14-16 February 2025
The weather forecast was not friendly but we were excited anyway to be getting together to celebrate Tan’s birthday. We had a 3 bedroom place in East Jindabyne with a nice view to the west over the backyards of the neighbours to Lake Jindabyne and the Kosciuszko National Park.
We were 5 of us – Tanya, Maddie, Janis, Emma and me – and the plan was to walk to the top of Mount Kosciuszko – Australia’s highest mountain at 2,228m. Despite being summer, the temperatures were already heading south, strong winds were expected and snow was possible above 1700m. Yikes!
Friday was Tan’s birthday so we sat on the deck admiring the view with vino in hand, taking bets on how soon the rain over the mountains in the distance would be visiting us. It came sooner than we thought unfortunately! The clouds cleared just before sunset so we explored the streets trying to find a path down to the lake before partaking in birthday singing and cake.
Saturday required a reasonably organised and early start. We were hoping to do the 13km return walk from Thredbo to Mount Kosciuszko Summit in 4-5 hours and avoid the forecast afternoon wind and possible rain. We were well prepared for any weather event, although realistic about having to postpone the walk until the next birthday and instead spending the day eating, drinking and chatting.
As we arrived at Thredbo, the Kosciuszko Express chairlift was closed because of strong winds. It was our lucky day, because in the time we faffed about talking through the alternative walk options and patting the blue tongue lizard in the tourist office, the national park people opened the chairlift. Fortunately for us, the Cannonball Mountain Biking Festival was in progress and the 1,000 odd riders needed the chairlift to get them to the start of the racetrack, so that got us to the start of the walking track.
The strength of the wind at the top was phenomenal. It was so strong it was difficult to hear the person a metre away talking. We layered up with all our winter gear – beanies, gloves, jackets – and put our heads down to walk into the wind. The colours of the landscape were beautiful and kept our hopes up that we would be able to get to the summit.
While some of us had done some physical and mental preparation for the walk and the weather, some had not. A combination of pep talks and bribes, and mild cursing from the unprepared, kept the team together as we navigated the alpine landscape and head wind. We made it to Kosciuszko Lookout without too much drama so decided to venture on.
We crossed the headwaters of the Snowy River and found some alpine fish playing in the crystal clear water. We looked down on Lake Cootapatamba and I considered a swim for about 2 seconds. As we reached Rawson Pass, the cloud was very low and moving fast in the diabolical wind. Occasionally we could see glimpses of the Victorian High Country to the south, but generally we had our heads down, pushing against the wind.
The final gradual climb to the top of the summit of Mount Kosciuszko was busy with tourists from all over the world and varying degrees of weather preparedness. We got the obligatory photo at the top with the summit marker and then found a spot out of the wind to enjoy our picnic lunch. The fresh alpine air was invigorating, and we congratulated each other on our grand achievement.
As we descended, the wind was mostly at our back and, with the hard part done, our spirits were high and the whinging less. There was much discussion about the expected DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness – and so a quick stop at the Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery was deemed appropriate to assist with recovery.
Post-walk we relaxed back at our base in East Jindabyne with a feast of nibbles followed by a good sleep. After evaluating muscle soreness Sunday morning, we finished the weekend away with brunch in Cooma trying to decide what mountain we would conquer next. Happy Birthday Tan!
Additional photo credits: Tan, Jano & Em.