Perisher 2014 – Nordic Skiing – Week Four
Friday 1 Aug 2014. Snow on the ground around the cabin this morning. A bit cool inside the cabin. The road to Perisher was covered with snow and the trip up very slow. Four cars had slid off the road (a Discovery, an awd Volvo and 2 Subarus) – all a bit of a surprise to everyone. A dangerous and difficult drive up. Perisher was -5C with a 20-50km/h wind blowing snow. That snow was not hanging around much but had formed small drifts across the overnight grooming. We skied (staggered) around the 7.5km (much shortened). Very difficult. Visibility low – variable conditions (icy grooming interwoven with soft snow drifts). Back at Jindy, we tried for a BBQ lunch on our table beside the cabin. We began in lovely sunshine but finished with snow falling on us. By late afternoon, we had a crust of icy snow over all surfaces outside.
Saturday 2 Aug 2104. Snow on the ground all around Jindy this morning -3C. We classic skied the 7.5 km – complete. 1,254kCal. Beautiful snow. Beautiful grooming. Australian Open Sprint Championships (Classic) were on today so a lot of people around the hut – the sprint track is just next to the hut. A sparkling day for it. We were out by 11am. On the way down cars were parked as far down as Dainers Chain Bay.
Sunday. Day off. -7C this morning here. According to the locals, that wind the other day was gusting to above 150km/h – occasionally to above 200km/h. That is bloody windy.
Monday 4 Aug 2014. -10C this morning. A staggeringly beautiful day – blue skies, sunny – delightful soft dry snow. We classic skied the 7.5km with friends Eduard and Vera. An excellent day.
Tuesday 5 Aug 2014. -10C this morning. Another beautiful day. We joined the ‘mystery coffee tour #1’ which had 34 takers. In two groups (one tracks – us – the other off tracks), we made our way up the reverse 5km to the furthest south point and cut across on a specially made tracks to intersect the ‘Porcupine Track’, then back towards the 7.5km where a coffee and cakes were set up. An excellent time. We realised how much we have missed the off track skiing and how much our classic has improved. After all, we’ve only been doing it this year and our weight shift is really coming along. We almost look as though we can do it. Now, to make it even more efficient and get all the way round without stopping. Hah. (1,941kCal) I got very close to my max heart rate today. Completely exhausted tonight.
Wednesday. Off
Thursday 7 Aug 2014. Yet another beautiful day. -7C We classic skied the 5km and the reverse 3.5 for a total of about 8km. Technique is coming along. I had a fall while practicing step turning and cracked a rib. Bugger.
Friday 8 August 2014. -5C Yet another beautiful day. We joined the Secret Coffee tour #2 (about 27 takers) which took the 7.5km track to a high point to the right just before the Porcupine heads off. Very pleasant. I had another fall which did spring those ribs a bit more. Pain killers.
