Mountain Bike – Guthega Power Station – Valentine Weather Station via Schlink’s Pass – NSW Snowy Mts

This video is my ride from the Guthega Power Station to the Weather Station on the Valentine’s trail in the NSW Snowy Mountains, via the Schlink Pass, New Year’s Eve 2023. This trip was intended to test what my new e-bike could achieve and what I could do in my current state of unfitness.

I had originally intended to return via Disappointment Spur but luckily I sought the advice of a local alpine bike adventurer and he advised that the bridge across the Munyang River, just above the Guthega Power Station, had been destroyed. So before heading off up the Schlink Trail, I did a recce of the river crossing.

At a minimum, I reckon it would have taken me 30 minutes to cross as I lifted the bike step by step down the river bank, across the river, and then back up the other side. Then of course there was the ever-present danger of the river swelling and becoming too dangerous to cross. After weighing up my options I decided I didn’t want to take that risk, especially after riding for 3-4 hours, so I instead I planned to return by the same route I headed out on. That didn’t exactly go to plan but I think I had a far more enjoyable ride.

Along the route, you will notice a lot of dead trees from the 2003 bushfires which burned an area more than twice the size of Austria (173,000 Square Kilometers). In the lower altitude areas, the trees are adapted to regrow quickly. In fact, in the areas with Alpine Ash the new growth is abundant and shoots straight for the sky, however, in the high-altitude areas the Snow Gums aren’t so resilient and as can be seen in much of this video as fields of dead trees with very little regrowth. While it looks quite stunning it’s also very sad that we’re losing such vast areas of very unique wilderness. Information about the Snow Gums: https://bit.ly/4901EZh

The huts along this route are owned/maintained by a variety of sources. Some are adventure/emergency huts mostly used during the snow season by back-country skiers and snowboarders while some are specifically for the Snowy Mountains Scheme and are locked. For more info on the huts visit the Kosciuszko Huts Association: https://www.khuts.org/

NEVER ATTEMPT ALPINE BACK-COUNTRY RIDING WITHOUT THE PROPER PREPARATIONS
When attempting an Alpine Back-Country Ride you should take extreme precautions because even in the middle of summer it can drop to freezing and raining can arrive at any time, despite what the weather forecast predicted. Always register your trip using the NPWS Trip Intention Form (although for the entire New Year break the system wasn’t working – FAIR DINKUM), notify your emergency contacts of your route and ETA, carry an EPIRB or Satelite Tracking Device (there is no mobile reception – I used a Garmin InReach Mini 2), and pack for unexpected issues. E.g. Plenty of food and water, bike spares (tubes, CO2, chain links, zip ties), more than one source for lighting fires, and clothing that will enable you to survive a night in the alpine wilderness.

Strava Ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/10465625977

GPX: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFZ1Ga-1-kU40LTPl9XkDixR8TC0S6jR/view?usp=sharing

KMZ (Google Earth – including alt routes): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IxoOFeLsE0mhwWmHkk5bkLxeY3lERsL6/view?usp=sharing

Trail Notes and Elevation Graphs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T7FTk4Mi8dpovj_6O_z7_1mn6isFQ2aC/view?usp=sharing

Feel free to ask any questions about this ride.

NSW Snowy Mountains – Pilot Wilderness Ride from 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qYktYbqdzE

CHAPTERS
Outbound
00:00 The Climb (intro)
02:23 The Climb to Horse Camp Hut
03:38 Horse Camp Hut to the Munyan Aqueduct
05:21 Munyang Aqueduct to Whites Hut
07:21 Whites Hut to Schlink Pass
08:23 Schlink Pass to Schlink Hilton
09:46 Schlink Hilton to Valentine Weather Station
Return
12:52 Valentine Weather Station to Schlink Pass
16:14 The Schlink Descent
21:28 Schlink Trail Munyang River Crossing to the Top
24:23 The Final Descent

Straight into the climb. And we’re definitely not taking any chances. Shit! And that’ll be Horse Camp Road. So, just going to head up into the tree .. shade Just check the nav (navigation) … to make sure I’m not … … taking any wrong turns. While there should be no other options,

You just never know. All right. Here we go. All right. Schlink Pass Road. (I wonder who the) Mongrels are that stole those signs. Ohhh, that’s steep! Hut number one. This is steep! Oh! Wow! You can see why the fires are so intense when they come through.

And look how thick that is. Wow! Take the middle. Oh! I would have liked a better run up for this! The GPS was definitely accurate. It’s just undulating. Every time it comes around the corner, it dips and climbs. It’s very steep down there.

All right, leaving the aqueduct at 1 hour, 10 minutes on the dot. Glasses. Put it into full power, and the granny gear. This is pretty steep. More big rockslides. There’s some big rock outcrops up the top there. I’ll take a … bit of a break out at White’s.

Not sure if we’ll get all the way out to the hut, it will depend on how deep the water is. That looks very stable. Purty, as they say. It always looks shallow! There’s actually are some holes in there, and … … you always take a risk

Of getting hooked up and going over the bars. Whites Hut. Ooh! Battery … and card almost full. Oh look at that! Actually I don’t know how much of it I’m really going to see on the way back, because I’ll be going downhill very fast. And back on the trail,

At 1 hour, 44 and 44 seconds. There’s less cloud than I was expecting. There’s not been much shade at all. But it’s cool. I’d say it’s probably about 17 degrees, maybe a bit cooler in the shade. The breeze is cool, it’s just that the sun is searing. It was nice to

Get in the hut. It was quite cool in there. – Hello. – Hi there. How are you going? All right. Leaving Schlink Pass. We are 1 hour, 58 minutes, exactly. Four bars of battery. Heading down to the Schlink Hilton, an then I’m going to reassess because I’m feeling pretty bloody good!

There it is. How ya going? All right. Still got 4 bars 2 hours, 15 minutes, leaving Schlink Hilton. Wow that’s amazing! That’s the valley down to Geehi. It is quite spectacular, even though … it’s so sad that it all gets burnt.

It’s just so high, it’s hard to tell how long ago this was. Snow gums don’t really regenerate (as readily as other trees) … which is a problem. Whoa, look at that! All the moss (on this side of the trees). And that’s why we come out here. It’s just so beautiful.

Valentine’s Trail. WOH! Gee! Missed that! Very easily. Still Schlink’s, so there’s Valentine’s. A bit of power. Bicycles must stay on approved trails. I still don’t reckon I’m going to get any rain. If we are, won’t be much. What more concerns me is if I start hearing thunder.

Not really where I want to be … if lightening is coming down. Man, I love this country, it is just so beautiful up here. Well I reckon this, is the weather station track. And there’s the weather station. All right, I’m leaving the weather station. Still got 4 bars of battery,

Which is pretty amazing. Range 100 kilometres. So it’s saying about … yeah it’s about half … what I had, which is interesting, A lot more downhill on the way back. It’s 2 hours, 40 minutes. All right. Somewhere along the line, from the Hilton to here, I lost my map. So, lesson learned:

Always put a spare map in the pack. Let’s see if we can find it. I’m just going to check, to see if it’s down here. However unlikely. So I reckon, Valentine’s Hut and back to Gee-eye … Geehi! Would be an excellent ride. All right. And now we head back.

Still 4 bars (of battery), 1 hour 44, 2 hours 44. Ah, it’s just dropped to three bars. So I guess that’s 50%, isn’t it? But a lot more downhill on the way home. I’ll try not to burn too much on this climb back up to Schlink, if I can afford it.

But I do need to look after my legs. Ah! Here it is. My map. But, fortuitous I think. I would have been very tempted to go on. And after … just this climb, I’m definitely feeling weary … in the legs, and when I start descending,

I’m definitely going to feel it in the arms! Schlink Hilton again. Gee it’d be good place to come … and work out of. (for backcountry split boarding) Except that you’ve just got to cross that boggy flat there. Schlink Pass. Highest point. Now the descent, back right down into that valley. NZT All right.

Here we go. Yeew! [the crows sound like voices – it freaks me out!] I really don’t like this gravel. It’s quite loose in places, and chewed out. I’m really surprised at how … much … less grip there is with the High Roller (tyre) G’day! How are you?

He seemed rather amused. Ha Ha! – How ya goin’! – Good and you? That’s fun! Yeah. Um just on the main trail. – Oh is this Dis…, we’re here already? – Yeah – Holy crap. Okay. – Yeah no just this one. Everything seems to come up quicker than I expected.

– Alrighty. – Cool Have a good one. So, I’ve gone the wrong way. I was supposed to turn earlier, but I was having too much fun. I’m actually, glad that they pointed out that that was Disappointment Spur. I’m pretty sure … Yeah I’ve definitely gone past it (the Horse Camp Aqueduct Trail).

Actually, I’m not unhappy about coming on the alternate road back. It’s going to be a big descent down into that valley and then a bit of a climb out Hey guys. How ya goin’? G’day. Ohh! Look at that! Woo Woo! – Hey guys, how ya goin’? – Good yourself? Good.

– All good? – Yeah We turned around earlier than the other guys. – Oh! Ya had a bit of a stack, did ya? – Yeah. – Oh yeah, it can happen pretty easy out here, that’s for sure. – Oh yeah yeah I appreciate, he needs a bike upgrade – dually!

– The suspension definitely helps, that’s for sure. – Yeah. Oh nice one. I actually wasn’t intending coming back this way. I was intending to come up there and I missed the turnoff. I was having too much fun. And then I came across your friends at the Disappointment turn off,

Or whatever it’s called, and then suddenly realized I’d gone too far. Anyway, back to the climb. It was nice to come this way rather than the other one. – Oh well, nice one. Have a good ride. – Enjoy. Yeah, you too. Ah, I’m still keeping it in …

3 (out of 5) power, cause … [inaudible mumbling] because it’s … it’s still a bit more of a climb, and I kinda-wanna … really get an idea of … if I could do Valentine’s Hut and come back. I really feel like I could, and certainly being fitter, and stronger,

And about 30 kilos lighter, I think I can do it easily. I really would have expected horses up here, but there hasn’t been any … horse shit anywhere! There’s just none. Oh! Well! That was actually a much easier return

Than going across Horse Camp, with all that up and down and grass riding. Oh, it’s definitely the easiest way back. [ *on an e-bike ] All right so, this is kind of the … last climb … on the Schlink road … up to the top … of the power station tubes.

Whatever they called? Well the clouds have come in, which is actually what I was expecting all day. Which gives … a real mood … when you are up in these, snow gums I assume. Which is excellent! All right. 3 Hours, 28 Minutes. Final descent. Getting eaten alive by march flies.

Note to self: More Bushman’s. Oh! Other thing to do, bring the (brake) levers in a bit. Fuck off! Go on land! Ex-fly! 3 hours, 29 minutes and 45 seconds. Final descent. Let’s try and stay upright. Possibly not the best line, but that (corner) was very sketchy. So probably not so bad.

It’s very loose! I can just feel the … especially the back but the front too … just kicking out! Mustn’t forget, I’ve got to stop for that fence! Yeew! Well, that’s fun. Still not … taking any chances. Epic! 3 hours, 33 minutes and 37 seconds. Woohoo!