JULY ISSUE, 2019
www.nemedia.com.au WHAT A BLAST: Mount Hotham and Falls Creek (pictured) marked the openings of their seasons with a bang last month. Full story page 3. PHOTO: Lachy Keevers
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STAN ON PATROL P4 Peter ‘Stan’ Cantwell keeping slopes safe for almost 40 years.
SWEDISH VISITOR P11 Anton Hallor living his cross country dream Down Under.
QUEEN’S HONOUR P14 OAM for mountain medico Dr Adam Mark Zagorski.
index Ski Big White Furphy Rail Jame
P12 P2
Much to look forward to WINTER came early for Falls Creek and Mount Hotham, only days before the official Queen’s Birthday opening, blanketing the mountains in snow and setting the resorts up for a perfect opening. It was the best Queen’s Birthday start to the season since the year 2000. Falls Creek had seven lifts turning, Hotham six, and thousands made the pilgrimage up the hills to get their first runs on snow this winter. But the dream was short lived. In the mountains, weather can change everything, including moods, and soon after both resorts received a deluge of rain that washed away inches of the snow base. It was much too early in the season however to lose optimism. The icy, crisp, clear days that followed were perfect for snowmaking, and brief, but appreciated, snow-showers
BY STRUAN JONES sjones@ nemedia.com.au
later in June topped up some runs. In the lead-up to the Victorian school holidays starting, both resorts are more family-oriented than ever, providing perfect ski school entertainment for the kids. At Hotham, Melbourne’s LEGOLANDŽ Discovery Centre is headed for the hills, and will make home inside the ultimate kids club at the Big D between July 5-19. It’s been confirmed that stepping on kids’ LEGO blocks in snow boots is painless, so parents have no excuse not to join in daily parents vs kids masterpiece challenges. At Falls Creek, Nickelodeon’s PAW
Patrol Pups will be on snow on July 6 and 7 for some fun, and of course some green slime that under no circumstances should be tipped over people’s heads. Out on snow, beyond drifting around the slopes, staring off over the mountains from the chairlift, and getting knee-deep in fresh powder, the competitive racing events also start to heat up. July sees Hotham host the Victorian biathlon championships, a unique sport which combines cross country skiing with target shooting. These athletes have to be super fit for this endurance sport to ski fast with a rifle on their back and shoot clean while slowing their breathing and racing hearts. At Falls Creek, the Rossignol Children’s Cup Giant Slalom is a long time tradition for generations of
Falls Creek skiers and riders, and is scheduled for July 12. With more than 100 entrants testing their skills on the extended main street course it is a definite race to add to your calendar. Later in the month Falls Creek’s Yuki Birds Ride Day is for femme snowboarders to hit the slopes with likeminded women who are keen to progress their boarding. Hit the park and practice your skills in a fun, safe and encouraging environment, and earn that après-ski aperitivo with a massive smile on your face. July is an action-packed month on and off snow. Winter is truly underway, and every day on snow holds the possibility of being your Best Ever Day on Snow. So grab a coffee, hug the kids, and make the most of it.
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