AURA STATEMENT ON ALPINE CHALLENGE CONDITIONS (UPDATED)

Updated 6:40pm EDST 23 November 2018

Following our earlier statement released this morning regarding the potentially dangerous conditions at the Alpine Challenge event being held tomorrow, we have now received further advice from parties monitoring the weather situation throughout the day.

The advice received includes the following:

“The weather doesn’t seem to have appreciably improved and the snowfall seems considerable. Viewing the snow cams at Falls Creek and Mt Hotham, there appears to be considerable fog descending on the alpine area and that is a major concern.”

“are taking into consideration the serious difficulty navigation will present on snow in a whiteout. Many participants have likely never run on snow, let alone at night or in a whiteout.“

And

“seeing the deteriorating conditions, I feel that regardless of the rerouting of the course, the risks are becoming overwhelming.”

Based on this information, AURA recommends that all participants seriously reconsider their participation in the event given the potentially significantly dangerous conditions.



2̶3̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶2̶0̶1̶8̶

̶

̶A̶U̶R̶A̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶n̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶d̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶a̶r̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶r̶e̶a̶c̶h̶e̶r̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶A̶l̶p̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶C̶h̶a̶l̶l̶e̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶c̶e̶r̶n̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶f̶e̶t̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶e̶t̶i̶t̶o̶r̶s̶.̶

̶

̶W̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶A̶l̶p̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶C̶h̶a̶l̶l̶e̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶U̶R̶A̶ ̶l̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶r̶e̶c̶t̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶l̶i̶g̶h̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶c̶e̶r̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶l̶y̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶r̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶i̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶r̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶p̶o̶n̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶l̶i̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶e̶.̶

̶

̶W̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶A̶U̶R̶A̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶j̶u̶d̶g̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶p̶p̶r̶o̶p̶r̶i̶a̶t̶e̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶i̶d̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶o̶r̶g̶a̶n̶i̶s̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶a̶c̶t̶i̶v̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶l̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶a̶t̶e̶g̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶i̶t̶i̶g̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶r̶i̶s̶k̶s̶.̶

̶

̶A̶U̶R̶A̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶i̶p̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶e̶n̶t̶r̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶l̶t̶i̶m̶a̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶p̶o̶n̶s̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶e̶c̶i̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶a̶r̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶i̶p̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶i̶e̶n̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶r̶e̶a̶c̶h̶e̶r̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶c̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶m̶i̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶s̶e̶v̶e̶r̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶i̶n̶g̶.̶

̶

̶B̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶f̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶o̶n̶e̶.̶