Taking your children to Lake Mountain for a day at the snow is great fun for them (and you!) … provided you’re well prepared for the cold. Up on the mountain it could be foggy, windy, snowing or all three.

What to wear

To stay warm and comfortable in alpine areas the trick is to keep your head, hands and feet warm, and to dress your core in layers of breathable fabrics:

• Base layer. Merino or polypropylene thermal underwear is best. Merino is more expensive but has excellent temperature-regulating properties.
• Mid layer. Polar fleece clothing is the best combination of weight and warmth for your mid layer. Cotton hoodies, sweatshirts or trackie pants are not usually warm enough on their own and they get wet very easily, but they can work OK with a thermal base layer and a proper waterproof outer layer.
• Outer layer. When you have a waterproof and windproof jacket and pants you simply don’t notice the weather. They’re expensive to buy but worth every penny when the weather’s poor. Luckily, they’re cheap to rent! You can hire your outer layer jacket from us from just $10 a day for adults and kids.
• Gloves and boots. Keeping your hands and feet warm and dry at the snow is super important, especially when conditions are damp. Waterproof and insulated gloves and boots are best – we hire snowboots at $10 a day for adults and $8 a day for children. For safety and hygiene reasons we don’t hire out gloves but we do sell a good range at competitive prices.
• Beanie. You lose most of your body heat through your head, so wearing a beanie is a really easy way to stay warm.
• Goggles or sunnies. Sunnies are usually OK, but goggles are better. You’ll definitely need goggles if the weather’s terrible or you’re planning to really carve it up on the toboggan slope.

Taking shelter

It's a good idea to take a break from the snowplay every now and again and warm up inside with a hot drink or some food. On dry days you'll only need to warm up for a few minutes before heading back outside, but on wet, snowing or windy days taking a break inside gives you time to dry out your gloves and goggles so that your hands stay warm and your visibility stays good.

It's especially important to give children time to warm up - they'll tell you they're warm but they're probably not!

Food options

Part of staying warm is eating well. Lake Mountain has a cafe/restaurant with a range of food options at reasonable prices but it can get busy, especially on sunny days.

Many visitors opt to bring a packed lunch or buy it in Marysville on the way up, leave it in the car and then fetch it when it’s time for a snack. The car park at Lake Mountain is only a short walk from the toboggan slopes and the main shelter.