FAQ

 For day trips, this will usually be the Wednesday prior. For accommodated trips, this will usually be the weekend or Monday prior to the trip.  If you have queries or concerns, you can message the leader via Meetup.

 For Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain, it can be a 5-6 hour drive, considering stops including dinner.  Not many drivers want to be arriving on the mountain at 11 O’Clock at night, so please don’t expect to be leaving work at 5pm.  Consider taking the day or at least the afternoon off!

For trips to Mt Stirling accommodated in Mansfield, leaving Melbourne about 4-5 pm may be feasible.  Keep in mind, however, that peak hour traffic gets worse the later you leave!

For Falls Creek, Hotham and Dinner Plain, we generally stop skiing about 2 pm on the last day to allow time to re-group and collect luggage from the accommodation (where applicable).  This allows most people to be back in Melbourne about 8-11pm; this is, however, not a guarantee!

For Mt Stirling and Mt St Gwinear, we generally stop skiing about 3pm, so arrival back in Melbourne could be between 7 and 9 pm, depending on stops / dinner.

For Lake Mountain we would usually leave the mountain about 3:30-4:00pm, so arrival back in Melbourne would be between 5:30 and 7:00pm.  Groups sometimes stop in Marysville to catch-up over a coffee, so this can add a delay; discuss with your driver if there's any urgency.

Refer to Transport and Costs under the General Info menu.

Please ensure your car is in good condition, especially tyre tread and brakes.

Check with you mechanic that the radiator coolant contains anti-freeze.

You will need to carry and potentially fit snow-chains.  These can be hired at most ski-hire places, but you should call ahead to ensure they have the correct size for your car.  You will need to know your tyre size.  This is shown on the side of the tyre, usually in the form xxx/xxRxx, eg. 245/40R18.

When indicating on the booking form how many passengers you can take, consider that skis, luggage and food all take up space (and there will be more for longer trips).  This may restrict how many passengers you can take.  If we are staying off-mountain, we often group more people into each car for the drive up the mountain, as the luggage can be left at the accommodation.

You may need a roof rack to carry the skis.  Skis are typically between 150 and 200cm long.  If you have a large car, you may be able to fit shorter skis in the boot or cabin, but keep in mind that this potentially reduces the number of passengers you can take.  If planning to do this, you should check with any passengers how long their skis will be.  For safety reasons, we recommend that you do not carry skis in the cabin.

Before leaving, check that roads you are planning to take are open.  If travelling to Hotham or Dinner Plain, the road can occasionally be closed on the Harrietville side of the mountain, making it necessary to travel via Omeo, which is a completely different route from Melbourne.

Fuel is not available on the mountain.  We recommend leaving with a full tank.  For trips to Hotham / Dinner Plain or Falls Creek, it's likely you'll need to refill before driving up the mountain (if only for peace-of-mind!)  The best places to buy petrol when travelling to these destinations are in Myrtleford, Mt Beauty, or Bright, depending route and destination.  Lake Mountain will only use half a tank from Melbourne and back.  This of course depends on tank size, vehicle economy and driving style!

For diesel vehicles, Alpine Diesel, or use of anti-freeze additives, is recommended.

As the driver, you will be responsible for organising and paying the resort entry fee, however, passengers should reimburse you for their share of the fee.  If you're not sure whether you'll actually be driving up the mountain, discuss with the trip leader; the passes can generally be purchased online.

This shouldn't be an issue for hybrids.

If fully electric - probably not!  There are no charging facilities at some resorts, and only a limited number at others.

• Lake Mountain - none

•  Mt Hotham - none

• Dinner Plain - two

• Falls Creek - four

• Mt Stirling - none

• Mt St Gwinear - none

• Mt Baw Baw - none

Those resorts that do have chargers are likely to have very long queues.

Also keep in mind that batteries lose their charge when frozen, and overnight temperatures on the mountain can get down to -8°C or less.  While some EVs automatically heat the battery to avoid this issue, we wouldn't want to get stranded.

Refer to Equipment Hire.

Skis, boots and poles should be the correct fit for you.  They also need to be cross-country skis, not downhill/alpine skis!

Obviously if the boots are too small, you won't be able to wear them. If they're too big, your foot will be sliding around inside the boot, reducing the control you have, and potentially causing blisters.  

The length of skis should be between your height and the height of your wrist when your hand is raised above your head, however, the shorter measurement is typically used when fitting wider skis and the longer measurement when fitting narrower (classic) skis.

Poles should (just) fit under your armpit; too short, and you'll be bending over to much to use them comfortably.

If you must use someone else's skis, you may be able hire boots that fit you.  You will need to check that the place you're hiring them from has boots with the same binding as the skis.  In this case, it's recommended that you hire in Melbourne the day before.

Refer to the items listed under Clothing in What to bring.

Most ski hire places also hire-out clothing such as jackets, and pants.  They are, however, unlikely to hire-out gloves, beanies and socks.  Please note that some places are more focused on downhill skiing and might only provide padded ski pants and thick jackets that are designed for downhill skiing; if worn for cross-country use, you will get extremely hot and you'll be sweating excessively.

The ideal clothing for cross-country skiing consists of thermal underwear (top, pants and socks) as the first layer, a second layer of woollen or PolarFleece (top, pants and socks), and a waterproof third layer consisting of jacket and over-pants.  As mentioned above, these should not be too thick. Ideally GoreTex (or similar) without too much included padding. For beginners, cheap vinyl over-pants can be purchased at some disposal or outdoor stores, but without being breathable, will be sweaty.

Please refer to the Clothing section in What to bring for more detail.

Refer to What to bring.

In addition to ski gear and items you'll need to take while actually skiing, you'll need stuff for your overnight stay, such as toiletries, bedding, spare clothes, and food.

Depending on the accommodation and what's already provided.  After booking, you will be sent a detailed list of what is required for the particular trip.

Here's a brief list of some things you might need...

• Toiletries: Soap, shampoo, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/hairbrush

• Bedding: Sleeping bag or sheets (depending on requirements of the accommodation), pillow, pillow slip, PJs.

• Clothes: Comfortable clothes to wear in the lodge; this may include a T-Shirt, as it can get quite warm inside. Indoor shoes / slippers / sheepskin boots.  Clothes suitable for walking in the snow - in case you need to go outside; including boots. Warm socks;

• Food: On some trips, dinner may be provided; on longer trips, you may need to bring your own food or food to cook for the group if that is part of the plan.  While there are small grocery shops at Dinner Plain, Hotham and Falls Creek, don't assume you'll be able to easily get to these or even get what you want; They are also expensive.

• Other: Torch, book, phone charger/cable, hand moisturiser (highly recommended!)

Also, don't forget additional lunch, snacks, and clothing for skiing on subsequent days.

While it's up-to-you what level of health insurance you have, we strongly recommend having at least Ambulance Cover as a minimum (and this assumes you are an Australian citizen/resident already covered by Medicare).

Note: If you do have private health insurance, it may include some form of ambulance cover, however, that cover may not include air ambulance evacuation, or ambulance transport for non-life threatening situations.

If you are an overseas visitor, you should have travel insurance that includes medical cover and also covers snow-sport activities.

Review our Health & Safety guidelines and Terms & Conditions then contact the trip leader.

If you often suffer from motion sickness, you should bring motion sickness tablets and take them at the appropriate time.  You should also tell your driver so they can take corners gently and allow time for more stops if necessary.  Sitting in the front passenger seat may help.

If you start feeling sick on the drive, please advise your driver as soon as possible; don't leave it until it's too late!

No.  In the past YHA members may have got a small discount off the trip fee (in the order of $5 per trip or $5 per day) but this no longer applies.

We don't have a mailing list as such.  Events are published in our MeetUp group.  If you sign up to MeetUp and join the YHA Cross Country Ski Club group, MeetUp will notify you each time we post an event.

Visit YHA Cross Country Ski Club then click the Join this group button

 Use the Online Enquiry Form on our Contact Us page.

We generally post details of accommodated trips on Meetup several weeks before the trip.

Day-trips aren't posted on MeetUp until we are reasonably confident they will go ahead.  If snow conditions are already good, a trip may be listed 2-3 weeks in advance; If snow conditions are poor, a trip might not be posted until the snow outlook is better, typically no later than the Wednesday before.

Once our Trip Program/Calendar is published, we add the trips to our Online Enquiry Form, which you can use to contact the trip leader if there are no details on MeetUp.  If you think a trip still isn't listed on this form and should be, choose the option to contact the Committee.

That's a very broad question, and depends on what we've booked for a specific trip!

Most ski lodges have a kitchen, dining area, lounge room with fireplace, one or more bathrooms, several bedrooms with single or double beds or bunks, and often a loft with stretcher beds or just mattresses.  Some have a laundry and washing machine, and a drying room.  When allocating beds, we prioritise double beds for couples, however keep in mind there may also be a bunk or single bed in the same room.  In rooms with multiple beds we usually allocate rooms by gender or by car groups.

Some accommodation has dorm style rooms with multiple bunk beds.

You can Google the specific place we are staying at if you'd like more detail.

We recommend that you book on the Beginners' Weekend, if possible.  We divide people into several groups based on experience.  For absolute beginners we have someone teach you the basic skills.  For more advanced beginners, the group may be able to ski around a few easy trails to practice your skills.

For other trips, depending on the trip grading and on numbers, we may be able to provide some training; if there aren't enough leaders available, and depending on the location, you may be able to book a lesson at additional expense.  Please discuss with the trip organiser prior to booking.

Commercial cross country skiing instruction is available at Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and possibly Lake Mountain.