The 2024 edition of Oscars 100

We'll be back at it again! On the 16th February we'll give Oscars 100 Hut 2 Hut another shot. Apparently there won't be buckles next year but we all know it isn't about that ✌

Now the deal is similar to the last two years: We'll be gunning for a two day finish on Saturday evening and IF we reached our fundraising goal when we do that, we'll run The Bella on Sunday as well. Once the fundraiser is up and running, I'll pop it here and post it on the socials. The only question which remains is how much do you hate us, how much are you willing to spend to make us suffer and can we reach the goal of 3552 dollarbucks?

 

Geeking out on Oscars 100 2-days pacing

This post is about stepping it up and doing Oscars 100 in 2 days. 

As an engineer I comprehend the world around me in numbers and equations. I try to find patterns in things when I want to understand them or explore options. For Ultra Runners this is very familiar terrain: Cut-offs, pacing, vert, distance and gradients 👉 you heard that one before. And these are just the KPIs around a race; when you go into training metrics, there's no limit to the numbers you can crunch. 

Every Run is a Beer Run

Now how do these race KPIs look for Oscars100? Well first of all Hut 2 Hut is a bit different because it basically has four races with the same distance and the same vert on the same course starting at the same time.

WHAT??

The Four Races of Oscars 100

Yes. That's actually true and as a little bonus you can upgrade or downgrade yourself while being in the race although that has an impact on the cut-off time. Here are the four race options which the RDs conveniently colour-coded:

• Solo
  You're doing it in one hit without overnight stops. All one day cut-off times apply. You are insane.
  
  
• 2-Days - Layover at King Hut
  BIG and dicey first day. Easy second day however the success rate of this option isn't very high. If you're contemplating this, suck it up, train harder and go straight for the solo.
  
  
• 2-Days - Layover at Lovicks Hut
  Easy first day and then a bit of a stretch for the second day. This is a serious step-up from three days.
  
  
• 3-Days - Layover at Lovicks & King Hut
  A good and doable hiking adventure. The third day has some challenging cut-offs.

All of these races start at the same time on Friday morning 5:00 am, go for 100km and have about 5700m of elevation in them. That's why you can upgrade or downgrade yourself. In theory a team which signed up for the 3-Days can just finish the whole thing in one day if they make the cut-offs. It also works the other way around where you can do a layover although that creates a bit of a logistical challenge for the vollies if you don't have overnight gear. 

The Cut-Off Times

The fours sets of cut-off times. The cut-offs of day one for the 3-Day event apply to all options:

Before I dive deeper into the cut-off times, I have to clarify that not all cut-offs are equal. In a normal race - e.g. the Surf Coast Century - cut-off times mean if you don't make them, you DNF. It's pretty straight forward. On a side note this year's 1/2 SCC ( =50km) had very generous times because they were starting on the 2nd half of the 100km course in the early morning which meant a leisurely 22 min/km pace on a flat course was sufficient. H2H also has hard cut-off times and those are definitely the ones between the layover locations. 

The next thing you have to understand is that making a cut-off doesn't mean there's a realistic chance you'll finish the race or even make the next cut-off on the Oscars course. Here's an example: Take the 2pm cut-off at Lovicks on the first day. If you just make this, you need to speed up to make subsequent CPs. Another one: The Solo runners (green) and 2-Days - Layover at Lovicks Hut runners (yellow) have 30 min between GGS Hut / Mt Stirling and Howqua Gap Hut. That converts to a 6:15 min/km pace which you won't do 90km into a race. Either you get there well before that time or you'll DNF.

The third thing is that there are soft cut-offs at the layover points. If you don't make your cut-off but other runners have a later cut-off, you can drop down to the other race option without DNFing. Again Lovicks is a good example: Anyone coming in between 2 pm and 7 pm is allowed to continue the next day. 

Bottom-Line 👉 You can't use the cut-off times as guidance for pacing and a race-plan.

Solo Pacing Sheet

Fortunately there are smart people who analyse past races and give you a good idea what you need to do:

Jonathan created this great spreadsheet for solo runners which gives you a clear picture, if your aim is  finishing the solo. Coming back to the dreadful 2pm Lovicks cut-off it means you can forget about finishing in one day when you sail through the CP past 12:20 noon. Andrew Zhang was the only runner this year who came through Lovicks past that time and still finished the solo - his CP time was 12:22. Everyone after that dropped to a 2-day event or DNFed.

If you're in a position where you can contemplate doing the solo, you weren't born yesterday and know how to use the spreadsheet. 

2-Days Pacing Tactics

I already mentioned that there are two options for the 2-Days events: 2-Days - Layover at King Hut and 2-Days - Layover at Lovicks Hut. And as mentioned previously the first option isn't really worth it and judging by the numbers it's also going a bit out of fashion. As one of the race directors puts it:

 

"Don't aim for King on day one as you have to be up to one-day pace in order to make cut offs" 

I think the King Hut Layover is more of a fall-back position for solo runners so they don't have to DNF. 

Finishing Stats on the Original Course

So here we go! You've done the Archies in a good time or the 3-days Oscars or another Ultra or whatever and now you're eye-balling the Oscars 100 in two days. You're in the right place and this is what you're facing: 

• Day One - Start to Lovicks - 37 km - 2300m vert
  
• Day Two - Lovicks to Finish - 63 km - 3400m vert

Day One doesn't really need much explanation because you've either done it or you should be perfectly capable of figuring this one out. Don't go too fast but also don't go too slow because too much time on the trail is also exhausting. It's not rocket surgery 🚀

Day Two is the important day ... 🥁 ... Surprise! Let's go through it in order. The first 13 km to Gantner Hut are super enjoyable especially since you should be fairly fresh. Don't mind the cut-off times because they are there for what I suspect logistical reasons. Realistically you should leave Gantner before 8 am. I suspect the generous cut-off at 11 am only exists so it's unlikely runners need to be carted out of Gantner and can simply be picked up from the Mount Speculation carpark. Accessing Gantner Hut from Mt Buller is fun ... but a VERY long 4WD trip. 

The next cab off the rank is the decision point at King Hut. Should you stay or should you go? If you're leaving the CP at 6 pm on the dot, you have 1:30 h to get to Craigs Hut. When I did this uphill slog during the three days event in 2019, I scooped it up on well rested legs in 1:26 h and I was the first through the checkpoint on that morning. You are not going to make the same time that late in the day. Therefore: 

Leave King Hut at 4 pm at the latest 

This puts you in a far better position to make it. Anything after 4 pm, I'd downgrade myself to three days and grab the buckle the next morning. Don't fall into the trap of using your 3-days times from King Hut to the Finish as the time for your 2-days race plan. Back in 2019 it took me 5:12h (on fresh legs, remember?) and this year it was 7:03h (on not so fresh legs).

How fast Do I need to be?

That's the million dollar question. Are you fit enough to make it and what is a realistic finishing time? The classic way to answer that is to stalk some runners who finished and find their finishing times of other races you've done as well. Here's the link to the Oscars 100 2022 Race Results. Positions 46 to including 83 did the 2-Days Lovicks and obviously finished. The Tomato Timing website allows you to search all results by name. 

The pitfall is that there is always a story to a race. Looking at one runner is barely enough. For example if you punch in my name, you'll find this list (I added the finishing times here):

What does this tell you? The Sharpy times seem to be consistent so if you've done that in 2:30ish, you might be fine. The Hut2Hut Saturday in 2021 was basically the Archies however there's a huge difference  to the Friday. And the seven hours for the 1/2 SCC look doable.

Now here are the stories: Sharpy runs are good - there's no fluke. I ran the Hut2Hut Friday with a mate and we took our time. Saturday I went solo and could go way faster on not so tired legs.  When I did the 1/2 SCC I just came out from a big slump and got way fitter after that. That could give you a false sense of security

• Sharpy times, you got a good indication however it is a short race.
• Hut2Hut Saturday time you might think this is too fast for you although you could do it.
• SCC 50km time you could be overly confident and run into trouble.

We need more DATA!

That's not a problem. Not at all. I took the finishers from 2019 and 2022 who did the 2 Day Lovicks and cross-checked their times with various other races and then you get this table:

I marked four suspected outliers. These could be an injury or simply a case of the guys couldn't be bothered that day. Who knows ... Anyway. Once you take them out it becomes a clear picture. 

Your Archie time needs to be sub 12h - better sub 11h

and/or 

your SCC100 time shouldn't be much more than 15h. 

There you have it. That was a lengthy explanation but it shows you that this works for pretty much every race. It's a great way to give you the confidence to finish in your target time once you got a couple of races under your belt you can use to compare. It also helps keeping your records straight so you can put your finishing times in context. Was I coming out of recovery or was it a prime condition race for you?

👉 You'll find all the tables and graphs in this spreadsheet

👉 If you found this helpful, donations for our fundraiser are still open 

Always remember: Every Run is a Beer Run 

Cheers 🍻 

Philipp

Breakfast Beer at Speculation CP

P.S.: The Old Report

Back in 2019 I wrote a "race report" which is still surprisingly accurate. Remember I wasn't a runner back then. This was aimed at those who wanted to do their first Oscars and I covered a couple of topics. However let me add some remarks here:

• Course
  That's still accurate ... unless bushfires or a pandemic divert you onto another course. In 2020 the bushfires dropped everyone on the Archies loop for two times and lightning strike created a messy pile of poles. The Rona hit in 2021 and once again it was the Archies two times although this time there was no overnight camping in the valley. Fortunately 2022 didn't plague us with locusts or a flood and we were back on the original course.
  
  
• Training
  Consistency beats Motivation. 
  
  
  
• Gear
  I wrote you can have your dry pack weight at sub 6kg. Looking back that should be your absolute maximum. If you throw some money and smarts at it, you can easily push that down to about 3kg. 
  
  
• Tactics
  Yep. Also still valid although I'd emphasise the point of utilising your GPS watch as well as a race plan as per above.
  
  
• Support Crew
  Forget the part about UHF. We had Garmin inReach devices which are almost a must if you have a support crew. 

Winter Is Here ... and C19

It has been a while since the last post ... I got busy and then the whole SARS-CoV-2 shits-how started. You know all about it. 

Let's start on a good note: We got a beautiful new team member. Little Winter joined the crew in late May and although adventuring is a bit limited, we're still getting enough fresh air to be prepared for the trips ahead. Her older brother is pretty stoked to show her the ropes. 

Now going from Winter (Baby) to Winter (Season), I've restarted the Natural Snow Depth Tracker. Spoiler: So far there's just a bit of dusting and Falls Creek & Hotham have postponed their season opening until the 6.7.2020. In short we haven't missed anything. 

Obviously it's way too early to write this season off and hopefully it will be good enough for some backcountry fun. In doubt ask the Grasshopper because he has the latest intel on the fluffy white.

Victorian Winter Trips

Obviously the virus slashed most trips until now and the spike in community transmission doesn't spark confidence in organised trips going ahead. Currently the numbers are limited to 10 people as they're classified as outdoor gatherings. The Mountain Sports Collective has a series of events in the line-up. The upcoming Uni trips (MUMC & ROC) have a questing mark hanging over them. Carpooling isn't happening and nobody knows whether the trips go ahead at all. Alpine SAR Victoria has announced they're doing their main training event if restrictions allow it. The Alpine Club Melbourne has only two trips lined up but given the circumstances that's not too shabby.

Here we go:

• ROC Intro to splitboarding - Mt Stirling Fri 24 - Sun 26 Jul  
• MSC Slay Safe - Falls Creek 30th / 31st July
• aSAR Alpine Rescue Training - Mt Baw Baw Fri 14 Aug - Sun 16 Aug
• AVM Winter Camp - Feathertop Sat 15 Aug - Sun 16 Aug
• MSC Slay Safe - Mount Hotham 27th / 28th August
• ROC Christmas just in July - Edmonson's Hut, Falls Creek Fri 31 Jul - Sun 2 Aug
• MUMC Midnight Ascent - Feathertop Fri 28 Aug - Sun 30 Aug
• AVM Stirling Snow Camp - Mt Stirling Sat 29 Aug - Sun 30 Aug
• Backcountry Festival - Mount Hotham  Fri 4 Sep - Sun 6 Sep
• MSC Slay Safe - Main Range 24th / 25th September

Let's keep the fingers crossed 🤞 that the covidiots don't ruin it for us. I won't bother telling you how the access to the resorts works since that might change tomorrow and you're better of checking the right website from the start. Just keep in mind simply rocking up isn't an option this year.

Crowded Backcountry?

Mont Equipment Facebook Ad

With the immanent opening of the resorts and the limitations at the same time, it's not a surprise that the chatter in backcountry forums has picked up. Of course this includes the usual suspects getting stoked but there are also more than usual noobie questions - which isn't bad at all, better ask than being dead. On top of that are so many gear requests that I wasn't the only one wondering if this is above the usual.

If people use SARS-CoV-2 as an opportunity to finally make a move on their backcountry aspirations, it should not come as a surprise. I think this is a good thing since more backcountry lovers means a bigger voice for access and better availability of gear because there's money in it. In that spirit we should reach out a helping virtual hand and be nice to each other. However this also might come with a couple of challenges. 

First of all the meat-works outbreaks around the globe should have taught us that cold & wet indoor spaces are to be avoided. Yes - don't use the huts. I know this is hard for some but it's far better than killing Nanna. Some huts will have a sign limiting the amount of people who can be in there e.g. Bluff Spur Hut is limited to 4 people however the reasonable thing would be not to go in there at all. Also check out the box about Cleve Cole Hut below.

The second thing is that enthusiasm and interest are no substitute for knowledge and experience. The backcountry is littered with hazards, like rocks under the shallow surface, avalanches, hypothermia, carbon-monoxide poisoning, camp fire burns, icy slip'n slides or exposure. Only time will tell whether this is a good combination with beginners heading for the hills. Anecdotally SES Bright, BSAR and Police SAR Victoria expect some call-outs. 

That said if you're one of those beginners, check out events like the Alpine Club's Winter Camp or the MSC Slay/Safe program. They are really good and free for members.

Personally I don't expect this year to be a rescue disaster. Most rescues don't result in a major call-out anyway - as we've seen it on the Razorback last year. 

Slay Safe ⛄

Cheers Philipp

COVID-19 Parks Victoria have asked the Mount Bogong Club  to ensure that the rules put in place by the Chief  Health Officer are respected at the Cleve Cole Hut.  This means a maximum of eight people inside the hut 1.5 metre social distancing is maintained no cooking or sleeping in the hut  fill out the visitors’ book for contact tracing purposes. supply and use your own hand and surface sanitisers. Sanitise all surfaces after use - this includes toilet door handles. IF THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT MET  THE CLEVE COLE MEMORIAL HUT MAY  BE CLOSED BY PARKS VICTORIA.

Wahooo! It's Winter!

And we're off to a good start - 5. June marks the first day for which snow-data get's recorded and statistically 92% of all seasons since 1993 have less than 10cm of snow or are completely dry. Not today!

Both Mount Buller and Hotham got a good dump last week and now we just have to hope the Winter keeps delivering. If you want to know how this season will do, check out the Grasshopper's June Outlook. Downunder our shred-fests are dependant on the big climate drivers El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) but the Grasshopper can explain their impact much better than I could.

If you want to know how the season is progressing, I'll track it on this page:

Natural Snow Depths 2019

This excludes any snow-making which means it gives you an idea of surrounding backcountry areas. The Mount Buller numbers are good for the Bluff and Stirling while Hotham gives you an indication of Feathertop and the Bogong High Plains.

Cheers 🍻

Philipp

P.S.: ... some pics from the early season opening @ Buller

Stolz wie Oscar!

tl;dr: fucking awesome event. do it.

In German there's a saying "Stolz wie Oskar sein" which translates to being proud as Oscar and it means you're really happy about something you achieved. Oscar is the oldest son of Shell and Andy and diagnosed to be on the spectrum. He is the spark why we're doing this ... and of course he's a pretty awesome kid.

Only downhill from here

Oscar's 100 Hut 2 Hut for Beginners 

You've never done an 100 km event before or you just want to push yourself. Welcome, you came to the right place. I've done some interesting stuff but it's always more fun to punish yourself when it has meaning. This post is for those who want to do the three-day Hut2Hut event and need a bit of an introduction. Let's face it: If you can do the two or even one day event, you already know what you're doing, right? That said I'm not a runner but I've finished in 2019. Now why are we doing this? It's pretty simple:

• Great Cause
• Great Course
• Great Crew

We got a little group of adventurers together to raise funds for two great local charities which are close to home and our hearts - Irabina and Mansfield Autism Statewide Services. Autism still doesn't get the attention, understanding and funding it needs so we did something about it. 

4 Mile Spur in the morning

We had six runners who started the race but only three got across the finish line. Yes this is brutal and one of the hardest 100 km events you can find in Australia. That said - you can't fail this event. The outlook of punishing yourself is so daunting that you're already a winner once you give it a try.

Five of us tried the three day event (overnight stops at Lovicks and King Hut) while Bich aimed to hit this in one go. The event is designed to push you to your limits and brutal cut-off times should infuse some anxiety so you know what autistic children have to face every day. The overall drop out rates seem to confirm that this is working. I had my low points where I was wondering why am I doing this but the reminder was always there on my race bib: Oscar. I am fortunate enough that nobody in my family is struggling with autism, mental health or any other issues but the thought that people appreciate my effort and I can raise money and awareness for some who are less fortunate kept me going.

Enough babbling.

The Course

Now let's get into. The course is very similar to the Buller Huts Trail which is a 7-day hike. Let's chop off 4 days and add a couple of 100m of elevation et voilà you got yourself a Hut 2 Hut course. You can have a look at my strava track here but that won't tell you much so let me break it down. I've marked the evil and gruesome sections in red. When you're on them remember that you can't win the race on these sections - but you can lose it! I'll get back to them in the training section. Although the first two days don't have official cut-off times, the sweepers will still clean you up at their discretion. 

Hut2Hut Course Overview

Day 1 - 37.5 km

• Start to 4 Mile Spur - this is basically the warm up. You're pumped and it's not much of an effort. Go for it. If you can bypass a lot of hikers, chances are you're not getting stuck behind them on the next section.
• 4 Mile Spur - you basically descend the highest elevation change possible in Victoria in one hit 1400m before breakfast which means your knees take a beating right from the start. The Staircase at Bogong is far less brutal >> train going downhill on rugged and steep terrain. 
• Howqua Valley - this is a pleasant single trail along the river. If you can, hit it. This is a prime opportunity to make some good time but leave a lot of energy for what's coming next. If it's a hot day, it is worth considering to put the foot down so you're on 8 Mile Spur before the heat strikes.
• 8 Mile Spur - what goes down, must come up. This is where the first big bulk of participants DNF (Did Not Finish). Avoid my mistake at Refrigerator Gap aid station and don't stuff your face. You still have to get up The Bluff. 
• The Bluff - from Refrigerator Gap you have to climb to the top of The Bluff. If it's a sunny day, you're getting cooked on top of being exhausted. Again don't rush it or you'll DNF. Once you're at the top, it's a fairly easy hike to the Bluff Hut where the Peninsula 4X4 Club will give you a warm welcome. 
• Bluff to Lovicks Hut - now you're on the home-stretch for day one. This is on a 4WD track so it's best to take it slow. Save your energy for the next day. Once you arrive, your camp hosts the Port Phillip 4WD Club will look after you.

Elevation Profile - Hut2Hut vs. Oxfam 2019

Day 2 - 34 km

• Lovicks to AAWT turn off - again you're on a graded 4WD track so go for it.
• AAWT turn off to Vallejo Gantner Hut - this is the easier part of the wilderness area. It's a single trail which can be run at times so you might as well go for it to avoid time in the heat later in the day.
• Cross Cut Saw - the track is rather technical which means it wears you out. Fast. Once you hit Mt Buggery, the terrain eases off a bit but you still have a good climb all the way up to Mt Speculation. After that it's a short ditch down to the aid station at Camp Creek
• Speculation Road - this is the longest flat stretch of the whole course. Unless you're keen to arrive at camp super early, take your time and prepare yourself for the next upcoming challenge.
• Muesli Spur - this is a Schlampe (aka fucking bitch). If you thought 4 Mile Spur was hard, you'll hate this shit. It basically is a rocky path which just goes steeper and steeper and steeper until it's almost vertical. Losing your footing will have dire consequences so play it safe. Once you're past the boulder-field, the hard bit is done and you're on the home-stretch.
• King Basin Road - this is only 1km once you hit the road again. Run into camp, get a hero's welcome from the Yarra Valley 4X4 Club and enjoy the evening among friends at King Hut.

Day 3 - 28.5 km

Now keep in mind that the third day has - unlike the others - rather anxiety infusing cut-off times. You need to be across the finish line by 12 noon which leaves you 7 hours and a lot of participants finish with less than 60 minutes to go. Your average pace needs to be at least 4 km/h including breaks! I'll give you my times and my recommendation what should be the latest time when you should leave the check-points so you're finishing (philipp / recommended latest / cut-off). 

• Climb to Craig's Hut (p: 6:30 / rl: 7:00 / co: 7:30) - this morning starts with a river crossing. Depending how your feet are holding up, you should choose wisely whether you're marching through or better take your shoes off. After that it's JAFC (juste une autre putain de montée). Technically easy and after a good night sleep this shouldn't be too hard ... except that now the clock is ticking!
• Craig's to Geelong Grammar Hut (p:7:20 / rl: 8:00 / co: 8:30) - It's a short stint over a 4WD track however there are a lot of loose rocks. This is definitely ankle-twist territory so be careful. At the same time it's also a good opportunity to make good time.
• Geelong Grammar to Howqua Gap Hut (p: 8:00 / rl: 8:50 / co: 9:00) - the section of the trail is pretty much similar to the previous one except much more downhill. If you can run steeper trails downhill fast, this is your place to shine.
• Howqua Gap Hut to Village Circuit Road* (p: 9:05 / rl: 10:40 / co: ---) - here you're basically bypassing Corn Hill on some old 4WD track and a lot of MTB trails. There's no steepness and you just have to keep a good pace.
• Home Run (p: 10:00 / co: 12:00) - this is the last one to one and a half hour of the event. If you haven't kept yourself hydrated and fed, you'll pay for that now. Once you made it to the summit, you got it in the bag. Now you'll be so stoked that you'll fly off the mountain over the finish line. Take it all in because you deserve it!

*This is not a checkpoint but gives you an indication how you're going for time.

The Training

Personally I don't think there's much of a point about training on the trail. The track markers are superb and you almost can't get lost - unless you master intentional stupidity. However I do recommend to do at least one of the red sections in advance so you get a feeling for the ruggedness of the terrain - especially if you haven't done things like that before. The other thing worth considering is to do day three as a test-run. If you make it in time, it's a good boost in confidence and if you don't, you know you got work to do.
Of course the the area around the Cross Cut Saw and Vallejo Gantner is pretty spectacular. If you can organise a car shuffle or swap, absolutely do it! 

My preferred training pack

In general I did two things: Normal running and hiking with a pack. I don't need to explain how running training works since there are roughly 2.405.215 training plans available on the internet. If you own a Garmin device, you'll find them at connect.garmin.com/modern/training-plan. Pick one ... or just start running. If you didn't run for a while, it sucks. I think it still sucks so get over it.

Hiking is similar - you just have to do it. This is also your only chance to refine the gear you're using with one exception: The pack weight - aim for 17kg to 20kg during training. This way you strengthen all those muscles which support the extra weight. Your race pack will be much lighter and if you've done your heavy pack-hikes, you won't even feel the race pack. I did 15 km to 20 km of hiking every weekend, preferably on hills with the big pack.

Around Melbourne you got a lot of choice for training hikes: Plenty Gorge, Mount Macedon, Mount Riddell, Mount Everard, Wirrawill Loop, Sugerloaf Reservoir and the infamous Mount Juliet. Yes there are a lot of mountains which isn't an accident. 

Only running and hiking is probably not a balanced training therefore you should think about whacking in the occasional, cross fit, bike riding, climbing, horse riding or whatever-else-you-like-session.

The Gear 

Ha! My favourite topic :) You're not taking much - especially if you have a support crew but that little bit will be pricey. The aim is to keep your pack as light as possible. Don't take anything which isn't on the mandatory gear list unless you absolutely need it e.g. personal medication or blister tape. Seriously - don't! The only additional two things I took was an inReach which came in handy once or twice and loo paper - "cheek clenching" is a thing in running. I'll leave it at that.

• Running Wear
  Let's start easy with the stuff you'll be wearing. Everyone got their own little recipe what works and what not. Just make sure you avoid blisters, (nipple) chafing and sunburn. Again the internet is full of wisdom. In doubt go to Bogong Equipment and have a chat to the staff - they're more than happy to take the time and chose what's right for you. This is especially true for shoes. If you want great ones, you're not getting around a proper shoe fitment.
• Mandatory Pack
  The upper limit for your pack should be 6kg dry (=without water). Yes we are absolutely counting grams! I've added a gear list which is linked below. If you're new to trail-running or ultra-light hiking, you probably need to go shopping.  Of course you can go with cheaper gear and a heavier pack however do you really want to wonder whether you would have made it with a lighter pack when the sweeper cleans you up? Only take an ultra-light sleeping bag and mat with you - the real sleeping gear can live in the drop bag. These two things can be cheap because you won't use them. Actually the lightest mat I found was a closed cell foam mat from Kathmandu for $11. After a bit of size-optimising I got it down to 120g.
• Drop Bag
  You need a complete spare set of clothing including shoes. Shit happens and you might want to replace some things before starting the next day. If you have a support crew, load it up. Your real sleeping gear should live here (see previous point) as well as other things like a blister treatment kits, body glide (anti-chafing), puffy jackets and whatever else you want to have at the camp. 

In general your gear should be dialled in weeks before the event, you need to know exactly what and how it works. There's no time for experiments otherwise you're risking a DNF. I did the dumb mistake and trialled new shoes ten days before and I almost had to take an unhealed blister into the event.

Hut 2 Hut Gear List

The Tactics 

There are a couple of things which helped me getting across the finish line. Some are obvious and some are more obscure. 

• Tailwind - this is an energy and electrolyte drink. It looks like coke and is almost as pricey but it works. It got me up Ama Dablam and it definitely helped getting me across the red sections of this event as well. You can buy it at Bogong Equipment. I know there are other products out there people swear by. If you found something which works for you, keep using it ... hopefully it's legal.
• Make a race plan - you're doing this in a team of two therefore you should agree what you're going to do in advance. When your fitness levels are similar this probably isn't an issue  however if there's a bit of a difference, you need to have a chat about it. Keep in mind the rules require you to stick together.
• Have a pre-race checklist - coming Friday morning you don't want to think about whether you forgot something. Things like anti-chafing measures, cut your toe-nails a week before and put your phone on charge on Thursday night, should all be on there.
• GPS watch - personally I found a GPS watch very helpful not only during the event but also leading up to it. It gave me a good idea where I am with my training and of course during the event how am I going. 
• Use poles - it's like vaccinations. Actual scientists say it's great so don't try to outsmart smart people. That has never ended well. Once you got the hang of it you'll never hike without them.

  

  Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc participants with poles

• Short checkpoint stops - this matters on the third day. In and out. You have no time to lose. Get your water refilled. Eat some lollies and off you go.
• Get bed-ready straight away - Once you arrive at camp, get ready for bed immediately. Pitch your tent, make your bed, sort your stuff for the next day and eat. After that you can relax.
• Go to bed early - yes you'll be stoked that you made it this far and you want to tell everyone about it or chat with your crew and fellow runners. There's 4G at Lovicks but that's not an excuse. OFF TO BED!!!
• Read the Handbook - I know nobody ever reads the manual but you can get a lot of questions answered. You'll just avoid the RTFM reply.

The Support Crew

In case you're lucky enough to have some 4WD friends who support you in this endeavour, here are some useful tips for them.

Messy Camp

• When driving watch out for runners on the trail. If you see one coming your way, stop and let them pass.
• Be at the overnight camp early to grab a good spot. You don't want to be too close to the check-point marquee (noisy) and too far from the food and toilets. 
• Don't let yourself get parked in. You might have to leave and collect someone or something.
• Don't rely on the race trackers. They are a bit behind and they drop out if there isn't any phone reception which is the case from the middle of Muesli Spur all the way to Craig's Hut. Maybe your runner carries a UHF radio but an inReach is better.
• Pitch the runner's tent, make their bed and have a camp-chair ready. If you can, collect your runner from the check-point and lead them to your spot.
• When your runners arrive at camp they might be in a bad shape. It's your responsibility to manage them. Get them into fresh and warm clothes, get food and water into them and handle other issues.
• Second camp/night at King Hut: If you have more than one vehicle, you can keep one up at Craig's within phone reception to monitor the runner's progress. You can relay that information down into the camp via UHF because it's a black spot. 

Do the 100km still sound daunting? They aren't if you chop them in smaller pieces. Aim for the next check-point, the next feature and repeat. At the end of the day there will be friends who want you to succeed. At the Bluff Hut you'll meet the Peninsula 4X4 Club, at Lovicks the Port Phillip 4WD Club and at King Hut the Yarra Valley 4X4 Club. This year at least the Yarra Valley 4X4 Club had to turn down members to volunteer >> these guys want to be there and want to look after you. This is definitely something you will appreciate. They're just awesome people!

When do you start training?
Cheers 🍻
Philipp

Pictures from 2019

 

Snow, Statistically

If you want to know what's going to happen this season, check out what the Grasshopper has to say. According to him we're looking at a decent average season ... but what does that mean?!?!?

Last year I found some historic snow data and recently - with some creative URL tweaking - I was able to retrieve the 2017 data as well. Last year was actually quite a good season with an early start, a bit lazy but average first half and then from mid August onward it dumped down well above the long-term average. 

For us this meant the late-season VCC trip to Bogong had plenty of snow (see pics below) and we were able to do some very stupid stuff 😈

2017 Snow Season

Will it be the same this year? Who knows - at least the season got out of bed on the right foot. Below you'll find the long-term snow statistics for Mount Buller with the some upcoming trips* as black dots.  Now taking the Grasshopper's words for granted we're looking at something along the green line. Nice!

Mt Buller Snow Stats with upcoming trips

Whatever your plans are in the Australian High Country for this winter, it does look promising ... unless you don't like snow ... you weirdo ... get off my website!

Pray for snow! 
Cheers
Philipp


 * Not all of these trips are going to the Mt Buller area but this gives you an idea what to expect if you're going on one of them.

Late Season VCC Mountain Trip - Bogong 24./25.9.2017

Data sourced from data.vic.gov.au
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International