20 – 22 August, 2010 – Powder Hunting at Hotham

Buff Farnell leaves his mark on Notice Board near the Blue Ribbon chair.

Snow Journal | Steve Cuff – Sports Photographics Australia

You know you are getting the goods when you ride the chair with Buff Farnell and he says it is the best day in the past few seasons.

He should know as he has been stomping lines the past 20 years at Hotham, so he might know a thing or two. The past three days in Hotham have been simply awesome, how good is it that you can start skiing just after 7am, get to the bottom of the Heavenly lift and wait for it to open at 7.30am. So you have already had a big dose of fresh by the time ‘Joe Blow’ punter gets out of bed and onto the slopes. By then you are thinking of when the next lift will open so you can shred the hell out of that line.

The sun didn’t shine (much) but the snow sure was sweet, a combined 51cm in the past seven days had the powder hounds salivating and wanting more. An hour of pure powder skiing Saturday morning I retrieved the trusty Nikon and with Buff leading the way, we found powder glory on the Blue Ribbon chair – open for the first time in 2010. When Ritchie Adams, Al Clay and bartender mate Duke from Jackson Hole arrived we had a decent crew of skiers and the pace was hot as Ritchie only knows one speed, faster than anyone else.

Then it was time to sample the Orchard chair and while the weather was wild and visibility limited, lower down there was some pretty decent deep pow after a traverse around to the Schuss Trees.

With more this week Hotham is living up to its reputation as the best powder in Australia.

Hotham: forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.

Ritchie Adams bursting out if this tree run in the Schuss Trees.

Duke the Avalanche bartender lays down the big planks in the Schuss Trees.

Sam Leitch fluffs it up in Coles Bowl.

Buff Farnell with his signature pow turn in Coles Bowl.

Al Clay with a wall of Hotham pow as he skirts the Schuss Trees.

Hotham: forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.

Hotham forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.