Tour de ski: A winter bike packing and multisport adventure

What do you get when you put an ecologist and two photographers together on a bike packing adventure to Kosciuszko in winter?

A good time, apparently! We caught up with Jaime Askew who, along with her creative videographer friends Hayden Griffith and Tim Clark, planned and executed the multi-day bike pack from their backyards in Wollongong to the peaks of Thredbo using loaded-up panniers on their gravel bikes. Oh, and we forgot to mention; they carried their skis and bashed a backcountry route up to the peak of Thredbo to complete their adventure.

A bike packing convert through COVID, Jaime describes close friend Hayden as ‘the ringleader’ and visionary, stating that ‘I think this idea has been mulling for many years behind the scenes. He called me one day and proposed the idea. Up until a few days prior to the trip, I was unaware of what we were doing. I was under the impression we were riding around our area for a few days, not riding from our houses to the snow with all the ski gear – it was kind of a surprise for me.’

But being a lover of adventure, Jaime couldn’t help but jump straight into the trip, which also acted as a fundraiser for hyper-local ecology charity Keep it Cool, which focuses on regenerating the Snowies region with native seedlings. As an ecologist and videographer, the trio has an intimate knowledge of the region through their use of drones for surveying and videography, allowing a deeper understanding and connection to the land than just experiencing it on foot, bike, or ski. This drove them to support the future of this pristine environment alongside the Keep it Cool foundation.

Traveling on their gravel bikes, their Trek, Surly, and Kona’s were packed up with panniers and skis strapped to the center of the frame with as many straps as possible. While Jaime prefers a more minimaltisc ‘pure bike packing’ setup, the snowy conditions and addition of skis and boots mandated some extra luggage.

‘In terms of bike packing, we have all varied experiences. I have been bike packing for a few years – it’s my new fixation. Hayden has as well. Tim had never been bike packing before this trip – he jumped in the deep end, it was quite admirable. He nailed it.’

Now might be a good time to check out AMB’s Bike Packing Pocket Guide here.

The 473km route focused on backroads and a smattering of gravel as long as the trio could venture: from Wollongong to Nowra, inland to Braidwood, then to Cooma and towards Thredbo. The trio averaged around 90-100km on fully loaded bikes, around 8hrs on the saddle most days, only reducing the distance down as they hit the unforgiving altitude and vert of the high country.

‘We weren’t even sure that we were going to get to the snow. We were planning on finding somewhere in the bush in the snow to leave the bikes. Thankfully we had some friends who were there who acted like a support vehicle and we piled all the bikes into the car and they joined us on the backcountry section,’ said Jaime.

The trip wasn’t without support, both culinary and emotionally, as Jaime describes: ‘We had our location live and our friends found us each day.

‘The morale stayed high as well as we had a lot of really kind drop-off deliveries from parents and supporters which we were so grateful for. Tim’s mum stopped off on the side of Braidwood Rd and opened up her car boot; it was full of lollies and bacon and egg rolls and coffee and fruit…it really helped.’

‘We were extremely lucky – we had incredible weather for most of it aside from half a day of gnarly side winds out of Braidwood. It was a really successful trip. We had a blowout 12km into the ride, Tim’s rack had come apart and was dragging on the rear tire. It was kind of looking grim for a second there – 12km in…geez what’s to come – but we figured something out until we could replace the rack, then we didn’t have a single issue the rest of the trip. It was a bit of good luck, a bit of good gear, and a lot of high morale throughout the trip.’

‘We all have a pretty good relationship with each other. While it was my first adventure with Tim, we still knew each other well enough to know when we needed that extra boost from each other and know when that space or silence was more helpful. It always helps when you have your own beats or music going on.’

Passing Thredbo, the trio kept pedaling in the thin mountain air about 6km past the village to Dead Horse Gap, where they ditched the gravel bikes and continued the adventure on skis. This time it was Jaime’s turn for a first: ‘I had never done split boarding before; it was my first time. We were hiking up to the top of the treeline on the first day and there was a snowstorm.

‘We set up camp and woke up at the top of the treeline for a bluebird day and knee-deep powder. It was a winter wonderland, it was amazing.’

‘Tim and Hayden are more experienced backcountry skiers. As videographers, they have spent more time on the mountain professionally. They are so comfortable in that place and they put that confidence in me which felt very good.’

They then toured out to Cootapatamba hut – a designated survival shelter built for adventurers stranded in Kosciuszko in poor weather.

Jaime says of the experience: ‘For someone new to the sport, I was pretty overwhelmed and blown away by how freeing backcountry skiing is…you scout out a good line and you run it. I was having a blast, my body was pretty exhausted, but I couldn’t really tell at the time. I paid for it when I got back.’

The final piece of the puzzle came on the last day, where they ski toured to the top of Thredbo and skied down: a very different experience of Thredbo than many AMB readers.

As they slowly made their way back to Wollongong (an adventure itself featuring catching rides with friends, hitchhiking, Tim’s ever-helpful mum, and a train ride), Jaime’s body was weary but she was able to solidify the next adventure: a European trip from Morocco to Germany in the European winter. The trio raised nearly $5000 for Keep it Cool; you can donate to the charity here.