Kosciuszko - Part 2: Prepare - Fitness

G'day!

So you want to go to the top of Mt Kosciuszko and Mt Townsend but now you are wondering how fit you need to be?

Well, while going to the top of Mt Kosciuszko is nowhere close to the effort required to climb Mt Blanc, it still requires a decent level of fitness and endurance.

The Main Range Track is a 28 kilometre loop from Charlotte Pass with a 1,259 metre climb (remember that you will be carrying a big backpack). This took us exactly 24 hours with an overnight camp. Better to plan for a day and a half walking at a comfortable pace (back to the car around/after Sunday lunch).

Walking with a big backpack

The Main Range Track Loop

Not to be too dramatic, while you can go by yourself, it's more fun to go with friends and preferably by group of three (or more) to be safe (if someone gets injured, one stay with the patient and one go to get help). The advantage is that you can also share the load and travel lighter!

If you exercise regularly and can bushwalk for a day with a 10/15kg backpack or you do adventure racing (like the Kathmandu Adventure Races), you should be fine.

While there are some elevations, most of them are gradual and not extremely steep. Apart from the weather (if it is too hot or raining) I think the most difficult part might be carrying a heavy backpack. 

If you are unsure as to your level of fitness, or you are not used to carrying a backpack, go for a day long bushwalk with friends. Load your backpack with 10/15kg of stuff (up to you with what ;) and see how you go. That should be a pretty good acid test to assess if you are fit enough/ready or not.

In the next post, we will talk about when to go and the weather!

Kosciuszko - Part 1: Prepare - Background

Welcome back!

In this post, I will provide you with links and documents to kick off your preparation to get to the top of the two tallest mountains in Australia!

 

Mt Kosciuszko (2,228 m) and Mt Townsend (2,209 m) are both situated in the Kosciuszko National Park and are the two tallest mountains in mainland Australia.

Mt Kosciuszko was named by Polish explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, in honour of a Polish national hero.

For the mountaineers, Mt Kosciuszko is part of the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge!

If you are not a mountaineer, that's ok, something to brag about at your next cocktail/BBQ party. 

The National Park has put together an extensive document: the Kosciuszko Visitor Guide that can be downloaded for FREE.

The best season to walk to the top of these two mountains is between April and November.

While there are several tracks to go to the top of Mt Kosciuszko, the one I will describe (the one I did) is the Main Range Track. 

Sign in the National Park showing the tracks

The Main Range Track is a great overnight walk starting from Charlotte Pass. 

  

It does provide breath-taking views of the Kosciuszko National Park, goes to the top of the two tallest peaks in Australia, offers views of the glacial lakes and finally crosses the famous Snowy River!

Start of the Track!  

  

Wilkinsons Valley

A great and succinct document detailing this walk is accessible on the wild walks website. 

If you are interested by other/additional tracks, check the section specific to walks in the Kosciuszko Visitor Guide.

In the next post, we will talk about the level of fitness required!