By Peter Dunoon
This year’s Ski Weekend at Thredbo was nothing short of memorable. While the weather proved challenging with four consecutive days of heavy snowfall and limited visibility, the conditions provided an abundance of fresh powder that made every run exhilarating. Members skied daily, undeterred by the elements, relishing in the balance between fantastic snow and the mountain’s moody skies.
Jonathan Papalia was relentless on the slopes, skiing fast and fearless, with only a few able to keep pace. Paul Chapel proved invincible in the cold, hot-dogging with style, while Russell Debney brought Austrian precision to the mountain, astonishingly dressed as though it were a beach holiday.
Off the slopes, camaraderie flourished. Laughter and lively conversation flowed over fine food and wine, punctuated by unforgettable moments: crashes, rolls, sit-downs, and even digging out snow-trapped cars whose roaring engines echoed like a racetrack. Fortunately, no injuries or damages marred the fun. Remarkably, all equipment found its way home thanks to Thredbo’s honesty misplaced gloves and balaclavas dutifully returned from lost and found.
The final day offered a perfect reward: sunshine, warmth, and soft spring snow, an uplifting close to six days of skiing. Legs once spring-loaded with energy ended the trip weary but satisfied, testament to how hard we skied and how much joy was had.
One highlight was a blackout evening at Hotel Piste, where a solo singer performed by candlelight while the bar generously handed out complimentary schnapps. It was the kind of magic only found in the mountains.
As the week came to a close, every member left with a “ski smile,” reluctant to return to Sydney. For many, this was one of the finest Tattersalls ski trips to date, marked by snow, laughter, and lasting memories.
Meanwhile, Gary Cohen, tackled the black runs with remarkable determination, skiing with great gusto, balance, and impeccable pole planting. He remains the master of skiing.
By Russel Debney
With not one, but two cold fronts on the way, it was clear that we were in for a special week for the annual Tattersalls Ski Trip. Attunga Ski Lodge in Thredbo was the venue again this year for an intrepid band of nine Tattersalls skiers. A number of them had endured the last two or three poor seasons and were looking forward to some serious top-to-bottom snow conditions.
Attunga is a comfortable and fully-catered private ski lodge in Thredbo. Long-time Lodge member and Lodge chairman, Russell Debney, made sure that a warm welcome was extended to the Tattersalls team, sadly bereft of some of the regulars, but happy to welcome new members Virginia and Andrew Longfellow.
Strong, cold winds heralded the arrival of the first of the cold fronts on Tuesday night and continued throughout the week. This calls for a certain amount of resilience (and layers of warm gear), as well as recourse to the healing powers of red wine and schnapps that were in good supply during the week. The traditional mid-week dinner out at Candlelight Lodge was book-ended by noisy three-course gourmet dinners at Attunga where jovial conversations around the fire and at the table flowed as fast as the excellent wine selection brought down by the team.
Some evenings are best kicked off for après ski, or pre-dinner drinks at one of the cosy bars in Thredbo. Friday night at Piste (yes, it is called that) was one of the special ones. After a great day’s skiing and with the snow bucketing down, the team trekked through snow up to our knees to several rounds of German lager and live music provided by the Piste proprietor, a well known Thredbo character and entertainer. Then, a power outage led to a halt in proceedings until candles emerged on the tables and the proprietor, in true Thredbo tradition, rang the bell for free schnapps for all. It was quite a bonding experience as the noisy crowd showed their appreciation and ordered yet another round of drinks as they enjoyed the recently acoustic music from mine host.
As for the skiing, Thredbo had really turned up this year. Even with half of the classic Thredbo runs unavailable due to many of the lifts being on wind hold, the Snowgums and Gunbarrel chairs opened up plenty of quality snow and skiing for advanced and intermediate skiers, as well as the more adventurous (yes, that means you, Pete, Chappo and Jonathan) who ventured off-piste in search of fresh tracks.
But, like most sports, it all equals out in the bar. Tall tales and true and everyone is an expert. Once again this year, Peter Dunoon took out the top skier award, closely followed by Jonathan Papalia and Paul Chappell tied in second place (with a special mention of Jonathan for his unbridled enthusiasm). Chappo might have done better in the rankings had he not misread the dates and had to bail early to deal with a family double booking. David Knoll secured the most improved award again this year for both skiing and cryptic commentary. Gary Cohen joined the team late, but made up for it with his GoPro and some terrific footage of the team. Andrew and Virginia Longfellow (the newbies) discovered yet another benefit of being Tattersalls Club members and fitted in perfectly on the snow and in the bar. Russell and Kerrie showed that you can work and ski at the same time and contrived to share the host duties at Attunga as well. Just a wonderful and fun group of people.
Many thanks to Himkala in the Tattersalls Club office for organising the trip. It’s on again next year … you would be mad to miss it!
