Ben and I went up to Kiandra on Tuesday, but found the snow cover was too light (5-10cm) . So went up to Mt Selwyn (another 10klms away), which is a small budget ski resort ($70 for full day; $60 half day).
Ben (with snow board) and I (with alpine alpine touring skis) walked up 500m to the top of the Home Run Poma and then another kilometre towards a plateau (heading east)which is relatively open for snow kiting.
Ben launched his PL Synergy 12m twin skin kite and took off in gusty 10-20 knots, but found that the wind rising to the plateau created a lot of updraft and he found himself being lofted . I was in the meantime setting up a PL Venom 13m, but decided to pack it up (still getting used to this type of kite). I launched my tiny 2.5m PL Rebble and initially was underpowered, but the wind picked up and I had a ball.
The pics below give some idea of the area we were kiting.
You might describe this area as a budget option, because the only cost (apart from fuel from Canberra) was the $27 park fee which you pay just before you get to Selwyn. If the snow at Kiandra had a deeper depth (5-10cm is a bit shallow for my precious skis!), then the trip would be cheaper still!!
Anway the Plateau was worth it for a day trip.
