Winter 2025 in Hotham was my 26th full season in the snow. My first full winter in Hotham, my first having a ‘job’ as a Lodge Manager (for the first half).
I was soooo looking forward to everything and after a few hiccups, my Ute (ol’ Smokey) died in Wagga, and not being allowed in to the lodge for 3 weeks, I was blown away how amazing the lodge was. This photo was taken the morning I left Brisbane for Hotham….
The drive down to Hotham was well planned, and spectacular. My old mate Patch told me to drop in to this old cattle station which has a hot spring. Good call mate!
A day out of Hotham, I was told I wasn’t allowed to move in for 3 weeks. Aggghhhh. Nobodies fault but I had to scramble. I had a couple of days in Bright, this place looks like Colorado or Maine during fall. I even found TJ and Dexter’s Caboose (Aspen Extreme joke).
Hotham crew came up with a solution and my 3 week homeless problem turned in to the most AWESOME office I’ve ever had…..
Then the skiing the got started. Little Spoon and I have had hundreds of days skiing and this is why I’m here (Hotham).
Lodge life was awesome…. lots of cards, I built an igloo, and you know I can’t walk past a baby grand without fingering it. That sounds sooooo terrible, nearly criminal, but it is true. The gendarme (cops) once escorted me out of the Le Château Frontenac in Quebec for doigté the piano. The gorgeous grand piano had locks on it, and with the urging of a couple of dozen folks, I broke the locks and started playing.
In Hotham, the only Baby Grand in town got a fingering. I did have permission to ‘touch’ from the owners.
Late one Friday night, I’m in bed reading and I get a call from the lodge manager next door: “Tom, do you have any room? I’ve got some guys coming up, there was a mix up on the dates and we are full, can you help?”
Hell yeah I can!!!
Bit of a cluster with the folks in Melbourne (hence why I got sacked) but Michael and his crew got in just before midnight. We skied together the next day and all of a sudden, I have this cadre of Ukranian Jews from Melboure, who are all fantastic skiers calling me every two days asking where they can stay and hang out. They fed me and were a fantastic/random ski buddies. They invited me on the Japan trip…..
After a magnificent 3 months, I got sacked.
Homeless again, with 4hrs notice but I wasn’t worried. I like this place called Hotham, and before the sun set, I had four folks reach out and offer me a bed.
It was super nice and made me feel pretty warm and fuzzy inside that I was becoming part of the locals.
That is the first half of Winter 2025
The Hotham crew offered me the world, but I didn’t need their help. At the lodge, I had to be there every night for 150 nights in a row. Not one day off, not one day away. Which I loved and loved it. But in the blink of an eye, I had freedom. I’m like a teenager with a car….
So I went to Falls Creek where I first skied at 14yo. I didn’t drink at the Frying Pan Inn when I was 14yo…..
And I had 2 full weeks in Perisher. The Sundeck Hotel…. I have drunk enough for a normal persons lifetime there….. (Fun fact: the people who bought the building where the Hotham piano is, nearly bought the Sundeck).
One of my weeks in Perisher was with the McSmith Family….. There are/will be videos about their trip. I hope they enjoyed their trip, because I loved it!!!
I had the most, ‘bestest’ time skiing Falls and Perisher, but Hotham is home……
I don’t think these pictures need any dribble from me, just marvelous.
