VB

I contacted National Parks before going up. They had a ranger up there who reported from near Seamans Hut, and he said that it was patchy because of all the warm weather during the week. He also said there was a fair bit of water lying around....great for snowboarders I guess who could skim over to the next patch of snow, but I have skis, so not too much fun trying to water ski over the puddles. So I gave the snowkiting a miss unfortunately, until next year. I went kitebuggying instead at the local oval and had a ball!

I am planning to go snowkiting above Thredbo this coming Sunday 19 Oct. The mountains have had 40cm of snow this week, so the backcountry might be reasonable for a last hurrah run If not, then I'll do a little trekking or cross country skiing instead. Has anyone been up there lately to see the condition of the backcountry? The cam at the top doesn't appear to be working

Thanks Tiger....useful feedback.....when I get out there, I'll head for the Federal Highway access....but it might be three weeks away, because I'm off to Merimbula for a couple weeks! Hanging out for a low tide and an easterly!

Brings back memories Crusty! I might have to check out the playground via the Lake Road access near Bungendore in the next couple of weeks!

Hi Bob. You answered a question I asked in the Lake George thread, re where you live. On the south side, I still think Gordon Playing Fields is the best location in a NW, although Kambah fields also work well in some conditions. Haven't been to Amaroo for ages. Hope to get out a bit more this summer including LG!

Hi Bob. I noticed you said you visit Mawson oval. Do you live near there? I live directly behind Mawson Primary School, but find Mawson oval pretty ordinary at the best of times, so normally go to Gordon ovals which works well in a NW. Good luck on Sat at LG.

Yep, we entered at the base of the lookout through the gate and then drove to roughly the middle and set up there. Be careful though because there are old strands of wire along some of the fence lines, so slow and check out the fences before racing through at speed, otherwise..........! Gary, who no longer does the sport negotiated years ago with the farmer for access through the gate, with our own padlock, but sadly some kiters who didn't have access to the key, damaged the gate, and we no longer had access. The farmers lease the strips of land around the periphery of the lake, but my understanding is that the middle is Crown land. You, or someone said the hinges on the gate are damaged, does that mean that the gate can be moved, to provide car access? If not, you could haul your gear over the fence, and walk out a bit, depending on the prevailing wind direction. Let us know how you get on, if you go out there? Cheers

Good to hear that LG is shaping up again for kite buggying. Me, Gary, Ben, Bob and quite a few others had some fun times there some years back. One weekend we camped overnight in the middle of the lake and did some night buggying with red and blue lights attached to the buggy and even the kite! I've been a bit slack over the last few months, but decided to take the buggy to Melbourne over the Xmas/New Year break. Had an awesome session a couple of days ago at Elwood Park, just south of St Kilda. Anyway when I get back to Canberra I'll head out LG at check it out. The best wind is the easterly (across from the other side where the wind farm is located) which kicks in late afternoon/evening....usually a beautiful clear breeze which can get up to 25-30 knots. I don't think buggying on the eastern side is worthwhile as access is difficult and I'm guessing that water is still laying around, being the deeper side of the lake. Will post next time I plan to go out. Happy New Year!

Snow still looks great. That first shot would make a fantastic promo for a certain kite!

hmmmm.....how can I ditch my other commitments.....looks enticing Pat!!

Nice pics Pat......as usual. Hope next weekend works out for you. Rain on Friday might make things a bit messy.....just glad I got up there last weekend.........wasn't game to take my hands off the 4 line handles to wave to u last weekend, because I would have probably wiped out....1.5m kite is very twitchy in high winds! Haven't done much kiting for 7 months, but absolutely stoked to have got a hairy session in last Sunday.

I didn't snow kite around the rocks, but they come in handy in high winds to drop your kite, without it going into a death roll!!! The smaller the kite, the more chance of your lines getting twisted. I spent two hours one day trying to untangle my lines! The skis are an old pair of K2 Alpine Touring Skis, which my mate Tim sold to me a few seasons ago. I find skis easier to use than a snow board when snow kiting. It's all personal preference. I'm guessing that kite surfers would argue this point, but it is a lot easier to climb to the launch area on skis (ie like mine which have a lock/release on the heel and have skins underneath to stop you sliding backwards!......a heavier version of cross country skis) than walk with snow boots!!!

Try again on photos:

Had some great runs in Cocks Harbour, but the wind was a bit of a challenge. Initially I had set up a 2.5m Peter Lynn Rebble, but the gusts were nudging near 30 knots, so I wimped out and flew my little 1.5m PL Stunt kite instead. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to inserting photos, so will see if the one below works? . It made the snow kiting manageable, with the gusts. Barely a cloud in the sky.......so all up not a bad day!! Snow cover in the backcountry where I was looked good.

I plan to go snow kiting above Thredbo around the Cocks Harbour area this Sunday 23rd Sept. Wind forecast is looking good. Might see you up there.