The 2015 Victorian snow season was short and disappointing – but I still managed to get away for a few good trips. None of them are worthy of a trip report individually, so I have put together a compilation of 3 trips to share some photos of the little snow I managed to find.

Mt Bogong July 2015 – Man trip

Not much snow had fallen in the Victorian alps by July but the Bureau was forecasting a serious cold snap so my mate Alex and I headed up to Bogong for a night. At an altitude of 1986m it is very low by international standards – but it is the highest peak in Victoria and a great spot for a walk.

From the camping area at Mountain Creek (590m above sea level) it is a steady climb of nearly 1400 vertical metres to the summit of Mt Bogong and a total distance of about 13km to Cleve Cole hut (1770m). It took us about 6 hours each way but it depends a lot on the fitness of your group, the weather, how deep the snow is, how much gear you are carrying and how often you need to stop for a cup of tea.

We got to the hut pretty early so we did a fair bit of eating and then had an afternoon nap.

We knew the weather on the walk out was going to be unfavourable as the media warned Victorians to prepare for a “Polar Blast”, “Arctic Vortex” and “The biggest cold snap in 15 years”. So we got an early start and missed the worst of it.

We walked back to the protection of the treeline without incident where we saw some keen hikers who were heading up the mountain. It was a good trip and the poor weather added a challenging element to the hike.

Mt St Gwinear July 2015 – Kids trip

My old mate Cam and I try to take the kids out for an overnight trip every winter and we had a great time this year.

Good weather + no injuries = successful trip.

Bluff Hut August 2015 – Solo trip

I headed up to the mountains after work one Friday night to see if I could find some backcountry snow and work on my poor skiing technique. With a long drive and a short walk up the hill I arrived at Bluff Hut around midnight. I was struggling to find somewhere to camp because the warm wind had melted most of the snow which had turned the area into swamp. Fortunately a group of friendly old timers were staying in the hut and they showed me a nice spot where I could pitch the tent without getting too wet and/or crushed by a falling tree in the strong winds.

So Winter 2015 was pretty much over before it began and I still can’t ski but I always enjoy my time in the mountains.