An Ultralight Winter Traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track
In June 2025, we (Tom and Maddie) set out to complete a full winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT). Between us we had completed the ~680km trail in summer several times before, including Tom holding the joint self-supported Fastest Known Time of just under 11 days. The decision to attempt a winter traverse was very last minute, resulting in a 3 week period of intensive preparation, gear purchases and resupply planning.Â
Walhalla to Mt Hotham (Days 1–10)
Our winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track began in mid-June. We set off from Walhalla with snowshoes strapped to our packs and a plan to switch to skis at Mt Hotham. The first day on trail was defined by the single largest climb of the entire track, a long, gradual ascent up to the Baw Baw Plateau, where we finally hit snow around 1400m. Coverage was thin, and progress was fastest without snowshoes. We finished in the dark, a pattern that would become very familiar over the next month. It was a rewarding way to end our first day on trail, with camping on snow making it feel like a proper start to the winter traverse.Â
The next few days were a blur of massive ascents and descents on fireroads. We pushed hard through long, 12-hour days, climbing steeply out of river valleys in the chilly mornings and descending back into them as the sun set. A highlight for us was emerging from the dense tree cover onto the sunny ridge of Mt Easton, a welcome change after days spent largely in the shade. The lack of reception was a welcome respite from work, allowing our minds to settle into the rhythm of the trail. We knew a significant storm was approaching so we pushed on, aiming to set ourselves up in a good position to wait it out if we needed to.Â
Early on day 4, we came across our food drop at Middle Ridge Road, placed at the last minute by Hamish from Snow Dog Transport. Rummaging through the goodies—Coca-Cola, roti bread, and plenty of noodles—was a great mood-lifter after a few long days and late finishes in the dark. We also picked up our ice axes and goggles. Heeding the forecast, we loaded up with an extra two days of food in case we needed to wait out the weather, making our packs a fair bit heavier than we would have liked!Â
The storm hit on the morning of Day 5 as we climbed Mt MacDonald. What began as light rain intensified, and the day became a sustained battle against the wet and cold. The snow-covered trail was difficult to discern at times, and we were grateful to have an accurate GPX file to follow on our watches from when we were last here in December. We pushed over The Nobs and Mt Clear in a blur of wind and rain, finally getting to use our snowshoes on the wet snow. We made it to a sheltered campsite at Chester’s Yard in the dark, tying our guylines to natural anchors and staking our pegs into the ground beneath the snow as we knew the forecast rain could wash away any snow anchors overnight. Â
The next day, we took advantage of a brief weather window to push to Vallejo Gantner Hut. The lure of a warm fire to dry everything out was calling! Putting our wet rain gear back on, we walked around the King Billys and Mt Magdala to ensure we made good progress before the weather turned. There was very little snow at the top of Mt Howitt, as all the recent rain had washed it away. It began to hail as we made our way off the mountain, and we arrived at Vallejo Gantner Hut a bit before 2PM, wet and cold. After collecting a bunch of firewood, we began the lengthy process of drying everything out. The following day the weather was even worse, and we opted to have a rest day instead of heading up onto the Crosscut Saw. Â
Waking to a metre of fresh powder, we left Vallejo Gantner Hut on the morning of Day 8 and broke trail up to the Crosscut Saw. The going was slow and we sank over knee deep into the powder despite our snowshoes. It was an incredible experience to be the first to lay tracks across the ridge after the storm. Ironically, the fresh snow created the perfect terrain for skiing—unfortunately, we only had our snowshoes! It did however make for a safe and enjoyable traverse on what could have easily been a treacherous, icy ridge. Â
After collecting our second food drop at Camp Creek, we continued into the Razor-Viking Wilderness. The section to Viking Saddle was a gruelling push in the dark through drenched, snow-laden trees and over countless fallen logs. We were moving at less than 1km/h, and arrived at camp around 8PM exhausted and soaked.Â
Over the next couple of days we made our way towards Mt Hotham. It was a cold climb up to The Viking, and the rope up the Chimney was frozen to the rock. Fortunately, the sun came out at the top, providing us with a well needed break and chance to dry out our gear. Descending from the Viking, we went below the snow line and were grateful to be at a warmer elevation for a change!Â
We were both feeling quite tired on the last day into Mt Hotham and were grateful for the good weather as we did the steep climb up to The Twins. After a fun descent down to the road, we met Tom’s Dad who had driven down from Canberra to drop off our skis. After ten days on the AAWT without seeing anyone, it was a sensory overload as we drove through Mt Hotham and went into Omeo to resupply. Â
Mt Hotham to Dead Horse Gap (Days 10–19)
On the morning of Day 11 we left Omeo and drove back out to Mt Hotham. It was exciting to have swapped over to skis and we eagerly popped our ski boots on. Unfortunately, the foot swelling from ten days of hiking and snowshoeing meant our ski boots were painfully tight. We had to cut our first day on the Bogong High Plains short to stop at Cope Saddle Hut and perform some boot surgery – cutting foam and swapping liners to find a workable solution. Â
The next day, our feet feeling somewhat better, we made great time across the high plains. We were shadowed for a few kilometers by a curious alpine dingo and saw two Dusky Antechinus when stopping for a break during the day. That afternoon, we were surprised that we were able to ski all the way down to Big River, crossing with our skis on and keeping our feet dry. With a good weather window, we made the call to push up and over Mt Bogong that same evening. The climb up Quartz Ridge was steady, and we reached the summit of Victoria’s highest peak just as the sun started to set. It was a lot of fun skiing down to Cleve Cole Hut in the dark, and we finished our biggest day on trail (~44km) a bit before 8PM. Â
The following morning, we had a bit of a sleep in, heading off after 8:30AM. Our feet were holding up well from our liner surgery, but we were both beginning to feel the cumulative fatigue from the trip. The descent down the Long Spur began as a lot of fun, but quickly turned into a gruelling slog as we weaved through dense bush and had to bootpack steep, icy descents. We skied down to 1250m, and carried our skis for an hour as we climbed up to Mt Wills. We were happy to reach the hut in the late afternoon, eager for an early night by the fire. The water tank was frozen, so we had to melt snow on the fireplace!Â
The following morning the winds picked up, and we quickly made our descent down to the Omeo Highway. We had pre-arranged a lift with trail angel Michael, and spent the night in Omeo at his BnB, The Manse. It was nice to be dry in town on the stormy night.Â
Our initial plan had been to ditch our skis at this point, as the next 150km of trail would be largely snow-free. Unfortunately we couldn’t arrange the logistics in time. This meant that we had to carry all of our ski gear, including helmets, goggles, ski boots, crampons, skins and skis. Combined with a 5 day resupply, our packs felt very heavy!Â
Over the next 5 days, we had some of our toughest moments of the entire trip. There were long climbs through overgrown tracks, and we were constantly ducking and weaving with the awkward weight of skis snagging on any low hanging branches. There were times we had to take our packs off and pull them behind us under the bushes. We were fortunate the weather was so nice over these days, and we relished taking long breaks in the sun. It was a welcome relief when we reached Cowombat Flat Fire Trail, and we soon left Victoria and entered NSW. We were able to ski the final, snowy stretch from Cascade Hut to Dead Horse Gap.Â
Dead Horse Gap to Tharwa (Days 20–29)
After a night in Cooma at our friend’s place, we got a hitch back out to Dead Horse Gap the morning of Day 20. Due to the high winds forecast, we opted to head up Dead Horse Gap Track instead of traversing the Rams Head Range as it was a more sheltered route. Unfortunately, once we got past the tree line, our plan to get to Seaman’s Hut was immediately shut down by 120km/h winds (as recorded at Thredbo Top Station). The big front had come in a few hours earlier than forecast – and we returned to Dead Horse Gap.  Â
The winds were meant to be dropping the next day, before picking up again for another 3. Our initial plan had been to ski from Seamans Hut to Whites River Hut in a day. However, we weren’t confident in our ability to ski from Dead Horse Gap to Whites River Hut in 10 hours – the weather window we likely would have had. Â
In this scenario we made the difficult decision to skip this section and return to complete it later. We fortunately got a hitch to Guthega Power Station, and began the climb up to Schlink Pass. It had been a stressful morning, and we felt mentally drained as we climbed up to Horse Camp Hut. That night, we shared the fire with a father and his nine-year-old daughter on a 5 day ski tour—the first other people we had seen on the trail in 20 days.Â
We spent the next few days navigating through Jagungal Wilderness in blizzard conditions. After visiting Schlink hut, we decided to follow the traditional K2K route over the Kerries to Mawsons Hut, where we stopped early due to an incoming storm. The next day, we were unsure whether we would be able to move to Cesjacks Hut, but we decided to head out and see what the conditions were like. Fortunately, despite the relentless snow, we were able to move safety through the sheltered valleys. After passing Cesjacks Hut, we had a long, tough slog to Mackays Hut, with wet snow constantly balling up under our skis. We arrived soaked and tired, grateful for a warm fire to dry everything out. Â
The weather remained gloomy the following day, as we headed to Boobee Hut and across Happy Jacks Plain. After climbing up Arsenic Ridge, we passed Tabletop Mountain before making our way to Broken Dam Hut. Despite the thin snow coverage, we were fortunate that we were able to ski all but 1km on Happy Jacks Road that day.Â
After four days of tough, wet conditions and whiteout navigation, we woke to sunshine for the final ski down to Kiandra. We were surprised that we were able to ski all but the final 200m to the road. Â
We spent the night in Cooma before getting a lift with a friend back out to Kiandra the following morning. We opted to leave our skis behind as we were confident that the snow coverage would be thin and intermittent. The biggest challenges we faced in this section were the river crossings, including the chest-deep and painfully cold Murrumbidgee. We crossed naked to keep our clothes dry, using the Kiwi method to keep each other stable. It was certainly the coldest and most painful (but safe) river crossing we have ever done. Â
The final few days of the trip were some of the best. With lighter packs and good weather, we felt ourselves finally able to relax out of “survival mode” and enjoy the walking. We crossed into the ACT on the morning of Day 27, finishing at Tharwa before midday on Day 28. Â
Finishing the Main Range (Days 29 & 30)
Ordinarily, this would have been the end of our trip. However, with an unfinished section and perfect weather predicted for Day 30, we drove back to the mountains the very next day to complete the 32km section across the Main Range. Starting from Dead Horse Gap, we climbed up onto the Rams Head Range into very familiar whiteout conditions, navigating by GPS in visibility of only a few metres. We finished early at Seamans Hut, sharing the warmth of the fire with a NSW Scouts group.Â
Our final day of the trip was spectacular. We woke to a stunning sunrise, with vibrant colours stretching across the snow-covered peaks. We packed up and headed straight for the summit of Mt Kosciuszko. From the top of Australia, we could see almost the entire path we had travelled, from Mt Bogong in the south to Mt Bimberi in the north. Day 30 was, without question, the best day of skiing on the entire trip. We traversed the Main Range under clear, windless skies, enjoying the runs down Mt Twynam and cruising across the Rolling Grounds. The weather was so good we even added Dickie Cooper Bogong before skiing down to Whites River Hut!Â
The next morning, we made the short, 1.5-hour ski from Whites River Hut down to Guthega Power Station, with snow all the way to the carpark. After 30 days, our winter traverse was finally complete.Â
If you’re interested in the gear we took, you can check out our 7.2kg Ultralight Winter AAWT Gear List. Also, our guided winter snow camping trips are the perfect opportunity to experience the backcountry in winter. It’s a great chance to improve your skills and confidence with all gear, food and transport provided – no previous experience necessary! Â
