How to Lead a CCCSC Ski Tour (Not!) - Mt. Twynam Tour

We met in the Guthega car park and got away a bit after nine. There were five of us in the group – Rosemary, Barry, Dave Drohan, Monika Binder and I. This was the first tour I have led, so I knew I had plenty to learn. I had already learnt lesson number one: be more organised with co-ordinating people on the tour and transport! There had been some confusion over who was coming and with whom, but in the end we all ended up at the right place at the right time.

We walked up the at times obscure path from Guthega towards the bridge across the Snowy River near the Illawong Lodge, as the snow is now fast disappearing from those lower west facing slopes and there was only snow in patches. Not far out from Guthega the group had to cross a side creek that cut across the track. There is a small flying fox to aid in the creek crossing, but when we reached it there were some snow boarders trying to cross the creek by rock hopping, and a few people in the group decided this was the go (why any cross country skier would follow a snow boarder’s example is beyond me ;-). After a wet bum and a few wet boots the group decided that the flying fox was definitely the way to cross the creek – those rocks are really slippery! Lesson number two: always use the flying fox! The rest of the ski-less hike to the bridge , about two kilometres, was quite pleasant and very scenic, with views of the Snowy River and a backdrop of the snow covered Main Range.

Walking up to Illawong Hut bridge

The bridge near Illawong Hut is a very stout steel suspension bridge, but is only wide enough for walking across single file. From the other side of the bridge we were on the snow and onto our skis. We headed up the hill, staying on the north side of Twynam Creek, and more or less following it all the way up the hill to Little Twynam. The snow was firm, but the cover was more than adequate the whole way. We took morning tea just below Little Twynam, sitting on a big rock and enjoying the sunshine and windless blue skies. We had certainly picked the right day to be on the Main Range. I had spent a long time looking at the map in the months before this tour, but had never been up in that area. Dave Drohan and Barry certainly knew their way, so I relied on them to suggest the best route. Barry was a mine of information. He has cross country skied for over forty years and could point at every peak and creek and name them. He could also telemark with style. Lesson three: the tour leader doesn’t need to know everything; rather they should know how to make the best use of those team members who do!

We then set course for Mt. Twynam, which was not too far away, but the hike up the last bit of the hill was very steep. I had decided to wear my leather boots with my wide telemarking skis and soon learnt it was not a good idea. I was herringboning up the steep slope, until the slope became so steep that my boots were twisting and the skis were staying flat on the slope face! I gave in and walked the last hundred metres up the slope with my skis under my arms. Lesson number four – don’t try a new boot/ski combination when you are leading the tour!

Looking towards Mt. Twynam

We lunched on top of Mt Twynam, with an eagles eye view up and down the range. The western side of the main range was covered in low thick cloud, which kept on spilling up and threatening to cover the main range. At one time we thought the weather was going to clag in as cloud spilled over the top of Mt Twynam, but it quickly cleared and turned back into a windless sunny day.

Dave suggested that we ski down to Watson’s Crags, which was only about a kilometre away and gave us some great views of the western faces of the main range. The rest of the group skied up onto Watson’s Crags (for bragging rights), while I waited with the packs and took photos of the spectacular view down Watson’s Creek. I also wanted to rest a bit as my boot/ski combination was starting to really hurt my feet. After that we skied back up to the top of Twynam, with Barry lagging behind a bit. Dave volunteered to bring up the rear with Barry while I went ahead with Rosemary and Monika.

The hill up to Watsons Crags

When we arrived back on the top of Twynam I realised that I had not packed my second water bottle in the fluster to get out of the Guthega car park. Monika kindly offered me her spare bottle of water, which I was quite embarrassed, though relieved, to take from her. I sweat heavily and always need at least two litres when going on a long tour or lesson. I did have my MSR stove and a pot on hand and could have melted snow, but it would have been too disruptive of the tour. Lesson five: always take plenty of water, and if you are the tour leader, take extra water in case one of the group members runs out!

On top of Twynam we discussed what we wanted to do next. Barry was feeling a bit taxed after the haul up the hill and wanted to head back down to the Illawong bridge. I was happy to accompany him as my boots and skis were annoying me too much and I also didn’t want him to head off on his own. Dave, Monika and Rosemary wanted to take a longer and more scenic route down to Guthega dam. We decided to split into two groups, made sure everyone had each others mobile phone numbers, with each party taking a small walkie talky each that Barry had brought along in his pack. We agreed to attempt to contact each other every half hour, and meet up back at Guthega.

Barry and I took the direct route down the hill, following Twynam Creek, with me fighting my skis the whole way and Barry carving beautiful telemark turns. I was surprised to see on the way down that there were quite a few people out on the main range that day, who were obviously taking advantage of the adequate snow and perfect weather conditions. Then it was skis off and back across the Illawong Hut bridge and the walk back along the track to Guthega. Why is it that the last few kilometres of a decent trek always seems to be twice as long as they were at the beginning?

The track was a combination of decent, though narrow, path, and some remaining snowdrifts, with some sections quite muddy from constant stomping from walkers’ boots. I was following Barry, who was a lot surer of the path than I, when we came across one of the muddy sections. I lost my footing, and did one of those ‘trying to regain your balance’ dances while trying to not fall down the hill from the path. I finally stumbled backwards and ended up on my bum right in the middle of the muddiest section of the path. Black oozing mud (and probably a few wombat droppings mixed in) liberally coated my behind. This is not a good look for a tour leader – you are meant to look slightly more in control when leading a CCCSC tour. Lesson five: don’t fall on your bum in a pool of mud when anyone in the group you are leading is looking. This is perfectly OK to do when you are not leading, and will probably result in sympathy.

Just as Barry and muddy bumbed I approached the small side creek with the flying fox we had a call on the walkie talky from Dave Drohan, saying that their group (splitters!) had decided to come back down to Illawong after all and were now making their way along the path behind us. After the flying fox crossing and a final slog, Barry and I made it back into Guthega, just as the others caught up with us. It had been a big day. We chatted in the car park and changed into warm clothes just as the sun was setting, and I was looking forward to a hot coffee and the lights of Canberra.

So leading my first tour had been a good experience – plenty of lessons had been learnt on my part, and everyone seemed to have had a good time during the tour. I was doubly pleased as I had not properly been up on top of the main range before, and I had been able to look at some of the west facing slopes of the Main Range, in all their dramatic glory.