Vertical integration

Katrina Lobley walks beside toddlers and teenagers on a group push to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko.

On the far side

As a blizzard rages, Dugald Jellie hunkers down at the Kosciuszko Chalet where skiers have sheltered since 1930.

Clearing the trails back to our national parks

New tours, accommodation and safari-style camping are part of the campaign to get more of us to explore the wilderness at our doorstep.

• by Jane E. Fraser

No country for cold men

With snowshoes, a 20-kilogram pack and a sense of adventure, Ben Stubbs heads off-piste to learn the skills of survival.

Your questions

My partner and I did a New Zealand walk where you can stay in rustic huts? Is there anything similar in NSW?

High and mighty

Louise Southerden tiptoes through the buttercups on a guided overnight walk in Kosciuszko National Park.

Kosciuszko at a trot

Ben Stubbs hears stories of brumbies as he saddles up for a cross-country adventure.

Of ice and men

A trek to the ill-fated Charlottes Pass chairlift reveals harsh beauty and the folly of an ambitious dream, writes Ben Stubbs.

Mount Kosciuszko - Places to See

<b>Mount Kosciuszko National Park</b> <br> <b>Australia's highest mountain</b> <br> Australia must be one of the few countries in the world where the highest peak is only 2228 m above sea level and where the climb up the country's highest mountain is nothing more than a rather pleasant 6-km walk from the top of a nearby chairlift at Thredbo village. It operates all year round but in summer does tend to stop fairly early in the afternoon (the National Parks and Wildlife Service have built metal walkways along much of the route to protect the vegetation). An equally attractive way to reach the top of the continent is via a pleasant, easy 9-km walk from Charlotte Pass (weather permitting).

Mount Kosciuszko - Fast Facts

<b>Mount Kosciuszko National Park</b> <br> <b>Australia's highest mountain</b> <br> Australia must be one of the few countries in the world where the highest peak is only 2228 m above sea level and where the climb up the country's highest mountain is nothing more than a rather pleasant 6-km walk from the top of a nearby chairlift at Thredbo village. It operates all year round but in summer does tend to stop fairly early in the afternoon (the National Parks and Wildlife Service have built metal walkways along much of the route to protect the vegetation). An equally attractive way to reach the top of the continent is via a pleasant, easy 9-km walk from Charlotte Pass (weather permitting).