Mt Twynam
At just under 2200m asl Mt Twynam is Australia's third highest mountain. The summit is about as flat as summits get. Don’t let this fool you, the slopes all around it offer just about every kind of terrain you could wish for. The north and south slopes offer relatively gentle terrain whilst the east and western faces offer steeps of varying length.
The exposed nature of Mt Twynam results in its upper parts being riddled with sastrugi, rime ice formations and wind blown areas of boiler plate. Towards the east the wind tortured slopes give way to bulging wind drifts. These drifts start relatively gently but dip abruptly into a large flat bowl between Mt Twynam and Little Twynam. There’s probably around 200 m of steep vertical skiing on offer on the east side of Mt Twynam. The eastern slopes look fairly friendly but care should be taken. Position and aspect of these slopes can see some big accumulations of snow and can become unstable. Allan Andrews pictures a significant slide on the east face of Twynam in his book 'Skiing the Western Faces'. In July 2008 Mark and I saw the remnants of what appeared to be a cornice collapse and slab avalanche on the eastern slopes of Twynam. Pieces of the slab were as large as school buses.
The upper eastern slopes of Mt Twynam.
A significant cornice break and avalanche on the eastern face of Mt Twynam (July 2008). The debris was at least 5 metres deep towards the base of the slide and some of the pieces of slab were in excess of 3m thick (see top left of photo).
The bowl is really the end of the steep stuff on the eastern side. Further east the terrain rolls its way to the bottom of the Snowy River valley. The stuff down lower is is not bad terrain but its probably best left for the return trip to Guthega or for periods when the weather’s poor.
The eastern slopes of Mt Twynam (top right) and Little Twynam (top middle) roll their way down to the Snowy River. The steepest skiing is restricted to the east face of Twynam which is obscured by cloud in the top right of the photo.
For real excitement you want to head to the west face of Twynam. This face probably offers the most vertical meters of continuous fall line skiing anywhere in Australia. It has a consistent 35 degree pitch for over 1km in parts. There is a catch though. It’s exposed to prevailing winds and the afternoon sun so you’re unlikely to strike it with powder on it. If you do you’re in luck. If you don’t you’re probably best off leaving it till a day where it corns up under the spring sun.
Andrews identifies 4 main lines down the west face of Twynam, all of which follow drainage gullies that plummet into Watson’s Creek. These gullies are probably your best chance of finding fluffy snow. In late spring these may be the only lines that have skiable snow. The "Triple A" run takes three gullies from near the summit. "The Scimitar" follows the gully a few hundred metres north of The Triple A. If snow cover permits there are plenty of other options around the runs that Andrew’s named. If you’re skiing corn in spring the ridgelines between the drainage gullies may provide a much more consistent fall line for the entire length of the run. To the north of The Scimitar there’s plenty more of the western face but you have to lose a bit of vertical traversing along the north ridge before you can drop in. As long as the cover is good you’ll gain this vertical on the lower slopes.
The view to the western face of Twynam from Twynam West Spur in winter. Twynam summit is out of photo top left. The Triple A and The Scimitar are actually to the north west of the summit cairn. During the colder months there are many skiable lines to the north of The Scimitar.
Looking up The Triple A and The Scimitar gullies from Watson's Creek.
Andrew skiing one of the faces to the south of The Triple A in mid August.
Andrew skiing one of the faces to the south of The Triple A in mid August. The Triple A and The Scimitar run down the gully in the background. The photo shows the lovely sustained pitch and the space available on the western face of Mt Twynam.
Justin Drops in to The Triple A.
Mark (bottom centre) disappears into Watsons Creek down the Triple A.
The gullies, ridges and open faces to the north of The Scimitar.
As mentioned earlier Twynam is like an upturned bowl. It gets steeper the further you go from the summit. As a result of this it’s very hard to see or identify features of the western slopes below you unless you ski a fair way down. If you’re doubtful about the cover it is probably best to scope out the slopes from Tenison Woods Knoll or Watson Crags before committing to one of these lines. There are large rock bands in places and the terrain is unforgiving.
Andrew at the top of The Triple A. It's hard to see what lies below. Its around 400 vertical metres down to Watson's Creek.
The north spur off Mt Twynam has a gentle consistent grade for approximately 2km all the way to the base of Mt Anderson, passing to the west of Mt Anton on the way. Most of it is wind exposed crud but there is a long narrow drainage gully behind the ridgeline that holds smooth skiable snow. Its aspect means that it corns up nicely in fine weather.
The drainage gully down the Twynam North Spur is clearly visible under the early season cover. Twynam summit is located out of photo top left. Twynam West Spur is visible behind the North Spur.
A good cover of snow on the Twynam North Spur in mid August 2008.
The south side of Mt Twynam is the upper part of the Blue Lake catchment. The slopes are fairly gentle and straight forward until they reach the steep cliff bands on the northern side of Blue Lake. These slopes are discussed in more detail here.
The easiest access to Mt Twynam is from Charlotte Pass or Guthega.
This page discusses the slopes that can be skied from the Twynam summit. Some of the other slopes that can be accessed from Mt Twynam are discussed in more detail on other pages.
In particular: