Thredbo village about 3pm - 4pm for 500km drive to Sydney.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY RIGHT FOR ME?

Read the following info carefully, consider the alpine environment and the descriptions of the planned walks, and make an honest assessment of whether this activity is right for your current capability.

Reasonable fitness required

• We will walk at a relaxed and social pace, with as many rests as you like, and nobody gets left behind, but this walk is still graded HARD.
• The 18km route from Charlotte Pass to Kosciuszko summit is largely flat in the first 4km, then a gradual 400 metre ascent over the next 5km to the summit, and then the same sections descending in reverse back to Charlotte Pass. This large distance, the ascent, the low oxygen at altitude, and carrying 3 - 4 kilograms of gear in your day pack, combine to make this a significant effort.
• If you get tired you can choose to turn back at any point on this very safe track, but start with an assumption that you will do the work to walk the full distance. To be adequately fit you must have done walks of at least 10 - 12km in recent weeks, though not necessarily at altitude.
• This walk is not appropriate for absolute beginner walkers, or if you have cardiovascular issues, injuries, or problems with leg joints.

Alpine weather

• Conditions can change very quickly and contrary to published forecasts, and it's not uncommon to get four seasons in one day (heat, rain, wind, cold, thunder).
• When we've done these walks in the past it has been 30 degrees and burning sun during the day, but by late afternoon can drop very fast to 10 degrees or less.
• Wear layers that you can put on and take off with the conditions, include full sun protection, a cool light top for the heat, warm fleeces for your top, long pants, and be ready with full wet weather gear in your pack at all times.
• We will monitor forecasts in the days before the trip, and change the walking plans if necessary to maintain safety.

Trail conditions

• The Saturday route from Charlotte Pass to Kosciuszko is on a wide fire trail of hard packed dirt and gravel. We will return along this in the dark - with the moonlight and your torch you will have no problem walking safely.
• The Sunday route from Eagles Nest to Ramshead is on a raised metal grate for a short way, and then a narrow dirt trail winding through the rock formations.
• There are no technical sections, scrambles or cliffs on these walks.

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COSTS

Accomodation - book your own

• A tent site at NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park is $84 for the weekend.
• A cabin with 5 beds is $260 for the weekend, and very economical if you share it ... $50 each for a weekend is a bargain. Use the comments section here to offer to share.
• Motel rooms in Jindabyne are also affordable.

Transport costs

• If you can, it makes sense to carpool to share costs, and for safer driving - use the COMMENTS section to offer/seek rides and indicate which end of Sydney you are.
• National park entry is $17 per vehicle per day - pay at the national park gate as you drive in from Jindabyne each day. We'll car pool from Jindabyne each day to minimise the number of cars paying entry.
• If you are a passenger, please be polite and contribute an equal share of the driver's total fuel, highway tolls, and vehicle entry fees for the weekend.

Chair lift tickets at Thredbo

• In previous years day passes (one two-way trip to Eagles Nest and back) have been about $50.
• The online bookings for spring/summer tickets are not available until after the winter ski season closes in early October. We'll update you with ticket price and link in the weeks before the trip.

Gratuity
Please contribute $60 per person to the organiser to help cover the significant organising costs for this event. You can

• pay in cash when we meet in Jindabyne, or
• do a PayID transfer to the organiser's phone number 0411 600 717.

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WHAT TO BRING

• Adequate clothes – the weather in the Snowy Mountains can be over 30 degrees followed by snow or rain on the same day! Walk in a tshirt, but carry a day pack with a very warm breathable underlayers, wind-proof jacket, full rain jacket and rain pants, warm hat, and gloves.
• Sturdy trail shoes or hiking boots.
• At least 2 litres of water carried on the trail each day (and be well hydrated before the start of each walk).
• Energy rich food & snacks carried on the trail each day.
• A personal mug or cup - the organiser will make hot drinks for everyone during the meal breaks on the walks.
• Sun hat, sun glasses, sun screen - the sun in the mountains can be very glary and penetrating, even on cool cloudy days.
• Insect repellent (tropical strength) – in the warmer months the flies can be relentless and bite hard, so in case they are bad be ready to use both insect repellent spray (the Aeroguard and OFF brands at the supermarket are good), and wear long pants and sleeves to keep them from biting you even through the repellent spray.
• Head net to keep the insects out of your face - these are very cheap to buy at outdoor shops, and will save your sanity.
• Torch (a simple hand torch or head torch with fully charged batteries will be very adequate, but not your phone light).
• Any medicines that you normally use in your day (when we are out on the trail we will be hours from any medical help or supplies)
• Walking stick (not mandatory but recommended, takes the pressure off your knees on the descents).

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DISCLAIMER
By your RSVP to this event you agree to the conditions of membership and participation which you can read in the ABOUT US section HERE.