Snow Fun On Ben Lomond (TAS)

Despite the unwanted adrenaline rush of sliding his car around a mountainside in the snow, Jonathon Rose had a great day of family fun embracing the cold on Ben Lomond. 

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Highlights

• All sorts of snow sports
• Snowball fights (obviously)
• Snowman making
• Beautiful views from the top of the mountain

Ben Lomond Ski Village

We all know the saying, “When you can’t beat them, join them.” This winter, we decided it was time to join the cold weather’s side and head up to Tasmania’s famous Ben Lomond Ski Village.

Depending where you’re located, the drive can be long and tricky. Thankfully for us, we were only an hour away, so getting up to the base of the mountain was a breeze. Then came the tricky part everyone must go through.

After equipping our car wheels with chains, we started heading up what’s known as “Jacob’s Ladder”. Now, if you’re a teenaged boy who owns a sports car and loves the thrill of tearing around the corners of cliff faces, then this part will satisfy any adrenaline rush you have for the next year. However, it wasn’t so much my cup of tea.

Jacob’s Ladder had us climb up one of the steepest, windiest roads I’ve ever been on — not to mention it was covered in snow, mud, and some ice. Oncoming traffic leaving the mountain was also quite scary, as we were pushed off the road every now and then.

Getting Stuck Into (Not In) The Snow

Once we got up the mountain we hopped out of the car and started kissing the ground for keeping us on the mountain and not rolling down it! Of course, there is a specialised bus that is able to take you up the mountain if you don’t think you can handle the steep climb.

Our day consisted of countless snowball fights, a snowman called Derek, toboggan races, photography explorations, and of course, those of us who were sporty enough jumped on the snowboards and carved up a few ski tracks. At the end of the day we were lucky enough to watch the sun go down below the horizon from the top of the mountain.

We stuck around late for photography purposes, taking advantage of the low light pollution and photographing the night sky and later on, the rising moon. After our legs were aching and we couldn’t feel our toes, we called it a night and headed back down the mountain. Rest assured, we will be climbing Ben Lomond again before the week is out.

Essential Gear

• Warm clothes
• Two pairs of spare socks
• Gloves

How To Get There

If you’re lucky enough to live in Launceston, Ben Lomond is about 70km (1 hour drive) directly east. I found the easiest way of finding Ben Lomond if you are not living in the centre of Tasmania is to pretend as if you are driving to Launceston, then follow the road signs that will lead you to the base of Ben Lomond.

Activities

• Tobogganing
• Snowball fights
• Snowman building
• Making snow angels
• Snowboarding
• Skiing
• Cafe area

Skill Level

Beginner to advanced — Beginners can take on the challenge of making a snow angel, the more experienced can take on the highest slopes on a snowboard/skis.

Distance Covered

The distance covered varies around what activities you involve yourself in. Being a snowboarder, I snowboarded about 2km around to the other side of the mountain with all my camera gear for a fantastic sight! The rest of the gang hung around the cafe around 100m from the car park, obsessed with the sound of snowballs hitting each other’s faces.