...on the morning that the reserves were to be opened, I was awake at 3am, on the road by 4am and walking away from the car in the foothills of Mount Wellington at 5am.
My five favourite Mont gear picks after a winter and summer season in the European Alps with over 200 days of climbing, skiing and paragliding in the mountains from shorter day hits to multi day adventures.
Thinking your tour through in its entirety as best you can helps to formulate a realistic & achievable experience. Due consideration will identify weaknesses which can be averted allowing you to maximise your day & increase your safety margin. Contingency plans are a must allowing you to have a Plan B if required & cater for unexpected accidents, illness or mechanical failure.
A few years ago I was thinking about my first major expedition. Being a keen sea kayaker and living in Tasmania, the choice was pretty obvious, paddle from mainland Australia across Bass Strait to Tasmania. This was 2011 and I was 55 years old so I decided I needed to get cracking and plan the paddle before I got too old, it’s a long paddle!
Discover the Snow Beyond the ski lifts this Winter with Mont. Mont Adventure Equipment is Australia’s best backcountry ski and splitboard shop. We have all the gear from the best brands, sound and honest advice for beginner skiers and boarders through to expert alpinists, and free shipping Australia wide on orders over $99.
I have visited the Walls of Jerusalem dozens of times over the years but for some reason I had never walked the Junction Lake track. So it was time to do a little exploring. I climbed the usual track up past Trapper’s Hut, disturbing a beautiful, sleek black Tiger snake on the way. It wasn’t long before the Junction Lake track branched off and new country was ahead. It was a fast, easy walk down to Lake Adelaide, followed by a somewhat slower twist/turn down to a really attractive campsite at Lake Meston.
As you are probably aware, I had to get out of Bolivia in a hurry, in fact we caught the last flight out of La Paz before the airport and country closed.
In these times of uncertainty and turmoil, the Wilderness still sits in the background. Quiet, boisterous, peaceful, serene, feisty and magnificent. It’s many moods continue. It doesn’t know about a virus, or the stock market, or any of our other problems (apart from Climate Change). It is still a fabulous place to escape to and just be there.
With advice to put some distance between yourself and others, we think now is the time for some social distancing adventure. Where better to put some distance in place than any number of the wilderness areas around Canberra? With that in mind, the Mont Shop Fyshwick will be open normal business hours if you need gear for your social distancing adventure.
A few weeks ago I updated my climbing harness to the Edelrid Jayne III. I highly recommend this model. It has features which make it the perfect harness for casual indoor, outdoor and/or competition climbing. As with most harnesses it comes in several sizes allowing people of all shapes and sizes to wear it
I did a winter trip to Mount Rufus in southern Cradle Mt National Park a couple of years ago but it is many years since I have visited this beautiful section of the park in summer.
