What to take on VBCF tour


The following gear is mandatory:

  • Skiiers: Skis with touring bindings and skins for climbing slopes

  • Snowboarders: Splitboard setup and skins for climbing slopes

  • Pending on weather conditions. Will announce eligibility closer to festival weekend:

    • Tele Skis + Skins (Must have skins. Pattern alone is not sufficient)

    • Snowboard + Snowshoes

  • Helmet, ideally with adjustable ventilation. Check your goggles fit it.

  • Poles 3 piece

  • Avalanche kit – avalanche transceiver, snow shovel and avalanche probe

  • Batteries in transceiver above 50% power

  • Backpack – 20-30 litres is a good size for day trips. A tool compartment for probe and shovel, goggle pocket and pole attachments are very handy.

  • Clothing – outer waterproof shell layer (jacket and pants) and multiple inner layers to regulate warmth. No cotton.

  • Gloves – warm pair for cold conditions and lighter pair for warmer conditions

  • Googles – magnetic interchangeable lenses are very handy for changing light

  • Sunscreen and lip balm

  • Water bottle or bladder – drink tubes should be insulated to prevent freezing

  • Food – lunch and high energy snacks

  • Mobile phone – keep the battery charged

The following gear is highly recommended but not mandatory in gear check at safety briefing:

  • Ski or splitboard crampons are very handy to have

    • For some tours, crampons and ice axe/whippet are mandatory. Read the fine print before booking.

  • Poles with self arrest grip(s) if steep slopes will be skied

  • Headlamp – suitable for skiing at night

  • Ski straps – good for securing skis on packs, can be used for emergency repairs

  • Sunglasses – snow rated ideally

  • Whistle – pea-less and loud

  • Navigation equipment – map, compass, GPS

  • First aid kit – lightweight

  • A small powerbank is good to have too if you can carry the extra weight

Gear hire

Tirol Sports at Hotham have the following limited BC gear for hire as well as a range of backcountry equipment for sale:

  • Avi backpacks x 4

  • Splitboards x 4

  • Touring Skis x 4

https://www.tirolsports.com.au/

Everest Sports Bright offer Alpine Touring Skis + Boots, Avi Backpacks (Beacon, Probe and Shovel) for hire. Everest also hires out Telemark Skis with Skins.

https://everestsports.com.au/

Bumps Elsternwick offers backcountry gear rental.

  • Touring skis from DPS, Blizzard, K2, Dynafit and Salomon. They are all mounted with a mixture of Market Kingpins, Barons and Tours, Dynafit Radical 2 and G3.

  • We offer a complete Avalanche pack with includes BCA Tracker 3, shovel and probe.

https://bumps.com.au/

You can rent backcountry equipment from OneTree Sports at Hotham Central. Rent your skis or splitboard, beacon, probe and shovel, snowshoes, poles and helmet, all in one go.

https://www.mthotham.com.au/on-mountain/during-your-stay/retail-shopping/one-tree-sports

Snow Monkey at Jack Frost have Alpine Touring Skis, Splitboards and Avi Backpacks that come with shovel, probe and beacon. Supply is limited so bookings are recommended.

https://www.snowmonkey.com.au/contact-us/