Had a great day out with Tim touring to Kootapatamba Hut NW from Thredbo top station on Saturday 11 Sept. Winds were forecast at 10-15 knots and expected to drop, so took our big kites with us (me with my 6m Samurai foil and Tim with his depowerable 12m.) Big mistake, because when we arrived at the playground just NW of Ramshead Range the winds were blowing a tad higher (approx 20-25 knots) so we thought that an alpine ski tour to Kootapatamba Hut might be a better option.
Checked out the Hut which had snow inside because the door was ajar. So we dug out the snow around the door so it could be opened and closed properly. We decided to launch our kites near the Hut in the valley where the winds were a lot kinder. The kites dragged us out of the valley heading north towards the path leading up to Kossi. When we got to the top of the saddle the winds picked up so we dropped our kites and skied down towards the path/poles leading to Charlottes Pass. We then relaunched our kites and kited north towards Seamans Hut. Winds picked up again, so headed back towards Thredbo dropped our kites and skied down towards Friday Flats via High Noon. Not a bad days outing. Snow cover in the back country was very good considering the rain the mountains copped the previous weekend.
Hope to get up there again before it melts!
Paul
Kootapatamba Hut and kites in background
Inside the Hut
Good spot for a snow cave
Snow sneaking in through door ajar
