Climbing Kosciuszko

This iconic day walk from Thredbo to conquer the 2228 meter summit of Mount Kosciuszko begins at Thredbo Village in Kosciuszko National Park. The Alpine Way, lined with thousands of dead wombats, takes me to the Kosciuszko Express chairlift, which in turn takes me to the rooftop of Australia.

After the scenic chairlift ride, I meet Blake who is attempting the sixth of the Seven Summits. Blake and his family kindly allow me to tag along, so we don our snowshoes and yomp into the big white yonder...

We snowshoe past the rocky granite outcrops of Ramshead Range whilst trying to lookout for views of the country's highest mountain. The track crosses the frozen headwaters of the appropriately named Snowy River, before climbing above Lake Cootapatamba and on to Rawson Pass. From here, we gradually climb to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko.

Standing above the clouds, the sweeping views across the Snowy Mountains and Victorian High Country are stolen between the frozen nebulous mass and do not disappoint. We stayed as long as the freezing temperatures would allow to soak in the fresh alpine air and celebrate Blake's achievement, before returning along the track to Thredbo for a well-deserved beer.

Distance: 75.8km