While the east coast 'sweltered' in the rare winter warmth of 24 Celsius, two dozen hardy souls took to Perisher for the second annual NSW Ski Orienteering Championships on Sunday.
25 starters braved temperatures around zero (but which felt like about -7C) to take on the three courses set for Big Foot by their resident Swede Patrik Gunnarsson.
South Australian Ben Rattray (he of the Orienteering Australia introductory videos) took out the long course in 2.05.08, less than a minute clear of James Bailie. Mace Neve, a Victorian orienteer living in Canberra, won the medium and Wendy Hughes prevailed in the short novice course.
Garingal's Nicole Sellin was third on the novice course, while clubmate and ONSW junior Duncan Currie (pictured, left) unfortunately was one of several athletes to mispunch - will we soon see a 'Jeff' cartoon based on ski-o?.
OACT's David Poland reports: "Route choice was paramount with rain and the slow snow favouring those good navigators who risked leaving the groomed trails to cut corners and follow the map detail. Several newcomers had a go. Some had never orienteered before, some had never skied before and one had never even seen snow before! It was an exhilarating if rather wet day for all.
We thank Big Foot, Patrik and the Perisher XC week people for allowing us to put on such a pioneering event.
Results are on Eventor.
