The Snowy Mountains backcountry is as beautiful as it is deadly, said four experts on safely enjoying the Australia Alps. Photo: NSW Police.
Every year a specialised Alpine Rescue squad of SES personnel and police has to be called to break through treacherous conditions and rescue backcountry skiers, boarders, and hikers in snow country around Kosciuszko National Park.
Conditions in the backcountry can turn deadly fast. And with more people exploring the mountains every year, the message from the experts is clear: always be prepared.
But what does preparation mean in real terms for people exploring our mountains over winter?
We asked four experts: two police alpine rescue, one backcountry tour guide, and a highly experienced ski-tourer.
According to all four, preparation means having the right gear and experience.
Snowy Mountains Backcountry owner Doug Chatten explained that Australia’s mountains may be comparatively small, and our winters mild, but they’re still dangerous.
He found underestimating the mountains was one of the biggest dangers to those new to the area.
“It is very important not to underestimate the Australian Alps. We have an area that everyone’s gunning to go and get to these days, like the Western Fall, which has caused some fatalities in the past,” Mr Chatten said.
“It’s very steep terrain, and it’s as challenging as many places I’ve skied around the world.”
People who explore snow country should learn how to read weather patterns, and visiting the BoM website before the trip is just as important as reading the clouds during the trip.
Mr Chatten said how snow sticks to the slope could make a big difference in how it should be approached, and learning when and where to take shelter could be a matter of life and death.
To tackle the backcountry, step one is to get good gear.
Monaro PD Alpine Operations Unit Manager Acting Inspector Andrew Woods warned budget gear won’t cut it when winds hit 100km/h without warning.
“Is your equipment capable to spend time out there in atrocious conditions, or have you got a tent from like a cheap commercial operator or something like that?” he said.
“If things go wrong [and] you have to stay there a bit longer [make sure] that you’re comfortable with that.”
According to the experts, at a minimum people should carry the basics: spare warm clothes, a cold-weather sleeping bag, and a four-season tent capable of resisting high winds. (A more exhaustive list is available here.)
Other than gear, our experts agreed that it’s experience that keeps people safe in the backcountry.
Experienced backcountry splitboarder Flynn Medson advised, when you’re learning, never hesitate to ask for help.
“Communication, making sure that you can talk to people, people can talk to you,” he said.
“And if you don’t know, or feel confident that you can, just ask someone or ask in a forum.
“Don’t have an ego about it. Just ask.”
The Kosciuszko backcountry is full of beauty, but experts agree explorers should prepare themselves in case the unexpected happens. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
Once you’ve bought or borrowed the right equipment and gained experience, there’s only one more step that the experts agreed on: Don’t get overconfident.
It’s a common mistake, even for the experts.
Even when you do everything right, sometimes the unexpected happens. Gear breaks, blizzards roll in, and injuries occur. When recreation turns into rescue, there are a handful of things that make the difference between life and death.
Carrying an Emergency Locator Beacon makes a big difference. It uses satellite to pinpoint your location for emergency services and they are available for free from national park offices.
Police Alpine Operations Unit Team Leader Sergeant Tyrone Stacey urged people not to move once signalling for help.
“[Some people] try and improve their position, [but] they vastly underestimate the visibility impact of a whiteout, and they try and self-rescue,” he said
“They become disorientated, they walk into hazards, fall down cliffs. So staying where you are is one of the most important things.
“It’s very, very challenging to find people even when they’re a very short distance, even 50 metres from where their location is marked.”
Once in a rescue situation, gear and experience matter. In the mountains, hypothermia can set in quickly; extra clothes provide warmth, and tents get you out of the wind. Every little bit makes a rescue situation more survivable.
But ideally, with the right preparation, most people never need to find that out.
The warnings by the experts can make exploring the backcountry sound daunting, but all of them agreed that, despite the risks, there’s nothing like it.
“Everywhere you turn, you know, is an oil painting, a beautiful landscape photo,” said Mr Medson.
“I just get happy when I’m out.”
