tuapekastar
In memoriam
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2005
- Posts
- 4,424
Hi All,
JessicaTam and I recently discussed the idea of an AFF ski trip next Winter, and this is a loose early proposal to gauge what level of interest we might have. Should there be sufficient interest, we can get down to greater detail and move forward with organising it. We can also organise any compliance necessary with AFF's guidelines re events and money.
For any who may be interested but have not skied before, it can be a lot of fun, but can be quite pricey fun. We are trying to keep those costs down somewhat.
Proposal so far and some general info (remember, this is tentative and dependent on level of interest - a more definitive plan would be knocked up if there is sufficient interest). I have provided some very general information for those who may not have skied before and are interested.
Date: Friday 25th (arrive anytime from around midday onwards, as suits) to Monday 28th July 2014 (leave by about midday - those needing to be back for Monday work can leave Sunday arvo/evening). This is not in Victorian school holidays.
Venue: Falls Creek. JessicaTam has access to an apartment (2BR, 7 single bunk beds, 4 in BR1, 3 in BR2), kitchen etc. Should the level of interest be greater than that then we would likely go 'commercial' - Diana Lodge has been noted as a possibility. I don't believe Hilton, SPG, Accor etc. have much in the way of properties up there.
I know many on AFF are quite accustomed to high-end accommodation and there is a wide range of accommodation available at Falls Creek. We are looking more at affordability and keeping costs reasonable - something a little more rustic than say the Conrad HKG - and as a veteran (though not for many years) of room sharing at Mt Hotham club lodges, rest assured it is relatively painless, and quite common practice on the slopes. Anyway, it is all just a proposal ATM.
Costs: Unknown ATM, but very dependent on what accommodation we get. Ballpark per person for JessicaTam's apartment would be between $100 and $200, primarily for cleaning. That cost is just for accommodation (includes bedding). If we had to go commercial these costs would rise. Other costs to be considered are transport to Falls Creek, resort entry fee for car, lift tickets, food (another custom, at least when I've stayed at lodges, is if not intending to eat out, that food provisioning is shared around, and often prepared at home and carted to the mountain, otherwise eat out), drink, hire of ski gear, clothes, ski lessons if one takes them. Some will have their own gear, some won't. As I said at the start it often ends up quite pricey.
Getting there: Falls Creek is about 4.5 hours drive from Melbourne, 7 hours from Sydney, 5 hours from Canberra, and 2 hours from Albury. Pooling into cars where possible would seem the best bet. Buses run from both Melbourne and Albury to Falls Creek. And to get this post/trip on topic, anybody wanting to indulge their flying side could fly to ABX and bus it from there. Alternatively, without knowing the ins and outs of the schedules and whether they would be suitable, Qantaslink flies into Mt Hotham airport from SYD, and a helicopter service operates between Hotham and Falls Creek.
What you would need to have: Ski gear - can be owned or hired mostly. Waterproof pants and jacket (or trendy one-piece ski outfit if that is your bag), goggles, gloves, beanie, long thin socks, boots, skis, poles. If hiring skis and boots, probably best done on-mountain (unless the hire place has a partner on the mountain) because if there is equipment failure it can be rectified. As much alcohol as you wish to bring, food etc., 'normal' clothes for apre-ski
So no commitment is required just yet, just an indication of interest (and your level of interest). I think we have people on AFF whose proficiency ranges from expert right through to those who have not seen snow. All levels welcome (I consider getting from the top to the bottom without falling on my cough a successful ski run ).
Please post any interest in this thread. Thanks.
JessicaTam and I recently discussed the idea of an AFF ski trip next Winter, and this is a loose early proposal to gauge what level of interest we might have. Should there be sufficient interest, we can get down to greater detail and move forward with organising it. We can also organise any compliance necessary with AFF's guidelines re events and money.
For any who may be interested but have not skied before, it can be a lot of fun, but can be quite pricey fun. We are trying to keep those costs down somewhat.
Proposal so far and some general info (remember, this is tentative and dependent on level of interest - a more definitive plan would be knocked up if there is sufficient interest). I have provided some very general information for those who may not have skied before and are interested.
Date: Friday 25th (arrive anytime from around midday onwards, as suits) to Monday 28th July 2014 (leave by about midday - those needing to be back for Monday work can leave Sunday arvo/evening). This is not in Victorian school holidays.
Venue: Falls Creek. JessicaTam has access to an apartment (2BR, 7 single bunk beds, 4 in BR1, 3 in BR2), kitchen etc. Should the level of interest be greater than that then we would likely go 'commercial' - Diana Lodge has been noted as a possibility. I don't believe Hilton, SPG, Accor etc. have much in the way of properties up there.
I know many on AFF are quite accustomed to high-end accommodation and there is a wide range of accommodation available at Falls Creek. We are looking more at affordability and keeping costs reasonable - something a little more rustic than say the Conrad HKG - and as a veteran (though not for many years) of room sharing at Mt Hotham club lodges, rest assured it is relatively painless, and quite common practice on the slopes. Anyway, it is all just a proposal ATM.
Costs: Unknown ATM, but very dependent on what accommodation we get. Ballpark per person for JessicaTam's apartment would be between $100 and $200, primarily for cleaning. That cost is just for accommodation (includes bedding). If we had to go commercial these costs would rise. Other costs to be considered are transport to Falls Creek, resort entry fee for car, lift tickets, food (another custom, at least when I've stayed at lodges, is if not intending to eat out, that food provisioning is shared around, and often prepared at home and carted to the mountain, otherwise eat out), drink, hire of ski gear, clothes, ski lessons if one takes them. Some will have their own gear, some won't. As I said at the start it often ends up quite pricey.
Getting there: Falls Creek is about 4.5 hours drive from Melbourne, 7 hours from Sydney, 5 hours from Canberra, and 2 hours from Albury. Pooling into cars where possible would seem the best bet. Buses run from both Melbourne and Albury to Falls Creek. And to get this post/trip on topic, anybody wanting to indulge their flying side could fly to ABX and bus it from there. Alternatively, without knowing the ins and outs of the schedules and whether they would be suitable, Qantaslink flies into Mt Hotham airport from SYD, and a helicopter service operates between Hotham and Falls Creek.
What you would need to have: Ski gear - can be owned or hired mostly. Waterproof pants and jacket (or trendy one-piece ski outfit if that is your bag), goggles, gloves, beanie, long thin socks, boots, skis, poles. If hiring skis and boots, probably best done on-mountain (unless the hire place has a partner on the mountain) because if there is equipment failure it can be rectified. As much alcohol as you wish to bring, food etc., 'normal' clothes for apre-ski
So no commitment is required just yet, just an indication of interest (and your level of interest). I think we have people on AFF whose proficiency ranges from expert right through to those who have not seen snow. All levels welcome (I consider getting from the top to the bottom without falling on my cough a successful ski run ).
Please post any interest in this thread. Thanks.
