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Mt Buller Ice(less?) climbing

JohnK

11-Jul-2007
9:52:31 PM

Headed to Mt Buller with Andy and Michaelangelo last Sunday. Although there was limited waterfall ice, lot's of rime ice on the slabs/rock and good hard snow made for a nice training day out. Give it another few weeks and it can only get better.
See photos here including the condition of the waterfall area:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkazanas/sets/72157600760632205/

John K.


Paulie

12-Jul-2007
9:12:25 AM

Nice one. Looks very Scottish!


nmonteith

12-Jul-2007
10:57:51 AM

Wahoo! Looks in great condition. My plan is to be out there weekend after next...


Macciza

12-Jul-2007
8:43:14 PM

Just wondering if theres been any snow at Bufallo? Anyone know?

kieranl

12-Jul-2007
9:28:48 PM

The snow report from yesterday says 25cm snow, fair to good cover for baccountry skiing (i.e. poor). Not good if you want to ski. Probably too warm (0 overnight) for good verglas as well.


Macciza

12-Jul-2007
10:06:30 PM

Any idea how that affects the gorge. Heading there in a few weeks to climb. Any locals got a forecxast
for the first week of August?

kieranl

12-Jul-2007
10:16:11 PM

The gorge is low compared to the plateau. Poor snow and warm weather = wet in the gorge.
First week in August? Buffalo is so low that you can only work on a current weather forecast.
I have a very nice set of jugs courtesy of someone who borrowed my jumars for a winter ascent of Ozy many years ago. Things were so wet they had to retreat and dropped one of my jumars.


mousey

12-Jul-2007
10:21:32 PM

yay sounds like my camera will be lovin it!
break out the goretex...


Macciza

12-Jul-2007
10:46:42 PM

Head to toe mate - I bought a MountainHardware Goretex Pacliclite jacket at St Vinnies the other day . .


mousey

12-Jul-2007
11:00:38 PM

haha well ive got a 20 pack of bin liners so there


Macciza

12-Jul-2007
11:47:25 PM

Excellent you can play the part of 'young Dave' - In Touching The Buff.

gfdonc

13-Jul-2007
10:44:03 AM

Was at Buller on my tele's on Wednesday. What a great day! Blue skies, soft dry snow (if you stayed high on the mountain). Fanny's Finish was in great shape despite one or two "firm" patches.

Yes I would say given the early dumps and some freezing/thawing cycles some good ice would be forming. Wait for a cold weekend in a week or two.


jackb

17-Jul-2007
9:27:51 AM

Was at buller on Sunday, was alot more ice there than when we were there two weeks ago. Didnt have a look at waterfall gully but climbed The Amphitheatre (i think). Only been there twice now so not totally sure what we were climbing. Anyway it didnt seem too bad to me.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

18-Jul-2007
2:46:01 PM

Macciza wrote
>Just wondering if theres been any snow at Bufallo? Anyone know?

Kieranl is on the money with
>Buffalo is so low that you can only work on a current weather forecast.

Today (18/07/07) ...

Weather man reckoned it was going to clear today, but in my opinion it already has cleared.

Out to the north it is a clear blue sky with the odd patch of fog rising from valleys. To the southwest (where the weather is still coming from), there is about 2/8ths low cumulus type cloud with clear blue sky above and around.

Buffalo itself has some low cumulus / almost-fog-rising type cloud, hugging it's higher parts and the lower slabs at the Mt McCloud end of Buffalo above Myrtleford, were glistening with snow in the early morning light.

It is a pretty scene at the moment, and the snow will stay on the higher parts through till next week.

Weather man reckons the cloud will recede to the ranges by this evening. Tomorrow (plus the next few days), are predicted as frosts in the mornings (ie clear sky conditions). The rate at which it has cleared I am doubtful that there will be much cloud around this evening, ... though if there is then Buffalo is a magnet for it.
Tomorrow looks like shaping up as clear and cool up there.

Local radio has police advising that motorists carry chains (though not required by law off the mountains), for the lower areas like Stanley-Beechworth that got snow yesterday/last night. The Tawonga gap road between Bright and Mt Beauty was closed to traffic due snow, and is likely to open later today.

kieranl

18-Jul-2007
10:05:37 PM

My guess is that this would be the weekend to try Buffalo if you would find it too hard to get to Buller or Bogong


nmonteith

19-Jul-2007
11:25:31 AM

Jono and myself will be at Buller this saturday (morning). Dawn start.

JohnK

19-Jul-2007
9:31:55 PM

and looks like I will be heading up tommorow nite as well seperately leaving Surrey Hills at 6pm. If anyone is interested in coming along then PM me.

John K.


nmonteith

20-Jul-2007
11:22:19 AM

Base Camp will be next to the creek at the bottom of the hill. Hey JohnK, do you have chains (we don't)?
Do you want to spend the arvo skiing with us? (ie leave the mountain at 5pm?). If you do have chains
then we can go up in your car, if you don't have them - then let me know and i'll hire some.

JohnK

20-Jul-2007
11:47:30 AM

On 20/07/2007 nmonteith wrote:
>Base Camp will be next to the creek at the bottom of the hill. Hey JohnK,
>do you have chains (we don't)?
>Do you want to spend the arvo skiing with us? (ie leave the mountain at
>5pm?). If you do have chains
>then we can go up in your car, if you don't have them - then let me know
>and i'll hire some.

Hey Neil, 50/50 about the skiing thing, will think about it as I am driving up there tonite. On the chain thing dont have any unfortunately and I did not need them 2 weeks ago so might take a punt and go without them. They announce every morning if chains are needed so with the weather looking good might be ok. See you guys up there tonite!


nmonteith

23-Jul-2007
9:17:12 AM

John, Jono and I spent half a day at Buller on Saturday. Conditions were good at the waterfall area! The
ice was thick and high. We did 4 seperate vertical routes. There is a lot of snow around, so the
easier angled faces are mostly covered and boring to climb. Lots of soft dry powdery stuff. Lots of
photos of all the action can be found here:
http://www.neilshaulbag.smugmug.com/gallery/3189920#175686554

There are 35 messages in this topic.