Ride to the Ski Area (sorta)

I drove out of town to the beginning of the road up to the Ben Lomond ski area - Tassie's only ski area: 4 Poma's and 2 T-Bars. Looks like maybe 200 feet of vertical.

It's a gravel road - 18 km with about 1100 meter elevation gain, so use the 'cross tires on the bike. There are 3 separate climbing sections separated by long false flats. The first 2 climbs are 9-12% gradients, and then the Jacob's ladder is a switchback climbing about 200 meters gained at 13-14% the first 3 switchbanks, then 16% and 20% for the last 2. On a cross bike with cross tires, and a double crankset, that kind of gradient on gravel is touchy - a little mistake and you're off. I was cooked by the top.

The top is a long plateau false flat up to the ski area itself.

A ski lodge, a small bar/bistro, and rental lodges, duplexes and motel units that look like the've got maybe 100 rooms. Parking lot might hold 200 cars if you pack them in tight. Quaint.

Top was at 1500 meters. Last night was predicted to rain - but with snow down to 900 meters, but there wasn't any snow up there and just damp ground. Bitterly cold wind.

The switchback road section was 1 lane - I guess they expect all the skiers to go up in the morning, and all to come back in the afternoon - no passing expect a pull out at each switchback corner.

I had 2 cars pass me all day. 5 cars in the parking lot, but the restaurant was open.

Coffee shops & cafe's here don't serve brewed coffee - you have to order a "long black" for about $3 - kinda like an Americano except they put the water in the cup first and the Espresso on top so that you get a little foam. Talking to Aussies that have visited the US, they think we have awful coffeee - that horrid brewed stuff.

Ben Lomond is a plateau that is an igneous dolorite block lifted up above huge surrounding dolorite flats. About 5 by 20 km size. The dolorite has all fractured into vertical columns much like basalt, so the cliffs are quite striking. And, even at only 1500 meter (5000 feet) elevation the gently rolling summit is above treeline. Very pretty muted colors this time of year. Supposedly lots of wombats up there, but I didn't see any today.