A week in Perisher

Arrived in Perisher Jan 1, hoping to fit some rides in between walks with wife and friends. Staying at a private ski lodge as there's not much going on in Perisher in summer.

Rides have been:

1. 20+km's around Perisher village, most of the way up to Blue Cow, out along a service trail to middle station on a chair lift which ran down to the Guthega link road from Smiggins. Thought about barrelling down the grassy slope to the bottom and back up to Smiggins (probably do-able, but didn't really have time to do it). One broken chain (not mine). An afternoon ride after walking to the Porcupines and back via Mt Wheatley in the morning (6 km).

2. Pipers Ck aqueduct track. Down the road to Smiggins, out on the link road to Guthega, screaming halt about 3/4s of the way down to the Guthega Rd, then turn right up a faint path between two orange metal poles, one of which has "aqueduct" painted on it. Then about 12kms of double / single track following a pipeline, plenty of level riding, but with some nice downs and ups. Back up the road from the bottom of the hill at Wragges Ck, up to Smiggins and on to Perisher. About 22kms. Another afternoon ride after walking the Palliabo Track from Sawpit Ck to the Thredbo River in the morning (6 km).

3. Drove round to Thredbo, dropped some folks off to do the chairlift assisted walk to Kosi, then headed up to Dead Horse Gap and out on the Cascades trail. Over Bob's ridge, lunch at Cascade Hut (BYO everything). Back over Bob's Ridge. Bob was a sadist, but he left some nice water bars to enjoy. Just shy of 20kms out and back. Half the ride is a granny slog / walk, the other half wheeee! A couple of punctures and another broken chain (not mine).

4. Perisher to Rawsons Pass. Mix it with the lycra set for a few km's, then leave them checking their times at Charlotte Pass and head off up the shared use track. Serious climbing after the Snowy River crossing, but rode it the whole way. Was up there again the day after on foot and saw a family of 6 make it up there, led by daughter, followed by older son towing young son with a tie down strap between them. Mum , Dad and another kid bringing up the rear. Top stuff. The ride back down is also wheee!, but is pretty heavily trafficked with walkers, so its a bit slow/fast from a riding point of view. Back onto the tar to Perisher for a 34 km total. No problems, but one of the party got a lift back from Charlottes.

5. Perisher / Munyang Power Station, Disappointment Spur trail, aqueduct trail, Shlink Pass, Geehi Reservoir, Alpine Way. 67 km's with a fair climb to get over Shlink and another smaller couple of climbs to get around and then out of out of Geehi Reservoir. Did this the day after walking Charlotte Pass / Rawson's Pass, Lakes Walk (21km), so had arranged for a car pick up at Geehi Reservoir (42 km), but found that the road out from the Dam was closed at the Alpine Way. Must do better research. So we had an extra 25kms to what had been planned, just after I had a fall and lost some skin, and a couple of wives not overly joyed about spending 2 hrs waiting at the gate. SMA guys working in there were not happy with NPWS maintenance of the road (or lack of it, which was why it was closed, after storms some months ago) and were helpful in relaying details back to the waiting support vehicle. The last downhill was fun (no water bars tho'), but I was a bit tentative after the off. 6.5 hrs all up. One puncture (not mine) and a stack (mine).

I feel a bit fitter after all that high altitude training (over 150km of riding). Walked over 30km for the week as well.

Can't work out how to add info to the photos, so for the record they are, in order:
Noodling about in Perisher
Fording Wragges Ck on the Pipers Ck aqueduct trail
Lunch at Cascade Hut
Bob's Ridge
Rawson's Pass
White River Hut
Shlink Pass
Geehi Reservoir