If you’re anything like me, you’ve come out of lockdown still in hermit mode. Recently my partner Jamie and I have made the decision to start living life and making up for the time we have spent in hibernation.
Up until last Sunday, I had never even seen or touched snow. Many of my friends had grown up going and I thought I must have been living under a rock! But in reality, one in five Australians have never seen or experienced snow -so if you’re the one in five, here are some things to consider:
- Budgets
We had a rough estimate in mind when planning our day trip, but this quickly went out the window when we reached the website for Mt Buller. That is when it all started making sense to me; when it is just my partner and I, we can justify the little add-on expenses, but coming from a family of six kids, I can understand why it just wasn’t on the agenda for a family holiday!
Tip: Assume the holiday will cost more than expected.
- Accommodation
We are very spur of the moment holidayers. Looking for accommodation near Mt Buller (particularly in their busiest season) is near impossible if left to the last minute. We had a look on Google Maps, following the route and backtracking (highly recommend searching for accommodation this way). I can genuinely say we were searching for hours, and thankfully it paid off in the end!
Tip: If you’re a last-minute planner, try searching for accommodation in towns further away.
- The cold
Surprisingly, the snow wasn’t as cold as I thought! But as soon as you stop exercising, be prepared. We only hired the necessities – so there we were, each in a shirt and jacket, Jamie still rocking his jeans, on the top of a snowy mountain. When you consider all of the little spills, and that we gave up on staying dry early on, you realise the importance of waterproof clothes, or even a change of clothes for the car.
We were the change of clothes people…
Tip: Bring appropriate clothing! If not during the trip, at least for the car.
- Have fun and learn!
It is going to be scary! We thought it was going to be like riding a skateboard, but sometimes your instinct is to jump off the board to save yourself. Well… That’s not an option here.
It can be frustrating when you have to be bad at something before you improve, but keep at it. By the end of the day Jamie was zipping down the mountain, not a care in the world. I was still figuring it out, but on the last run, I only fell over twice – a massive achievement! If it’s your first time in the snow, you might feel you’re going too fast, but have a look around and you’ll notice just how many people pass you! Although it felt as if I fell a million times, and even with all the bruises in the world I had a wonderful time and can’t wait to get back at it!
Tip: Consider taking a lesson first!
About Kate Berg
Kate is our passionate community engagement support worker experienced in helping organisations to benefit from high levels of community engagement. she has been described as being the ‘cool older sister’ at pop-ups, enabling her to engage even with the youngest community members in topics that they may not have considered before.
During her time with Conversation Co, Kate has been involved in a variety of projects which have been supported by her completion of IAP2’s engagement basics and persistent can-do attitude. A passion for learning and inclusion has steered her down the path of learning AUSLAN, in order to create a welcoming atmosphere for all to participate.
