Stanleys and the Twin Valleys -
Northern Ramshead Range
Stanleys
Stanleys is a favourite runs for Thredbo locals wanting fresh snow after the resort has been tracked out. There are two main options to ski the run.
The Thredbo side of the valley is short and very steep. You access this area by negotiating the trees just north of the Merrits Chair unload. Some people only ski the top part of the run and bail out with enough vertical to make it back to the lift. Others ski down to the creek, traverse along the creek for a short way and then boot back up to the Easy Rider T-Bar at Merrits.
The area is very close to the resort but you should not be complacent. The creek is often only part covered and there is often deep holes into the snow cover down into the creek. Plus whilst the resort is very close it would be very difficult to get assistance if you stuff up. You should enter this area as you would any other backcountry area and be prepared for some form of self rescue.
The safer option from Merrits is to ski the far side of the valley. It offers a friendlier gradient and some nicely gladed slopes and typically holds great snow.
In a good year it is possible to negotiate a way down to the road to the area near the Friday Flat day car park. However – this should only be attempted by those who know the area and are prepared to ski through creeks, over logs and through vegetation. Be warned – the scrub down low is near impenetrable when it is not covered with snow and if you get caught short you could be up for a few hours of bush bashing with high potential for injury.
Looking down the gentler slopes on the northern side of Stanleys. Merrits restaurant and Lift Station in top right of photo and Thredbo Road visible in the distance.
Fresh tracks down the northern side of Stanleys.
Not so secret - the view up to a tracked out Stanleys area from the Alpine Way. The visible slopes are the gentler options on the northern side of the valley. The steeper slopes are hidden behind the treed ridge in the top left of photo.
Twin Valleys
The best skiing to the north of Thredbo is in the Twin Valleys area. If you’ve ever driven to Thredbo on a clear day you’ve probably noticed some sweet looking slopes high above the Ranger Station and the Alpine Way. The two prominent valleys are referred to as the “Twin Valleys”. This area was the subject of a proposed new ski area during the 1980’s. Luckily the idea was shelved because now you can ski it without the crowds.
The quickest way to get to the Twin Valleys from Thredbo is to leave from the top of the Merrits lift. From here you need to ski about 1km due north. You’ll reach a relatively flat windswept plateau along the top of the northern Ramshead Range. Once you are here change course to a north east direction and ski for about 2.5 kilometres. Once you’ve done that you can follow the wind patterns in the snow toward the south east and you should end up at the top of the southern Twin Valley.
From Charlotte Pass the quickest way there is to skin over the top of Mt Stillwell, and south across the relatively flat Wrights Creek valley. If you follow the old chairlift pylons (see Thredbo to Charlotte Pass Chairlift section below) you will end up at the top of the northern Twin Valley.
The Twin Valleys area is just like the Central Spur area of Thredbo. The upper slopes are exposed and are usually scoured free of snow. A little lower down there are some deep wind drifts separated by large wind gouged gullies.
Example of upper slopes of the Twin Valleys. Wind scoured snow and powder filled gullies side by side.
The southern Twin Valley offers nice steep pitches and hold some good snow but consistent fall line is quite rare. The upper areas of the southern valley are very exposed and usually feature large wind scoured gullies separated by exposed rocks and vegetation. The trees below provide enough protection for soft fluffy snow to accumulate. About half way down the southern valley the terrain flattens before another steep pitch. The vegetation on the lower steep pitch is quite thick so you need a decent amount of snow for this area to be safely skiable. As a guide I would say the snow depth at Spencers Creek would need to be at least 1m for the lower steeps to be safely skiable.
The southern Twin Valley viewed from the Alpine Way.
Upper slopes of the Southern Twin Valley.
Upper slopes of the Southern Twin Valley.
Lower slopes of the Southern Twin Valley. These slopes require pretty decent snow cover to be skiable (safely).
Lower slopes of the Southern Twin Valley. These slopes require pretty decent snow cover to be skiable (safely).
The upper areas of the northern Twin Valley are also exposed and get scoured by the winds. Lower down the northern Twin Valley is a little more friendly and provides a decent amount of consistent fall line with the option of skiing open or gladed slopes. Definitely my pick of the two valleys.
The northern Twin Valley (right side of photo). A much more open and consistent fall line.
Tracks down the northern Twin Valley
Between Stanleys and Twin Valleys
You can make a day trip of skiing from Thredbo to the Twin Valleys and doing a few short runs along the way. That is a great way to get to know the area. The area between Stanleys and the Twin Valleys offers similar terrain to the Twin Valleys but is not as steep and vegetation typically thickens a little higher up the slope, so the runs are shorter and not as open.
Care should be taken when heading north from Stanleys. Just around the corner from the top of Stanleys you find yourself on a short but very steep wind feature that is usually heavily loaded. I have seen evidence of reasonable slides down this slope on a few occasions and would recommend avoiding the traverse along the top of it.
North of Twin Valleys
Just north of the Twin Valleys there is a short but steep drop that looks like it would be fun to ski. I have never been in this area but have thought about possibilities looking up from the Alpine Way. This slope is located on the eastern slope of Trapyard Creek headwaters.
Further north of the Twin Valleys the vegetation up high thickens and the amount of skiing on offer is very limited. There are some very nice spots along the range in this area but I think they are best left for sightseeing. These areas are easliy accessed from Perisher or Charlotte pass by branching off from the groomed cross country ski trails. The Porcupine Rocks trail is a good starting point if you want to get used to your touring gear on relatively flat terrain that is close to the car park.
Charlotte Pass to Thredbo Chairlift
A lift was constructed from the Thredbo Valley to Charlotte Pass in the early 1960’s. Unfortunately it only operated for a couple of years before the operators went broke. The main reason the chairlift failed was that it travelled over the exposed ridges of the northern Ramshead Range. It copped a buffeting from strong winds so was prone to shutdown and breakdowns. A passenger is believed to have been left on the lift overnight, and consequently died from exposure.
The ranger station about 10km on the Jindabyne side of Thredbo used to be the base station of the Thredbo to Charlotte Pass chairlift. If you look up the hill from the ranger station you can still see a line of thinner vegetation, which is the remnants of the old lift line through the trees.
The remnants of the old lift pylons and a couple of load/unload stations are still present. Most of these are overgrown on the Thredbo Valley side so you can’t see them from any great distance. The base of the lift pylons are still visible above the tree line and can be followed all the way from the northern Twin Valley to Charlotte Pass.
When operational, the chairlift featured a half way station above the northern Twin Valley. The half way station featured a restaurant and amenities. The ruins of the restaurant are still present and feature some of the old chair lift components. There were load/unload stations in the upper part of the northern Twin valley, presumably to allow people to ski the slopes in this area.
The ruins of the half way station for the chair.
Restaurant at the chairlift half way station - top of Northern Twin Valley
Restaurant at the chairlift half way station - top of Northern Twin Valley
Restaurant at the chairlift half way station - top of Northern Twin Valley
Looking up the lift to the restaurant at the top of the northern Twin Valley. The load/unload station in the foreground allowed skiers to ski the the slopes of the northern Twin Valley. It should be noted that the lift was located on the relatively flat side of the valley. The steeper slopes are located to the left of this photo.
Chair getting blown sideways by the wind at the highest point along the chair.
Chair getting blown sideways by the wind at the highest point along the chair.
The chairlift heading across the Wrights Creek valley. Charlotte Pass is located over the hill. Blue Lake and Mt Twynam are prominant in the distance.
The chair ascends into Charlotte Pass village.
Skiers rides the chair up Mt Stillwell from Charlotte Pass.
I do not know the source of these images. Most were posted on the ski.com forums a few years back without any acknowledgements.
More detailed information on this chairlift can be found at: http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Thredbo_to_Charlotte_Pass_Chairlift