Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Kosciuszko - Part 3: Decide when to go / checking the weather

Welcome back!

So you have trained, maybe done a few adventure races with our good friends at Maximum Adventure and you are ready to climb Mt Kosciuszko!

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

The weather is more stable and warmer at this time, but severe storms, strong winds and even snow are possible any time of year. You need to be ready for cold, wet and windy conditions at all times (and pack accordingly!)

Summer temperatures range from -1° to 30°C while winter goes from -12° to 10°.

Just check the pictures below to get an idea of how the weather can change within 24hrs:


Start of the track on Saturday     End of the walk on Sunday

We started the walk with really sunny and warm weather and wore shorts and tee shirts. The very next morning, it was raining, windy, colder and foggy. 

A gore-tex/waterproof jacket (my loved one - above - is a Kathmandu Armstrong that I use for all my outdoor activities (running, adventure racing, etc.) to stay dry and a fleece to stay warm are must haves! I will go through the gear you need to pack with you in detail in a next post. These pictures are more to show you practically what to wear and what to expect!

The weather will clearly be the main deciding factor in choosing “the” weekend to go to the Kosciuszko National Park.

I would recommend checking it regularly using the great Bureau Of Meteorology (BOM) website and the forecast for the Perisher Valley area:

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/perisher.shtml 

As you need to drive the Friday afternoon, I would suggest making the call to go there on the Thursday afternoon after the latest update from the BOM (generally the BOM issue a forecast update around 4/5pm). 

Being Thursday, you can then do late night shopping to get last minute items or food you need for the trip... and pack! 

In the next post, we will talk about how to get there!

Monday, 2 April 2012

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!