Headed for the snow

This morning was comparative to the winds we experienced on the drive from Geelong to Melbourne - simply crazy. In our favour we had hitched up and packed everything away last night which meant we just needed to get changed, put the boys in the car and wind in. We were always going to have something to eat on the move and found ourselves driving out of camp at 6:15am.

After an overpriced breakfast at Maccas we made our way down the Monaro highway toward Cooma. The debris on the road was concerning and at one point we had to get out and move a massive tree from the road as it had fallen across both lanes.

We arrived in Cooma, fuelled up and grabbed some alcohol for Grand Final weekend. Whilst at the service station there was a bus full of school kids and they were all limping around with hands bracing the lower back areas. I couldn't help myself and asked who looked to be the teacher what was going on...."school ski trip and they are all beginners" with a massive smile like he had achieved what he set out to do!!! I asked where they were from and it turned out a private college from Ipswich. We thought that was fantastic that the students were able to do that through the school platform & it gives the parents a break not to mention a week's less annual leave needed to take off work. We chatted for a while and pushed on to Thredbo.

As we ascended I started to rain extremely heavily. We stopped at the ranger station and paid $82 just to drive the car in and park it for 3 days!!! It's not even a NSW one, just Kosciuszko. I asked why it was so expensive and she said it was because the park was the size of Switzerland. I politely said I understood she doesn't determine the price but we had been all over the country for the last 5 months and paid every state entry parks pass & it wouldn't total $150.....& Australia is slightly larger than Switzerland....she gets it every day apparently.

We found our room which was literally only 200m from the chair lifts and perfectly positioned with a bridge directly there. We made our way down to the hire section and got all of our kits sorted out. The package included "kids ski for free" which we didn't realise, & was the case with us also, is just skis and boots so we had to hire jackets, pants & helmets also. $634 later we were sorted and carrying this stuff back to the room.  This is not a cheap exercise.

Back at the room I was thinking we don't have goggles or gloves & Nat was thinking the same. When we went to NZ we borrowed friends and didn't have the worry, it's not something we though about before we left for this trip...nor would we have had the room anyway.

Back down to the shop again and $384 later we had goggles & gloves. At least we have them now I guess. I did knock her down easily enough given it was the last couple of days of the season and I looked like a big gumby she probably thought anyway....at least until she might see my skiing ability then she would know for sure!!!

Across to the school centre to arrange a freshen up lesson for Nat & I and something for the boys to start learning. They have a place called Thredboland which is basically a big day care centre that incorporates ski lessons throughout the day & and everything is based around skiing and the snow. Brilliant, I will have one of those please, and two lessons for Mum & Dad. $310 later I am back in the room extremely satisfied with myself that in a short 90 minutes we were $1410 poorer!!! It's all good though, we don't do it often and it will compliment our adventure we are sure.

It was getting mid to late afternoon so we decided not to go out on the snow until tomorrow at which time Nat came up with the thought, with a wry smile at me and said " babe, we could have just hired for 2 days instead of 3 because we wont be skiing Monday...."

I said well I guess I need a beer because that's bloody right darling!!!

You have to smile and along with many things on our journey, we are much the wiser for many things we have learnt through the only way to learn....by making the mistakes yourself!!

Comfortable in a hotel room for 3 nights, we will eat in, watch some telly and have an early night in anticipation of smashing the slopes tomorrow.....

Jase.