Bushwalk Australia

Hi all,

I've just been to Mount Anne in April, and have started planning a return to do the circuit in mid September. I'm walking with 4 others 3 of which are qualified outdoor instructors.
A few questions have been playing around in my head which i am hoping i can get some answers to.

With the great winter conditions we've been having is there likely to be considerable amounts of snow on top of the plateau, if the weather continues as it has? I've heard posts about waist deep snow in Sep, my thoughts are that its probably worth hiring snow shoes perhaps and then making the call at the last moment?
If I do need to hire snow shoes where is a good place to get these from (flying into Hobart on the 13th)?
If there is a large amount of snow how will that affect the summit climb at Mount Anne? and how will it effect other trickier areas such as the Notch? Has anyone experienced these conditions on the circuit?
Any info would be much appreciated, Thanks.

Hi Ringo,

not sure where to hire snow shoes locally, so can't help you on that topic.

On the 'great winter conditions' you mainlanders seem to be having - we are having next to none; very little snow thus far & looking grim for much of a white winter at all (much to my distress as I am a very keen skier). Having said this, snow can come at any time in the Tasmanian highlands & you should always be prepared for being dumped on, at the least you may still encounter heavy frosts during September, making some sections a little dicey.

I have done Anne & the circuit a couple of times & failed to get up Anne several other times due to (not much) snow & ice.
The regular route up Anne faces south & so retains ice & snow a lot longer than it's other aspects.
I have failed to get up once when there was barely a patch of snow left anywhere along the plateau, but there was still ice caked on the regular route (the initial 'traverse' particularly, probably the most dangerous section), making it too dangerous without the correct equipment (ropes, harnesses, trad gear & probably crampons of some description). I'm sure it has been done in winter many times before, but you would need the gear & the experience to use it in such conditions.

I have never found the Notch to be a problem & mostly climb through it with my full pack on (it is much easier than the route up Anne itself); having said that it has been in non-winter conditions, so could be a lot more treacherous with snow & ice; you can by-pass the Notch by dropping down below it on the western side & re-ascending up Lot a little further on. Lightning Ridge could also be a little dangerous with a layer of ice.

You would really need to weigh up your options at the last moment with this sort of walk & I would suggest an ice axe, rope, harness & crampons (& the experience with using them) may be required if it has the snow & ice that you are hoping for.

It is spectacular country, especially with a blanket of snow, but as always er on the side of caution & don't get out of your depth.

Cheers.
Stu.

Hi Ringo.
This is a photo taken from last July, so it shows you what the conditions can be like... snow shoes would have been nice! We didn't make it any further than Eve Peak although i have been to the just below the summit block during summer but still wasn't able to summit due to ice.
Make sure you give us a trip report!

We got a few inches of snow in February '08, so you have to be ready for anything, any time.
Particularly in the SW.

Thanks Guys,

Great tips, I think we'll prep for the worst and leave gear in the car at the last moment if we don't need it.
I'll definitely do a trip report and some photos when i get back.

Cheers.

Hey Ringo
Exactly when are you going to be there?
I'll be there on the 16th,17th,18th,19th with 5 other people and I am a little worried about over-crowding campsites as places like High Camp Hut & Shelf Camp only have limited spots

NickD wrote:Hey Ringo
Exactly when are you going to be there?
I'll be there on the 16th,17th,18th,19th with 5 other people and I am a little worried about over-crowding campsites as places like High Camp Hut & Shelf Camp only have limited spots

Hi NickD

We'll be starting the walk on the 14th and if all goes well should be moving beyond Shelf camp by the 16th so we shouldn't have any crowding issues.
We'll most likely be leaving the evening of the 18th or early the 19th. Perhaps we'll cross paths!

Enjoy your trip.

Another question folks,

Where can i find a reliable source of info on snowfall in the southwest, is there any websites that cover it well?

http://ski.com.au/snowcams/index.html- Mt Mawson is part of Mt Field NP and is probably 50k approx as the crow flies from Mt Anne so that should give you a fair idea of what to expect. In the past they haven't been very well maintained and sometimes go down for days at a time, i'm not even sure if they function out of the snow season.. not that there has been a snow season here yet but currently it's working and updating every ten minutes apparently. Otherwise you could call Parks... The Mt Field Office might have better details than the general hotline number.. all the contact details for various bases are here: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=7710.. If you call i suggest you ask to speak with someone who has actually been up the Lake Dobson Rd recently as last time i was at the visitor centre i knew more about what was up there by looking at Mt Wellington before i left home than the woman at the front desk did.
Not sure if you ever got anywhere with snow show hire but i've never heard of anywhere in Hobart offering this.

Hi everyone, I thought I would post here instead of starting a new thread.

Weather permitting, a friend and I are wanting to hike up Mt Anne (overnight at High Camp Hut) on the 11/12 September. I have had mountaineering and lots of hiking experience but my friend has no snow hiking or rock climbing experience. From what I can gather it's pretty snowy up there right now and kind of icy. Has anyone who has been up there recently got any recommendations? Would you suggest snow shoes, or crampons? Might a rope be necessary for the tricky bit/s up to the Mt Anne summit?

Is it likely to be busy at this time of year? We will of course take a tent but just wondering how full the hut might be on a Friday night.

I'm going to give Mt Field NP PWS office a call but from experience they are often not that helpful with specific condition reports.

Thanks for your insights.

It's unlikely to be busy in September... because September is about the worst month of the year in Tasmania for doing anything outdoors (in my opinion it's worse than Winter mostly because of very quick changes, frequent wind/rain/sun/cold... all extremes on most days, except rarely actually very warm).

I think you'd want to be fairly sure about our abilities heading up Mt Anne in the Ice. When I summited it I had a clear day and only tiny amounts of ice on the ledges.
It sure would get dicey up there in a couple of sections if it was snowy and slippery.

Snow shoes would be useful on the plateau, and crampons - or at least spikes - for the summit attempt and the climb up to Eliza. Those rocks will be very icy. And the rope would also be a good idea, assuming you know how to use one.

It's a brilliant area in the snow, but not the easiest going.

Great pics NNW!

hobbitle wrote:Hi everyone, I thought I would post here instead of starting a new thread.
Weather permitting, a friend and I are wanting to hike up Mt Anne (overnight at High Camp Hut) on the 11/12 September. I have had mountaineering and lots of hiking experience but my friend has no snow hiking or rock climbing experience. From what I can gather it's pretty snowy up there right now and kind of icy. Has anyone who has been up there recently got any recommendations? Would you suggest snow shoes, or crampons? Might a rope be necessary for the tricky bit/s up to the Mt Anne summit?

As for the summit... you say mountaineering experience?
Yes. a rope would be needed with the current snow conditions.. 30cm's of new snow last weekend at Mt Field apparently.
We'd be talking mixed snow, ice, rock climbing up to the summit on sketchy ledges. Not for people in those conditions with no experience.
It's probably quite a technical climb right now.
Would potentially be difficult to place any anchors that you'd trust. Going to be that difficult mixture of bad ice, slushy snow and slippery rock.
Of course it could all melt away in the next couple of weeks.

Hi Hobbitle,

I would expect that for the first two weeks of September that you will actually need ropes and double ice tools plus obviously crampons to summit Mt Anne if you go the standard route. A rope would definitely be needed if you have others in the group who don't have strong mountaineering skills. When I was there four weeks ago it was fully iced over and even with rope and ice screws etc it would have been a highly technical ice route. As Azza mentions decent anchors would be tricky.

I looked at the distant northern side from Mt Field late last week and certainly there is a lot less snow and ice than when I was there but I think it will still be significant. The northern side approach might work okay though and would be worth checking out.

Decent snowshoes will probably be okay if you dont plan to summit and they may not be enough to get to Shelf Camp if it turns really icy.

I know conditions will have changed since I was there but I think people would be surprised at just how much snow and ice is still out in the mountains at presents. The video will give you some idea of the potential amount of ice/snow up there - particularly in relation to the summit area:

https://vimeo.com/137745542

Thanks so much everyone for your thoughts and advice.

Mark_O that video was really great and very helpful in seeing the conditions you experienced a few weeks ago! Looks like my kind of territory! But maybe not my friends

We will head up as far as we can safely with crampons and ice tools but I don't feel comfortable taking my friend all the way up especially over the last couple of short exposed pitches. We may not even get that far, of course.

In the event that the weather report is too poor to even attempt, does anyone have any suggestions for alternative spectacular overnight walks within a few hours drive of Hobart, that we can do as a Plan B?

Adamsons. Field West - especially if you go via Mawson/Rodway or Tyenna/Florentine. Moonlight Ridge to Pigsty & La Perouse.

Beautiful video Mark!

Thanks Lizzy and Hobbitle! It takes me quite a long time to put videos like this together so I really appreciate the kind words. I still cannot believe how lucky I was with the conditions but also how much snow is still out there. Hoping to fit in a couple of more snow trips before it melts. Hobbitle - Field West and surrounds would be a great backup - the area is so underrated but it is actually an amazing area for winter ski touring, snowshoeing and snowcamping. The Tarn Shelf even in absolutely poor conditions is always beautiful and currently the tarns there are extremely well frozen. No doubt they will melt quickly but last week one of my students stuck a GoPro under the ice and we later discovered it was 30-50cm thick in places.

Info for Hobbitle:
Yes, there is still a lot of snow up there, especially on Anne itself (more than there appears from down at the road now). How frozen it may be obviously depends on the day, and it has been warmish some of the last few. But I made it to the summit on Wed 26th August, a beautiful clear cold day. Crampons were actually useful on the Eliza Plateau that day, the normal ascent route still had ice (as distinct from frozen snow) on the rocks, and the west face of Mt Anne (an easier but more exposed route to the summit) was front pointing most of the way to the top.

Thanks so much grant that's really handy information!!

I love that video Mark, awesome work.
Grant, do you have any summit photos for us???

The actual summit of Anne was not that impressive (in photos) and on the climb I was otherwise engaged, and with no companion to photograph in the conditions. But here's a couple of shots taken during the trip that gives an idea of conditions:
http://www.grantdixonphotography.com.au ... 4176&gid=0
http://www.grantdixonphotography.com.au ... 4167&gid=0