Hoppet

The annual Kangaroo Hoppet XC marathon race was held again on Saturday 25th August. While the Russians and other international elite athletes were battling it out with the top Aussies in the main race, Ron & John were once again competing in the 7km Joey event.

John has had such a stranglehold on the over 80 years class that they've abolished that and the 75-80 class. Now he has to compete against hearty young lads like Ron in the over 70 class.

The weather was pretty rugged but they finished in great shape.

2013 Hero Pass

The lift company have just announced details of the Hero Pass (extra early bird season pass for Falls Creek & Hotham) for next year. This is a great offer and one that quite a few members have enjoyed this year.

• For current season pass holders (including Tertiary, Valley, Alpine and Spring Pass), total price is $699 (same as this year).
• For new Hero passes, the total is $749, but you can save $50 if you dress-up as a super hero and ski/board on Monday 10 September.
• Children and seniors who are current season pass holders are $399; $429 for new children & seniors

• Pay $199 deposit by 5pm 8 October
• Pay balance by 1 May 2013
• If you pay the balance by 5pm Thursday 6 December 2012, there are some summer benefits available too

Hero passes go on sale Monday 10 September.

Details at skifalls.com.au/HeroPass or heropass.com.au

the best spring skiing in years

The conditions are fabulous with over a metre of snow falling in the last 2 weeks

• all lifts are open 
• 179cm average in the snow-making areas
• fantastic cover on summit
• the whole maze is open
• there's heaps of snow in the village for true ski in / ski out
• more snow is forecast for later this week

Prices are great value

• from Sunday 2nd it's low tariff time, eg
• members are $38 per night or  $228 per week
• guests are $152 for a weekend

The lift company is offering a Spring lift pass that will let you ski till the end of September 

•  $499 for adults
• only $299 for kids and seniours
• free for over 70s

Spring is a terrific time at Falls

• fast morning groomers
• fun in the slush bumps or the park
• gorgeous off-piste corn snow 
• touring or xc to explore beyond the resort
• blue skies
• relaxing sunny afternoons
• barbecues on the deck

Don't miss out on the best spring conditions for years

• School holidays are filling up quick - only a few rooms left
• The phones are running hot for September 2-8
• September 9 - 22 still have plenty of room
• Don't leave it too long to make your spring booking

fabulous new snow

July was a bit wet and disappointing but August has been getting better and better, culminating in the big system that came in on 15 -18 August. It brought us about 70cm. Cover over the back is the best in many years, and now International, the Maze and Last Hoot all have a good cover too.

The new snow created a bit of work for some

This

 and hard work by Andrew

 created some nice new stairs

Mark still had the job ahead of him in this shot

The lodge is full until 25th August, but then there are plenty of beds available to take advantage of a great Spring. Don't forget that even though weekend bookings can't be confirmed until the official opening date (19 days prior for members), you can put your weekend applications in early.

membership drive

The membership drive continues.

The capital raising for the redevelopment project has prompted some of our less active members to reconsider their membership. A number of members have decided to sell their debentures. While we are sad to see members leave, a steady injection of new active members is good for the club.

Some of the initiatives are already in place:

• colour advertising all season in This Week in Falls Creek
• 2 articles on the club were published in This Week in Falls Creek. We hope to see a report on race weekend in there shortly too
• ads on the small computer screens in the Husky vehicles
• colour brochures have been produced and are being placed at the lodge and other appropriate outlets in Falls Creek
• Google ads targeted at sites relating to skiing & boarding in Australia, especially in Falls Creek
• quite a few people have asked to inspect the lodge. A number of open house sessions have been held  and Andrew has been showing people through at other times too
• the website at aacfallscreek.com has been revamped to be more relevant to prospective members, including a more welcoming home page and lots of pictures and information about the lodge. (All the info for current members is still there, but information on joining the lodge is more prominent)

Of course the best marketing tool is word of mouth, so please encourage friends and relatives and take the opportunity to tell people you meet on the slopes about the club.

• bonus for members who introduce new members (If someone you introduce becomes a full member by December 2012, you will receive a voucher for the equivalent of one week's accommodation at Adult Member high season rate. )

Race weekend fun

One of the most exciting activities of an Alpine Ski Club is its annual club ski races. Club races provide a great opportunity for members of all skiing abilities to compete in a fun and friendly environment. Racing is a great motivator to help improve your technique and a great way to judge if all that practice is working!

The Australian Alpine Club - Falls Creek is one such club to hold annual ski races, this year on Father Fosters. Sharing the race course with Riverina Ski Club, AAC entered 32 competitors on a Giant Slalom course set up and run by Falls Creek Ski lifts.

The competition comprises two timed runs for each competitor, the second run in the reverse order to the first. Categories include adult male, adult female and children. There is also a snowboarding category.

Skiing conditions last Saturday were particularly ‘friendly’ with competitors being greeted with good visibility and a dusting of fresh snow on smooth easy to ski course. A strong head wind meant going too fast wasn’t going to be a problem. Children loved the conditions, with the smiles on their faces telling the story as they completed each run.

Results

Women

1 Emma
2 Melisa
3 Viv
 

Men
1 Ross
2 John
3 Harrison
 

Children
1 James
2 Carla
3 Timothy

 

The day concluded with a ‘Retro Theme’ club dinner and trophy presentations back at the lodge. It was great to see the old one piece suits and fluro tops getting one more chance to be worn! The mirrored disco ball and 80’s music also got a work out late into the evening.

more pics

Thanks to Nigel for the report & most of the photos

in between the storms

Club clowns Garry and Mark (with long-suffering partners Bron and Helen) timed it right with good snowfalls book-ending their stay

Here's some pics from the sunny days in between

 and one to celebrate the big dump a the end of their stay

If you'd like to share your photos of fun at Falls Creek or other mountain adventures, send them to comms.aacfc(at)gmail.com

more pics

big yellow taxi...

not a Joni Mitchell song but a new service at Falls creek. Sounds like a great alternative if you don't want to stagger back up the hill after a big night out

The Snowcab can seat up to three passengers at a time and charges a flat rate of $10 per person to anywhere within Falls Creek village.
 
The snowcab service can be hailed or booked through the Accommodation Transfer Service on 5758 1203.

There is also an option for bigger groups to hire a Husky for village transport. Single trips in a heated Husky vehicle can be pre-booked for a flat rate of $65 per trip (conditions apply).

rail jam

The weather might have been less than perfect, but a rail jam in the bowl on Saturday afternoon got some of the kids in the lodge raring to go

Here's Natasha showing how it's done

Later the snow started in earnest and we woke on Sunday to 20cm of fresh dry snow. A pity that many had to leave in the morning, but a few managed to get out and enjoy the good stuff.

If you've got some pictures or stories from your stay at the lodge or enjoying the snow elsewhere, why not send them to us to share here?

a good day for catching up on sleep

Helen knows how to deal with rain & fog