Queen's Birthday Weekend - What's happening?

This is the most snow for opening weekend since 2000.

The village will be in ski in/ski out mode from Friday morning, with no cars in the village. After the weekend they will assess whether there is enough snow to maintain ski in/ski out.

The lift co have said that they will run Gully, Eagle, Halleys, Towers, Drovers, Mousetrap (and maybe the little ski school carpet). They expect all runs off these lifts to be open, plus Broadway and the Ys.

The Falls Creek Alpine Association Mountain Muster function which we hosted last year will be on at Bogong Ski Club in the bowl and you are welcome to attend.

Have a great time if you heading up.

Mountain Muster 2018

The Falls Creek Alpine Association (FCAA) is a body that represents ski clubs and other small lease holders at Falls Creek. Every opening weekend they have a get together, known as the Mountain Muster. This year AAC Falls Creek hosted the function.

Over 100 people attended, with catering provided by FCAA. It was a great  chance to showcase our lodge to a broad cross section of Falls Creek regulars and we received many compliments.

Longest Lunch

It's on again on  this Friday 16 March. Barry Iddles from Elk will be catering for the Falls Creek Longest Lunch as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
There are other special activities on offer over the weekend too.

More info

Working Bee 2018

The annual club working Bee will be Sat 5-Sun 6 May.

Working Bee weekend is the time when we get the lodge ready for the upcoming season. Professional services are used for major items, but we rely on members to do many of the tasks. We usually make a few improvements, but much of the work is maintaining and replenishing.

Attendance is optional. People with trade skills are particularly welcome, but all willing hands are appreciated.

Most people arrive late on Friday night. Andrew & Myra provide brekkie & lunch on Saturday & Sunday as well as Saturday dinner. It's great to stock up your locker and catch up with people before the season. For new members it is a great opportunity to meet old hands and quickly feel at home in the lodge. However it is first and foremost a working weekend.

The tasks very from year to year but typically would include

• moving firewood into the store
• stocktaking (eg cereal, juice, toilet paper)
• painting (eg walls, railings, architraves)
• cleaning & organising the kitchen cupboards & contents
• turning mattresses & mending protectors
• minor repairs
• small carpentry jobs
• small metalwork jobs
• checking & replacing light globes
• cleaning bathroom fans
• tidying & cleaning boiler room, ski room
• weeding and other gardening

If you can help this year, please contact our Lodge Supervisor Justin Checcucci

Save the date: AGM

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 22nd at Royal Brighton Yacht Club

Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Club Race

You will be shocked to learn that Ross B didn't win this year.

That makes more sense when I add that the race had to be cancelled because of the blizzard conditions.

AGM - Save the date

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 23rd at Royal Brighton Yacht Club

Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Another summer special

The weekend of Thur 30 March to Sunday 2 April will have no minimum fee at the lodge.

The Falls Creek Longest Lunch will be held on Friday 31st March, catered by Barry Iddles (Elk and Sorrento Catering Company)

more info

If you can't make it for Friday lunch, it's still a great chance to get up to the high plains. Ride the mountain bike trails, fish for trout, enjoy a walk on the high plains or a stroll along the aqueduct or just relax in the mountain air.

Blue Dirt now operate Mountain Bike shuttles and bike hire every weekend until 23 April

Easter will also be a minimum fee free time at the lodge.

Minimum fee free periods aim to make it easier for members and their guests to enjoy a short stay at the lodge over the "green" season.

Australia Day Weekend

Justin & Tony headed up to the lodge to help with more work on the spa renovation. They took time out to watch the dragon boat racing on a perfect summer day

Peaks Challenge March 2017 - get in quick

The Peaks Challenge (formerly 3 Peaks) cycling event is big. Hundreds of cyclists stay at Falls Creek before and after the grueling circuit ride that takes them down the mountain, across Tawonga Gap, over Mt Hotham, down to Omeo and back up to Falls.

Falls Creek Resort Management encourages all lodges to make beds available for this event.

In 2015 & 2016 the club worked with Falls Creek Central Reservations to enable competitors to become Summer Associates and stay at the lodge for the weekend. It was very successful and we will do the same again. As well as contributing to the development of green season, this event bought a healthy injection of summer revenue to the club.

We expect that all rooms will be booked well before the event.

So if you or your friends and family are intending on coming to the lodge for that weekend, BOOK NOW

Special arrangements for Peaks Challenge weekend

• Bookings are for 3 nights starting Friday 10 March
• Linen is provided
• If you book through the club, costs are Members $210, AAC $240, Guests $270
• There is no discount for children
• Bookings through Central Reservations will attract a higher fee.
• Bookings for members are open immediately. Beds will soon be made available guests through Central Reservations.
• The games room and TV rooms will not be available - they are reserved for bike storage

IGNITION - opening of the MTB season

November 19 - 20 is when the MTB trails reopen and Blue Dirt are putting on a special weekend.

The focus is on  the new Flowtown trail from Gully to Howmans which will open for the first time. Combined with the existing Frying Pan Spur, Thunderbolt and Wishing Well trails, that will make a 10km single track all the way from Summit to Howmans.

• Shuttles to take you up to the top of the trails
• Organised backcountry rides all the way down to Mt Beauty with a shuttle return
• Skills sessions
• Demo Specialized bikes
• If you've still got some energy there will be sunset rides and even a night ride on Flowtown
• Music, food, bands, beer hall
• $130 for both days (single day tickets too but they don't include everything)

More info at ignitionmtb.com.au

This should be a great weekend so why not book into the lodge with family or friends for only $40 per night per person. The $300 min booking fee will not apply for Ignition weekend

Club Races

The annual club race was held on Saturday 6 August on Father Fosters race course

The winners won't be a big surprise!

Children

1. Matthew W
2. Ella B
3. Sophie W

Mens

1. Ross B
2. Gerard GS
3. Will C

Ladies

1. Emma P
2. Mel C
3. Louisa G

Working Bee

The working bee was held on the weekend of 30th April. As usual there was much to be done, enthusiastic helpers and great company.
The big job of moving wood into the store under the lodge was made a bit easier this year. Some work to stabilise the steep slope above the lodge has made it less precarious for those handing wood down the slope. A builder's chute for some of the distance meant that we didn't need quite as many people. It's still a huge job in trying conditions. Think good thoughts about those intrepid members every time you put another log on the fire. Some of the other projects:

• Remodelling room 2 and preparing room 12 for renovation - more about these
• The dining tables have all been stripped back before revarnishing and they look great
• New splitable double beds in room 13 and14
• More manageable matting in the ski room
• Picture rails in corridors to make repainting easier in future
• New TV in the TV room
• Comfy chair for Room 14
• And lots of cleaning, gardening and maintenance tasks

Wombats Rambler - team night race

Heats Sun 17 July & Mon 18 July
Final Fri 22 July

This event was held for the first time last year and provided a fun challenge for some AAC Falls Creek members.

Race team extraordinaire #aacfalls #fallscreek

A photo posted by Rebecca McIntyre (@becmcintyre) on Aug 28, 2015 at 8:49pm PDT

It's a fun race down Wombat's Ramble, under lights.

If you are coming up that week, why not get a team together?

AGM 2016

The Annual General Meeting will be held

DATE:    Tuesday, 24 May, 2016
VENUE:    Royal Brighton Yacht Club
ADDRESS:    253 St. Kilda Street, Brighton

(refer Melway Map Reference 67, C10)
TIME:    7:30 p.m

The AGM is a great opportunity to hear about progress, contribute to the running of your club and meet with other members.

AGM - save the date

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 24th, venue to be advised.


Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Working Bee

This year's working bee will be

Fri 29 April - Sunday 1 May

Working Bee weekend is the time when we get the lodge ready for the upcoming season. Professional services are used for major items, but we rely on members to do many of the tasks. We usually make a few improvements, but much of the work is maintaining and replenishing.

Attendance is optional. People with trade skills are particularly welcome, but all willing hands are appreciated.

Most people arrive late on Friday night. Andrew & Myra provide brekkie & lunch on Saturday & Sunday as well as Saturday dinner. It's great to stock up your locker and catch up with people before the season. For new members it is a great opportunity to meet old hands and quickly feel at home in the lodge. However it is first and foremost a working weekend.


The tasks very from year to year but typically would include

• moving firewood into the store (a big job for many hands)
• stocktaking (eg cereal, juice, toilet paper)
• painting (eg walls, railings)
• cleaning & organising the kitchen cupboards & contents
• turning mattresses & mending protectors
• minor repairs
• small carpentry jobs
• checking & replacing light globes
• cleaning bathroom fans
• tidying & cleaning boiler room, ski room
• weeding and other gardening

If you can help this year, please contact our Lodge Supervisor Justin Checcucci

Peaks Weekend

Once again all rooms in the lodge were booked for the Peaks cycling weekend and all our guests seemed very happy with the facilities.

Peaks Challenge Falls Creek is the 235 gruelling kilometre loop from Falls Creek, over Tawonga Gap, Mt Hotham and the Bogong High Plain - in a 13 hour time limit. Held on the Labour Day weekend in March each year this event is huge and needs every bed that the village can provide.

This is a welcome boost to summer income but it's also an important step in the overall growth of Falls Creek as a summer destination.

As Myra said

"It's a crazy busy weekend. It is the biggest event that Falls Creek sees all year.
Great atmosphere in the village. Finish line was a great spot to be."

a drone captured this amazing picture of the pre-dawn start - click picture for larger version

The lodge books out very early for this event, so if you'd like to come up and part of the festive atmosphere (or participate in the ride) you need to book early. There is no longer an opening date for summer bookings, so don't wait till spring. There is a special package for the lodge for the event: minimum 3 nights with linen and cleaning provided.

Summer Special Offer

At the AGM, there was discussion about visiting the lodge in summer. For some members, the $300 minimum fee is a deterrent. Ideas were floated about helping members to get together for summer visits so that the minimum fee was not a burden.

The reason for the minimum fee is twofold:

• even with only one person in the lodge, there is a significant cost for hot water, lighting and sometimes heating
• a summer manager often needs to be engaged to open and close the lodge (eg turn on hot water; check that dust etc has not built up too much since it was last occupied; replenish coffee, toilet paper etc; check that guests have cleaned up properly; turn off services and lock up)

The committee has decided on a trial of a small number of times in 2016 where no minimum fee will apply. We hope that this will make it easier for members to visit in summer.

The no minimum fee times will be:

• Thur Jan 7 to  Tue Jan 12: Inaugural AAC Falls cycling weekend
• Fri 12 Feb to Sun 14 Feb: one of the weekends when mountain bike shuttles will operate
• Thur 24 Mar to Tue 28 Mar: Easter

As well as avoiding the minimum fee, we hope that there will be more of a sociable buzz in the lodge at these times.

AAC Inter Club Race

The 2015 AAC inter club race was held at Hotham

AAC Falls Creek excelled once again

A team 1st
B team 2nd
Masters team 3rd

Congratulations to all our racers.

Next year's race will be held at Thredbo, hosted by Southern Alps Ski Club.