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THANK YOU, HANS OVERSNOW! & Other News

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The Groomers - Out There & Doing Good

2025 WINTER BEGINS WITH A BANG!

Amazingly, the traditional first week of snowsports winter has happened on time.

The Nordic Shelter is open and grooming on the XC trails has started. Regular XC skiers may notice changes in the grooming organisation this winter. For the past 16 winters, the XC trail grooming contract has been held by Hans Oversnow (a company of enormous importance to the development and history of Perisher Valley, but that is another story). That long, collaborative contract has ended and the 2025 XC trail grooming will be provided by 4Site. Ralph and Camille Zollinger have sent the following letter to the Perisher XC community:

To the Cross-Country Community,

Hans Oversnow would like to inform the cross-country skiing community that, although we submitted a bid for the recent Snow Grooming Services in Perisher Valley and Smiggin Holes – SR00560 cross-country trails and roads tender, we were ultimately unsuccessful.

Naturally, we are disappointed by the outcome. We felt that we had submitted a fair and reasonable tender supported by new equipment that had been purchased for the job.

For the past 15 years, it has been our privilege to provide grooming services to the cross-country trails in and around Perisher. We would like to sincerely thank the entire cross-country community, the many dedicated winter managers who have operated the Nordic Shelter, and NPWS for their support over the years. Your encouragement and collaboration have meant a great deal to us.

While we won’t be behind the wheel this season, we do hope that the cross-country community continue to receive the dedicated commitment and finish to the trails which we provided over the years. we will definitely be checking out the trails — this time on skis, enjoying weekends off for the first time in a long time.

See you out there! The Hans Oversnow Team

The XC community sends its heartfelt gratitude to Ralph, Camille and the Hans O’Snow Team, now and for the last fifteen years.

It has been a long collaboration! The partnership between the Hans O’Snow and PXC teams of the day worked successfully through all of the challenges and delights that a Perisher winter can provide, regularly resulting in world-class cross country skiing conditions on the Perisher XC trails.

The challenge…..

The delight !!!

Your drivers have been an extraordinary group of interesting individuals. We appreciated their adaptability and willingness to learn and collaborate in response to the conditions of the day. There have been some classic examples of dedication, inventiveness and larrikinism – i.e. Joe, who insisted on grooming while wearing shorts and thongs (a challenge occasionally requiring middle-of-the-night rescues when machinery failed on the far trails) and Luke who adapted his snowboard grooming technique to the XC trails for the fun and excitement of banked turns and “whoopty-dos”,……………..

We are especially beholden to Iggy, who has been there through thick and thin. We were grateful for his management, approachability and we loved his actual grooming.

Proof that good grooming and snowfences work! These ribbons of skiable trails were left as the snow cover melted away in spring:

Many, many thanks to Ralph and Hans Oversnow for their support of our volunteer efforts to provide wonderful XC trails through the provision/maintenance of appropriate and affordable skidoos and the facilitating of the purchase and upkeep of the famous/much appreciated Ginzu. This sort of support of the XC volunteers has allowed the community to gain valuable grooming skills and knowledge, be self-sufficient when necessary and to sometimes enhance the work of the professional groomers.

The Ginzu in action:

The XC community is grateful to Ralph and Camille for creating a culture of collaboration and consultation that was appreciated and valued. Local connections are a great thing.

MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION:

2025 PERISHER XC EVENT ENTRIES

Links to Online Entries, PDF entry forms and event information are now LIVE on the PXC website at:

· LOCAL CALENDAR (https://www.perisherxcountry.org/events/local/) and

· XC SKI WEEK (https://www.perisherxcountry.org/events/xc-week/)

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NEW FACEBOOK GROUP - PERISHER XC SKIING COMMUNITY

This new group is for everyone in the XC skiing community to use, whether you are existing skiers or for those new to XC skiing.

It’s an online XC community space where anyone can:

· Share photos and stories from the trails

· Ask questions about XC skiing

· Thank volunteers

· Stay updated on events and trail conditions

· Feel part of the Perisher XC family

The above dot-points are just a few reasons to make a post. The topics are almost endless, here are a few more - a group selfie with friends, a motivational message, a thank you to the grooming team, a weather update, a tip for beginners, and a question for the community. Do you get the idea?

Short is good, but if you have more to say, say it + also plunk in your best shot.

Also, when putting in a post it is good to have the "Check In" or Location as "Perisher XC Centre & Trails"

Your Challenge - When next up on the snow try posting one thing in the new Facebook Group! Let’s build a strong, welcoming Perisher XC Community, together.

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NSWACT XC 2025 JUNE LONG WEEKEND CAMP

The traditional June Long Weekend Camp was held in cold but mostly fine weather, contrary to all expectations! AND THEN it was followed by decent snowfalls that allowed that rare occurrence, early grooming, to start. The trifecta that we always hope for!

Read about the LWE Camp report by 2025 Winter Coach Colin Ferrie at https://www.snow.org.au/news/nswact-cross-country-at-the-nstc-

The kids also had something to say:

Justin – “Thank you so much for the amazing cross country-camp over the long weekend. The activities were engaging and fun, providing us with an opportunity to not only improve our roller skiing skills but also to enjoy the time with our friends. The support and encouragement from the coaches and house parents was awesome, making the camp feel extremely welcoming. The rooms were super comfortable, and having a heater in every room made the area very nice and warm. I am looking forward to coming to future events and continuing to be a part of this amazing community. “

Hanna - "The June Long Weekend camp was an exciting and eventful camp that was so much fun! It was filled with activities like Running, Rollerskiing, and strength sessions as well as fires and games at night. Lets not forget about the food!!! There was a variety of snacks that were provided in the camp that were delicious like popcorn and watermelon. It is also a great experience to meet new friends or get together again with your current ones. So it was well organised and lots of fun!!! Thanks for the awesome weekend."

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XC INSTRUCTOR & COACH COURSES:

Have you ever wanted to become a xc instructor or coach? Would like to understand the mechanics of classical and skating skiing or simply just wanted to improve your technique? If you answer Yes to one or more of these, you should do a Nordic Instructor course. The Australian Professional Snow Sports Instructors (APSI) runs nordic instructor courses each year at Perisher. The two day Level 1 course is the entry level course that focusses on how to teach classical skiing to beginners. As you progress through the levels the curriculum includes skating technique and more advanced ski teaching. As a certified instructor you can be employed in most ski schools around the world. For further information on the Nordic Instructor pathway, contact Zac Zaharias at nordic@apsi.net.au or 0402-286257

For people interested in becoming coaches, the Level 1 and 2 courses form an integral part of the Coaching pathway to gain Snow Australia Nordic Coaching accreditation. For further information on the Coaching Pathway contact Finn Marsland (finn.marsland@gmail.com).

Level 1 Course. 19-20 Jul
Level 2 Course. 1-3 Aug
Recertification – 6 July
All Levels exam – 30 Aug

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CLOSURE – AERIAL SHOOT: KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL PARK

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be conducting aerial shooting operations in Kosciuszko National Park between Tuesday, 10 June and Monday, 30 June 2025.

Notices like this from NPWS contain information that is especially important for people planning to head out away from the resorts. Always check for activity that you might not expect before you go. The addresses below are good resources:

· Please check the Kosciuszko National Park page for any future updates on the above.

· Please contact NPWS at npws.southernrangesbranch@environment.nsw.gov.au with any queries related to the program and closures.

· Whilst we strive to provide timely updates, unpredictable closures may occur. Be sure to visit Park Alerts to stay informed.

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FINALLY:

NORDIC SHELTER DONATIONS -

The Nordic Shelter is facing significant increases in running costs, especially building insurance. Winter is coming and so are the big bills! Consider supporting the Shelter and the XC volunteers by making Tax Deductible donations to help with the development, running expenses and maintenance of the Nordic Shelter - https://asf.org.au/projects/snow-australia---northern/nordic-shelter-development/