Go on, Shoe! Explore the Snowys by Snowshoe
Whatever the season, Jindabyne is a great base for you to explore the Snowy Mountains. While most people visit in winter to ski or snowboard, snowshoeing is another great way to explore around and beyond the resort areas. In this article, we’ll give you some handy tips and resources to get you started on your first, or next, snowshoeing adventure.
Where to go
A great place to get started is the Rock Creek Snowshoe Trail at Perisher Valley. It’s a well signposted gentle 3km snowshoe walk that starts opposite the The Man from Snowy River Hotel. It’s a winter-only walk and only available when there is sufficient snow cover, due to the sensitive landscape underneath.
Rock Creek Snowshoe Trail Map. Image: NPWS
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has a handy guide you can view and download, which includes that map you see here.
Also, this great article from bushwalk.com provides a detailed description of the trail, along with a map and images to help you familiarise yourself before you set off.
Getting Started
In Bushwalking Australia Magazine, Bruce Easton published the guide Snowshoeing – Getting Started. It provides a thorough overview of the gear you’ll need and the places you’ll want to go, including a heap of places all accessible from Jindabyne: Perisher, Guthega, Thredbo, and Mount Selwyn, plus Cabramurra and Victoria.
He also published Ten Tips for Backcountry Snowshoeing and Winter. We recommend you check them out for all the details, but here is a snapshot of things you need to consider:
- Planning is everything
- Hone your skills
- The right gear
- Food and eating
- Wild camping or huts
- Tech gear
- Light is right
- Sound information
- Be inspired
- Remember to have fun
So what are you waiting for? Whether you want go for an extended backcountry hike, or just want to break up your snow season holiday with a day off the skis, take a look through this info head into Wilderness Sports in Jindabyne for a chat with one of their experienced staff.
Thanks to bushwalk.com and NPWS for this info. Go ahead and explore their sites for more useful info.
Discover beautiful scenery like this when you snowshoe in the backcountry. Kosciuszko National Park. Image: Lisa Hogben
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