Final Tour

We had two missions today - 1. was to take as many lifts as possible and 2. was to get all the cousins on the one Village eight chair. When planning our route we were more confident of accomplishing the first rather than the second.

Our morning started well as we were all now fantastic skiers and familiar with the runs needed to get across to Perisher. In trying to keep our group of 12 together and safe we decided to try a buddy system which seemed to work well. After the initial loop and at base of the Pretty Chair Double, it was time for morning tea and hot chocolate at Avalunch Cafe. The kids were eager not to rest but based on previous experiences we know how quickly things can turn pear shaped due to hunger and lack of energy!

Up and down Pretty Valley we skied before skirting around to unchartered territory - up Telemark T-bar which deposited us on the north-western edge of Front Valley. It was much busier here, t-bars going in every direction as well as skiers and boarders and large icy patches so one had to be careful.

We converged at the base of the village eight chairlift....with all seven kids ready to attempt what we thought was the impossible. Inching our way forward, the kids managed to stay together and were all nicely positioned at the gate. It all seemed too easy. The gates opened and only four kids went!!! Oh no.....



At the top we all laughed and resolved ourselves to try again and were successful!

Next on the list of new lifts was Wentworth and Blaxland located very close together before the group split. It was a planned split with the more competent skiers (Andy, Ella, Mia, Susie and Cathy) taking up the challenging t-bar and runs of Lawson and Leichhardt. Meanwhile the rest of the group - Josh, Luca, Maki, Grace, Katy, Quokka and I, continued back down to the Perisher Quad Express. The plan was to meet up at Perisher Mid Station.

We had always tried hard to keep everyone informed of where we were going next or which way to get off the lift at the top. Our group was informed to get off at Mid Station. It was only as we were going up that I realised the group of Maki, Luca and Josh who were two chairs in front of us probably didn't know that Mid Station wasn't at the top of the chairlift, but you had to unload halfway along!! They were too far away for us to yell directions, so after a quick discussion with Quokka, we thought if they didn't get off we would stay on and ski back down to mid station from the very top.

Turns out that when you hit mid station the chairs slow down rapidly and bunch up together, so we shouted for them to get off. Only by the time they understood they'd missed the unload spot but decided to jump off anyway creating a bit of chaos!! Oops!! No-one hurt and everyone giggling :) Into the Perisher Mid Station cafe we headed to warm up and wait for the others to join us.

Over lunch we discussed options. Our intended plan of Happy Valley and Mt Perisher was squashed thanks to icy conditions and time limitations. Instead it was heading home to Guthega via Perisher Quad to top of Back Perisher Mountain, then down to Interceptor, Brumby and Freedom lifts. It was a good call as energy levels were dropping and the kids were keen to go tobogganing and play in the snow back around the lodge.

Probably the most hilarious incident of the trip occurred at the top on the last lift, the Freedom Chair, when Cathy forgot to get off, staying on the chair and tripping the safety line which halts the chairlift! The lifty helped her down while everyone was wondering what had happened!

Stats for the day looked something like this - 6.5 hours of skiing, 19 lifts (17 different ones) and 2500m of vertical climb! A great achievement for everyone and a goal to improve on next season.

Back at the lodge, the kids continued to play - teddy toboggan races and Andy headed out on a cross country adventure conquering the Paralyser.