Mechanic-AL wrote:Cradle Valley forecast for the next 4 days looks pretty bleak. Lots of wind, rain, snow and hail.
There are walkers booked to start every day for the next 6 days.
If you've been planning this trip for months, have just flown in from interstate on a tight schedule should you still start ?
If anyone starting tomorrow gets into difficulty in the next few days is this just bad luck or a degree of stupidity ?
I had to make this call a few years ago and chose not to go ( mostly based on the fact that I probably wouldn't see stuff all )
Just wondering what others might do if faced with a similar forecast ?.
Would certainly go, for precisely the reason others are hesitating.
Less people, more adventure, as long as prepared & with plenty of time.
Few years ago (2004), managed to get dropped off before road was closed for a big event in July, was quite a solid outing all the way to Ducane Gap, including having to dig into Kitchen Hut to take shelter (bottom door was completely buried). First experience with avalanches in Australia (on Face track). Had snowshoes & couple weeks worth of food, food drop bought in to the then Windy Fridge, then up onto Traveller with intention to go out via Walls. A decent snow base from June was also in place, which helped travel somewhat, instead of just floundering through the normal Tassie alpine scrub covered by wet snow.
Unfortunately warmed a little & rotted the snowpack we were hoping to use to get across Plateau more easily, so came back out via LSC.