If you are looking for chairlifts and well groomed down hill powder runs, Lake Mountain is not for you. Similarly it is unlikely to attract those looking for the nightlife of Thredbo Village, or even Jindabyne. However, if you are looking for a great place to do some cross country skiiing, or a place to introduce your children to snow and toboggans, the Lake Mountain Resort is a fantastic place to visit.
I’m sure I won’t do the place justice by rambling on about how great it is for a family full of children that have never experienced snow, but that is really what we got out of it. There are plenty of amenities including toilets, cafe, toboggan and ski equipment hire, ski lessons and more.
We were very lucky that it had snowed the night before we arrived, because the day before there was only one tiny patch of man made snow in the resort. Early June is not the time to be heading to the snowfields, but we were lucky this time around. As we were in the middle of a road trip, we were only staying for the day, and didn’t have sufficient clothing for anything too hardcore, so limited ourselves to a bit of walking and of course the toboggans. As it turned out, an hour of walking up the hill and sliding down again was more than enough to tire everyone out (15mins for some of us!) and to ensure we were damp and very cold.
To top off the experience nicely, it snowed the entire time we were there. It really was a beautiful experience. The only downside is that the kids all want to try snowboarding and alpine skiing now.
I can thoroughly recommend Lake Mountain Resort as a great place to take the family for a bit of fun in the snow. Significantly cheaper than a day at one of the established alpine resorts. It is only a few hours from Melbourne, or even better still, stay in Marysville. Just at the bottom of the mountain, about 22km away, Marysville was devastated by bushfires in February 2009. The community is rebuilding, but they could do with all the business in town they can get. Make a real day of your trip and teach the kids something about this wonderful community at the same time as seeing the snow.
