Ah the madness of the weeks before a major journey. Here at our Snowy Mountains place, I'm surrounded by piles of equipment, food and other supplies. It will be good to get started and, as always, the tinge of nervousness and excitement as to what lies ahead. So many have got stuck in to help with Alpine Odyssey, it is all so inspiring as always. Loads of media interest too.

Thanks to the generosity of so many people, we're already over halfway to reaching my $50,000 target for Our Yarning, a wonderful project that produces books for Indigenous Australian children, written and illustrated by Indigenous authors and illustrators, telling their stories, stories that are so important to retain in Australian culture. If you can help with the fundraising all details are here.

As well as general donations, people have been 'buying' their favourite snow resorts or alpine mountains for the fundraising. Already most of the NSW resorts have been snapped up (Thredbo even bought themselves!) as well as the Big One - in height and price - Mount Kosciuszko. The Victorian real estate is moving a little slower but hopefully this will pick up as I move through the Victorian Alps. Purchasers even get issued a Title Deed for a Good Deed!

Don't forget we're very happy to accept 'offers' for your favourite place in the alpine country - a mountain perhaps, a lake, a high country hut even. Already Mount Jagungal has gone, Blue Lake too and contracts are out for The Ramsheads!

I'll launch Thredbo's Environment Week by giving a talk there on the evening of Monday 25 July on Alpine Odyssey and some of my environmental work. All are welcome, it's free, you even get a free drink too, as well as a chance to win some North Face gear. All the details here.

Keeping to the sustainability theme, Wendy and I will set off from Thredbo the following morning, headed to Victoria in a beautiful (and fully loaded!) Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD electric vehicle, kindly loaned by Hyundai Australia. We'll drop some gear at Mt Beauty, Mansfield/Mt Buller, do a few things in Melbourne before heading to Marysville and Lake Mountain.

Alpine Odyssey kicks off for real on Friday 29 July with a cross country ski at Victoria's Lake Mountain resort, up above Marysville, where the Taungurung traditional owners plan to send me on my way with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country. I'll pass through the lands of some nine traditional owner groups on my journey, and Taungurung country includes the resorts of Lake Mountain, Mt Stirling, Mt Buller, Hotham and Mt Buffalo and a swathe of my route along the Great Dividing Range where their boundary aligns with Gurnaikurnai country.

After skiing Lake Mountain, We will head across to Mount Baw Baw to ski the resort slopes there, before I farewell Wendy, shoulder the big backpack and set off into the mountains on Sunday 31 July. Next stop, next hot shower Mount Stirling and Mount Buller some 2 weeks later!

It has been good to get my ski legs back since arriving home from the UK a few weeks ago. A couple of overnights up on the Main Range, a few XC skates (I 'hope' if the planets of timing align, to race the Kangaroo Hoppet 42km XC ski race when at Falls Creek) and a few resort days, including one day chasing two of my grandkids down the slopes.

Many people are asking when I expect to reach the various snow resorts. Obviously everything totally depends on weather, health and more, but my outline schedule has me at Marysville/Lake Mountain 28-29 July, Mt Baw Baw 29-31 July, Mt Stirling 12 Aug, Mt Buller 13-14 Aug, Mt Hotham & Dinner Plain 20-22 Aug, Falls Creek & Mt Buffalo 24-27 Aug, Thredbo 2-4 Sept, Charlotte Pass 6-7 Sept, Perisher 8-9 Sept, Mt Selwyn 14 Sept.

You can find full details on Alpine Odyssey here and donate via the Fundraising page.

You'll also be able to follow my journey on my Facebook and my Instagram pages. I might even have a tracker set up before I leave (but might not!)

You're on this list, because our paths have crossed during one or many of my other initiatives, but you can unsubscribe at any time below.

Thanks for your support and interest.

Cheers,

Huw

Less Than Two Weeks To Go

It’s Go Time!