At least another 10 cm of fresh snow on the mountain. Low visibility and a snow showers on and off. It’s currently minus 7.1 conditions are Excellent with a fresh layer of snow and the village rocks are barely visible from all the snow, winds are WNW at 20 to 30 knots (40 to 60 kmph). De-icing will be done first up with Bass then Summit and finally village opening in that order. Snow is within 500 metres of the main sealed road and all vehicles are strongly advised to drive to the conditions and fit chains as soon as the road becomes icy. There is 5cm of snow at the Rangers station, more on the ladder. The Grader is on standby to clear the road again.
ROAD CONDITIONS: Ben Lomond Road is extensively covered in snow and ice and will again need to be graded tomorrow after the snowfalls overnight. Snow is built up on the sides of the road which makes passing cars challenging and means that rules on Jacobs ladder with regard to giving way to each other especially important.
CHAINS are required to be fitted to all vehicles this morning, the BLC and Parks and Wildlife Services (PWS) cannot stress enough that it is imperative all drivers follow the directions of the PWS staff. If you are driving a car you not only need to have chains, you need to know how to fit them and how to drive your car whist they are on. For more information on chains visit the snowsafe website
SAFETY REMINDER: After a number of vehicles were found carrying chains that were not the right size for their vehicle, the BLC cannot stress enough the importance of understanding and respecting the conditions in alpine environments. People choosing to ignore the safety precautions not only put themselves, but their passengers and others at risk.
A number of drivers were assisted throughout the day yesterday after getting into difficulty above the snowline. In addition to having the right equipment, please consider your experience and skills when deciding to venture into the alpine environment. Consider having someone in your party with experience driving on snow and ice bound roads..
TRANSPORT: If you’re considering using the mountain transport service, please phone ahead when leaving St Leonards by calling (03) 6390 6185 as snow has fallen to extremely low levels well below the normal pickup point please phone ahead . Buses will be shuttling to pickup on an hourly basis starting from 10am being the first pickup and the last bus down will be at 5pm. As the shuttle is running 3 times the distance to cover additional fuel costs. Prices have been raised for these exceptional circumstance and have been set at $20 per person or $60 for a family of 4 return
Todays webcam view is from the Bellendena Ski Club Car Park cam, for the first time this season snow has built up on the window on the eastern side of the lodge blocking the view. So much snow!
Media are encouraged to contact Adrian Beswick, Media and Promotions coordinator on 0438 253 111 to arrange a visit to the mountain and organise interviews with Operators and BLC Representatives.
