Whites River

This photograph isn’t Whites River. This is just another lovely spot in the Snowy Mountains.

I am in Goulburn this morning resting and showered. Clean again. A warm soft bed was in order after two very cold nights camped on snow near Horse Camp Hut. We did a day trip to Whites River Hut for lunch.

It’s Cyan’s seventh ski trip I think and our third out ski touring. The forth we have woken up to fresh snow on. But it was the first time we actually pitched our tent on the snow. We usually go in the October school holidays when it’s well and truely spring skiing. We camp on grass next to the snow and ski from there. Another milestone.

Camping on snow is fun and isn’t anywhere near as horrid as you’d imagine. A snow tent is often warmer than the hut we slept near. We went there as there’s a toilet and it meant we didn’t have to deal with carrying out our excrement which we would normally do when ski touring. Besides huts are cute to visit. It’s also a good beginners trip for my son.

We are now ready to go further and deeper into the backcountry, as Cyan can now ski well with a pack on. Actually it’s really time he learnt to telemark properly. We will need to find an instructor for that as it’s much easier than teaching your own son. I wonder if I can even remember the teaching progressions? If and when the ski resorts open again we can tackle that. This year we kept away from everyone and enjoyed the silence of the backcountry. Snow gums were our company.

It is so lovely to do something so special with your son. I used to run beginners week long snow camping trips for Paddy Pallin in my younger days. And for World Expeditions and Wilderness Sports. Two days teaching people to ski from scratch then two nights out camping. I once took a couple in thier seventies as part of a larger group. We snow shoed them in I think. One was rather worried on the first night about the cold. I helped her and reassured her. Made the night warm and special. They wrote afterwards thanking me for creating a very special memory for them and for my tireless support.

I personally set up and ran the backcountry skiing guides course at TAFE NSW too. The first one in the country. In the past only ski instructors got qualifications not backcountry guides. So there wasn’t a qualification for it at all. This covered ski mountaineering and snow borders as well as cross country skiers. I had to write the curriculums from scratch and get them approved and get the funding. It took me years of hard work. We trained many of today’s leading backcountry ski guides. That vocational education program is now long past with Tafe funding cuts and the move towards a user pays system. It takes years to train someone to that level of skill and responsibilities.

It was such a pity it ended for me in such a terrible way. An life threatening incident with one of my staff gave me PTSD. So I abandoned my students mid semester, and had my first real break down. It’s amazing how a few callous threatening words said in anger changers the life of another forever? They say you never escape PTSD and it lives with you forever. Unfortunately so far this has turned out to be true. It’s also a pity Tafe handled the incident so badly. I have never been the same since.

I remember teaching for Mike Edmondson in my early twenties, he said I prepared and looked after my clients like no other guide did. Complements like that stick with you though out your life. We must catch up again and talk Photography again. We used to sit in the office thirty five years ago and talk about exposing transparency films together, when he was really getting into medium format photography. I had graduated from art school and spent the last three years with photography studying. It didn’t occur to me that one day I’d be teaching photography one day back then. Such great memories.

It’s been lovely to turn off the phone and the news. Relax. Read. Almost finished a book. Cy is on his third as usual.

So lovely to spend time with someone you love so much.

Next week I am in Myall Lakes. Can’t wait. Sand dunes to photograph again.

Snowy Mountains dusting. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2020