Labyrinth in Winter

[Fizzygood]

Hi all,

A couple of friends and I are heading up to the Labyrinth shortly. We will be chartering the ferry to Narcissus to get an early start.

We are all experienced with highland weather and have appropriate gear.

Has anyone done this in winter? Any tips?

If the weather is totally off the show we will stay at Pine Valley but otherwise we will be heading up

Cheers, Erin

[Pedro]

Be prepared for any weather and don't forget the low level exit from the Pool of Memories to the Geryon campsite - could be very useful in really bad weather. This pic wasn't even taken in Winter - it was a Hobart Show weekend:

[Nuts]

..

[Fizzygood]

Hi Pedro,

Thanks for the pic... we are expecting this and worse!

[Nick S]

I can't really say any more than Pedro. There was some deep snow up there and it was cold at times, but very rewarding.
Here's some pics of the Acropolis in winter a few years back if you need some inspiration

[NickD]

Yes. Been into there also a couple of times in winter.
Geyron looks amazing with a good snow dump as you saw above.
Its relatively exposed from westerly winds at Lake Elysia, but if you find a decent spot you should be able to get westerly shelter.
Tracks are still fairly easy to follow due to marked cairns, but I'd only veer off track if real confident.

[Fizzygood]

Pedro & Nick, nice pics!

We will have a GPS with us and set some way points so aren't too worried about a bit of off track but will generally stick to the route I reckon...

Hoping for a clear blue day and Geyron covered in snow!... fingers crossed!

Cheers, Erin

[wello]

I've been up there in winter a couple of times and other comments are quite true. It's definitely a beautiful spot, but its definitely worth being careful at this time of year.

One time a couple of us camped at Lake Ophion which had a 1inch thick ice crust on it. The tent was frozen solid by about 7pm. A very cold night was followed by a clear day and some great views. At over 1000m you can be pretty sure it will be cold.

another time a group of three of us tried to get to walled mountain in low cloud. We started from lake ophion and after about 4 hours we had no idea where we were and as it was late afternoon, we set up camp still in the fog. morning dawned clear, and we were able to work out we were no more than a few hundred meters from where we'd started! The area's not called the labyrinth for nothing. Navigation's prety important, especially in winter when the weather gives you less chances to get it right.

Another time one April, I was camped at pine valley hut when it rained all night. The creek that runs alongside the track in burst its banks and as I walked back to Narcissus, I was in knee deep fast flowing water for several hundred metres. So if it looks like rain, the campsites along that creek should be avoided.

Hope the weather's kind to you this trip.

Wello

[Fizzygood]

With the snow we have today I am disappointed that it's not this weekend that we are heading up but I don't really think a week longer will make a lot of difference somehow

Will post some pics here of what we find!

'The indescribable innocence and beneficence of Nature
Of sun and wind and rain, of summer and winter
Such health, such cheer, they afford forever!...'

- Henry David Thoreau, WALDEN

[Fizzygood]

Well, I think the Labyrinth trip may be in question...

The weather forecast for the weekend is very ordinary. Not so worried about the walking but reckon with the snow the highlands might get there will be road closures... its meant to get down to minus 6 overnight on Sat with a moderate to high chance of rain...

We went up this weekend and camped on Mt Olympus... didn't get the summit but close. The snow just got way too deep!

Here are a few pics...

The first one is Mt Gould... you can see why with more snow it would make the Labyrinth interesting!

Erin

[Steve]

Daaaamn, all them pics are awesome. I wanna go see some snowy mountains now.

[Fizzygood]

Get out there Steve... it great fun!

Well, we are committing to this so unless something totally unexpected happens we are going in!

Now planning on driving up Friday night and camping at Lake St Clair campground so we're nice and refreshed for an early Sat ferry.... plus we can have a campfire there! ... nice!

There will be pics here soon!

Cheers, Erin

[frank_in_oz]

Jealous......really jealous....and envious too
have a great trip

[Fizzygood]

Hi Everyone,

Wow, what a great walk... the Labyrinth was pretty snowed in (as you can see from the pic below of a friend of mine standing near our tents... more to follow when I recover my camera from somewhere in my pack)

It was a pretty tough walk up, particularly in a few of the steep spots but nothing too bad... Off track to Mt Olympus last weekend was good preparation

Love the snow but I must say, I am looking forward to walking in a t-shirt again!

Cheers, Erin

[gorby]

you make me envious,
Its a bit off topic,but can you give me a report on the brand/type of tents and how they performed in the snow(may have to be shifted to the equipment section).

when you get the time that is,

[Steve]

Awesome photo Fizzygood!

So still heaps of snow up there then? I'm very envious now.

I'm in the process of finding a car, been driving my mums around everywhere for ages.

As soon as I finally get one I'll be aiming to get out and about every weekend or as much as I can.

[Fizzygood]

I have no affiliation with Bogong but their tent buying guide is awesome. The link below will take you to an 8 page PDF tent guide (largish file - 914k)

I used this when selecting my tent and was happier still when a local supplier had them cheaper!

http://www.bogong.com.au/TentsLinear.pdf

To answer your question gorby, the tent I have is a Sierra Leone Ultra (not in the guide above as it's last years model). In the photo of the three tents mine is to the back right, the yellow dome!

4 Season - 2 person - 2 vestibule - 2 doors - 2.9Kg

This is an awesome tent. I can set it up by myself. This did take a bit of practice in the back yard first!

It has good sized vestibules and dual access which I like when bunking with a friend. There is a great overhead hammock and vented storage pockets above your head at each end.

Ventilation is great (when you don't forget to open the inner vents a little as well as the outer ones)

Have had it out in a wide range of conditions and am really happy with it!

I'm not entirely sure of the other tents but know that they too are rugged enough for the beating they get and have some nice comfortable features!... the key is to read, read, read..... Do lots of research and get the best tent you can afford....

Cheers, Erin

P.S... off to Frenchman's Cap in a few weeks... will post some pics!

[Fizzygood]

Dug out a couple more good shots that show the conditions when we were up there recently!