Battling white-out, 80mph headwind and pummelling ice crystals… is this really Australia?! How a relatively simple ascent turned into a gruelling snowshoe adventure up Australia’s tallest mountain.

 

About Mount Kosciuszko

At 2,228 metres (7,310ft) above sea level, Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia. It is located within the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales.

The 3.5 hour hike up to the summit of Kosciuszko is popular in summer, where the gentle gradient and mesh walkway provide an easy ascent. However, the climb takes on a completely different character in winter. As the name of the range suggests, this peak is snow-covered during Australia’s winter months. Many people choose to cross-country ski up to the summit as the knee-deep snow and hard patches of ice can be challenging on foot.

Snowboarding in Thredbo

We had three days in Thredbo. The original plan was to spend the first day snowboarding, the second day hiking up Kosciuszko and the final morning snowboarding again before heading to Sydney. But of course, our plans were rudely ruined by the weather and my accident-prone self!

There was an unexpected blizzard on our first day which dumped a load of fresh snow (great for snowboarding!). The forecast for the following day was similarly bad, so we decided to move Kosciuszko to the third day. We were warned not to put too much trust in the local weather forecast, which is supposedly overly pessimistic…  Sure enough, the second day was windless with blue skies. As we had not rented snowshoes or sorted out a packed lunch, we kept to our plan and spent the day snowboarding.

We had an amazing day on the slopes and I was finally getting comfortable on steeper terrain. Our final run back to base was a tricky off-piste run with plenty of obstacles. As we neared the end of the run, I was feeling super chuffed that I had made it down without falling over. The run merged onto a flat blue beginner’s piste for the last few hundred metres. I was burning off my speed when we hit a stretch of hard, sheet ice. There were some snowboarding beginners ahead of me who were falling down repeatedly on the slippery ice, so I moved well to the side to give them space.

Ouch…

I caught an edge and was sent flying through the air. I forgot everything I know about falling properly (as I always do…) and instinctively put my arms out to break my fall. Landing on my outstretched right arm, I immediately felt a shooting pain go up the arm to my elbow. Tom had already gone past the icy section, so I sucked up my tears and gingerly boarded my way to the bottom clutching my sore elbow.

In the safety of the apres-bar, with a hot cider to help combat the initial shock of the fall, I concluded that my elbow was only sprained and so we could continue our plan for summiting Kosciuszko. After all, you don’t need an arm for hiking!

  

Climbing Kosciuszko

We woke on summit day to the sharp howling of the wind streaming in through the seals of our balcony door. Looking out of the window, the normal mountain panorama was replaced with a view of white slopes shrouded in thick cloud. We briefly considered cancelling our plans, but we had already rented the snowshoes and this was our last chance to do the hike. Besides, the weather forecast told us that the winds were gusting at 60km (under 40mph), which is nothing compared to what we are used to when mountaineering in the Cairngorms!

At the bottom of the Kosciuszko lift, we re-assessed the conditions. The visibility was considerably reduced, but that posed little issue as the route is straightforward and we had studied our maps. We stood in the queue for the first chairs up amongst the skiers and snowboarders, clutching our snowshoes. Finally, it was time to go up. 

As we were taken up into the clouds, the wind rapidly changed from ‘a bit annoying’ to ‘batten down the hatches’… I zipped my hood up so that there was no skin showing, but was seriously regretting not taking my googles out of my bag. The wind blew hard icy chunks into our faces, and I was struggling to keep my streaming eyes open.

At the top of the lift, we skidded out onto the hard icy platform and ran quickly into the shelter of the Eagles Nest porch. The skiers and snowboarders were strapping themselves in and jetting off down the slope in double-time to avoid lingering on the exposed and wind-battered plateau.

  

The Battle

In the safety of the shelter, we donned our snowshoes. I was given two hiking poles from the rental company, but I only planned to use one as my arm was too painful to straighten. We emerged from the shelter and were blasted by wind and ice. I had to use all of my strength just to propel myself forward slowly into the headwind. I soon realised that I would need to use both poles, regardless of how painful it was! A passing lifty told us that this was the worst stretch, and assured us the wind would die down once we rounded the corner. It didn’t. 

We battled on, passing through the rolling snow-covered hills that crown the high altitude plateau. Occasionally, the cloud and windblown snow would clear. We were greeted with breathtaking views for miles across the tundra. Rock outcrops jutted out from the deep white snow. Mostly though, we couldn’t see much beyond our outstretched hands! The walk was slow going as we were walking directly into the wind. It felt like trying to push your way through thick mud.

When we reached Rawson Pass, the weather took a turn for the worse. The windspeed increased, and it felt like we were inside a roaring hurricane. Once again, we considered turning back. We had to scream right into each others ears to hear over the wind and through our many layers. Had we been in the Alps, there’s no way we would’ve continued. But given that the summit was only a few hundred metres away, and we knew there were no steep precipices to fall off, we felt comfortable pressing onwards and upwards.

On the final approach to the summit, the wind was so strong that I physically couldn’t stand up. I crawled the whole stretch on hand (singular!) and knees. Finally, we made it to the trig point!

 

Descent

After about 30 seconds at the rime covered summit marker, we started to make our way back down. We thought that the descent would be quick and easy because the tailwind would be working with us. However, the wind was so strong that it required even more effort to stop yourself from being swept uncontrollably downhill. Eventually, we made it down.

When we got back to the Kosciuszko lift, the whole top section of the ski resort had been shut down. The lifties were very surprised that we had managed to make it to the summit… they told us that the current windspeed at lift-level was 130km (80mph). By this stage, we were cold. The frigid air had blasted through our ‘windproof’ layers. My gloves were frozen solid and the fingers would no longer bend.

The lifties started up the chair lift to test it, but concluded that it was far too windy for any passengers to be safely transported on it. We were ready to put our snowshoes back on and trek down the slopes when we were offered  a ride down on the back of the snowmobile. We gladly accepted. I went first. The ride down was thrilling! It was my first time on a snowmobile, and the experienced lifty took no shortcuts. We bounced over huge piles of windblown snow at full speed. A fitting end to an unexpectedly eventful day!

  

The Moral of the Story?

Always be prepared and never underestimate the mountains! I am glad we decided to continue with our ascent of Koscuiszko, even with the adverse weather conditions. But I am extra glad that we allowed a full 6 hours for the ‘3 hour’ hike (it ended up taking us around 5 hours) and that we brought a ton of warm layers despite the tame weather forecast. Weather forecasts are not infallible – use them in conjunction with your own observations and judgements.

  

And My Arm?

I eventually got my elbow checked out, as I still couldn’t move it after a couple of days. The x-ray results were unclear. The radiographer told me that there was a clear fracture, but the reviewing doctor said it was more likely to be a sprain as there were no visible ‘fat pads’. Either way, it was out of action for the next couple of weeks!