Ski Touring in the Jagungal Wilderness
Just before NSW went into a statewide lockdown, we were joined by a couple of local friends for a weekend ski tour trip with the intention of making it to the top of Mt Jagungal.
After staying one night on the way in, we broke camp and loaded up the dreaded sled as well as our packs and set off for a saddle that was to be our basecamp for the next two days.
With the Jagungal peak and slopes visible throughout the day's tour, we were excited at the prospect of playing on the slopes in the coming days.
This was Mathew's first overnight snowshoe and first time into the Jagungal wilderness in winter! At only 14 he has a lifetime of adventure awaiting!
After arriving earlier than expected, camp was set up by early afternoon and a couple of us decided to attempt to summit Mt Jagungal while the weather was good.
Final approach to the summit of Mt Jagungal!
Luke standing atop the peak, with views back towards the main range of Kosciuszko National Park.
With light fading, Luke got a few quick turns in off the summit and started the enjoyable descent back to camp for the night.
After managing to get some brief telephone coverage, we found out the state had gone into lockdown and the weather was going to be threatening in the coming days.
So, we made the tough decision to pack up early the next morning and cut the trip a day shorter than we would’ve liked.
Sunrise hits different in the Jagungal wilderness!
We took the opportunity on this trip to test the capabilities of some lighter model tents. The bigger 4 season tents provided a safe retreat should the weather turn sour.
Getting some turns in on the tour out!
All in all, it was a great trip and we will be back to spend more time in the Jagungal wilderness. Next time we will be sure to have plenty of time to ski and board the prolific slopes of Mt Jagungal and it’s surrounding snowy slopes.
- Written by Henry Smith