Thomas "The Tank" Dade

I’m heading off to the Victorian Alps located in Victoria, Australia for a 2 day winter hike of Mount Feathertop. This will be my first alpine self-sufficient trip which both excites me and makes me somewhat anxious due to the unknown. I’m lucky enough to have been taken under the wing from a much more experienced mountaineer and will be learning some of the basics of alpine camping, for this I’m excited and very grateful. I’ve loved all the trips I’ve done so far however feel as if I’ve cheated, as I’ve never had to pitch my own tent or cook my own food, I hope to change this. The Victorian Alps is a great place to learn as the weather conditions don’t get severe in contrast to other Alps found around the world and theres nothing really technical to worry about either. Although with that being said I wish it was more technical, and the conditions more severe.

We’ll be summiting Mount Feathertop via The Razorback trail. A simple 22km hike, however due to being a winter accent some mountaineering skills will be required. Apparently snow can sometimes be waist deep and I’ve been told to bring an ice-axe and crampons so there will be a chance to improve my mountaineering skills. My only concern is it won’t be a big enough physical challenge to satisfy my hunger of being pushed, nonetheless the experience will be invaluable and I can’t wait to get started. Look forward to writing more post trip.