Snow Angels & The Milky Way

We were losing our beautiful minds... SNOW! Lining the side of the road and dusting the mountain tops was just a glimpse of what the universe had in store for us that weekend. My adventure loving friend Amber wanted to celebrate her birthday in the snow, so what did I do? I organised the ultimate Mt Hotham snow experience through Riparide, of course.

As soon as we reached the top of the mountain, we rugged up in our finest snow gear and ran around in the white magic like complete lunatics, making snow angels to properly acclimatise.

By dusk, we met our host, strapped snowshoes to our feet and wandered through the bush to our mountain camp.

The sun had been shining all day, but she put on one colourful farewell as we arrived. A crackling campfire and mugs of mulled wine welcomed us, along with breathtaking mountain views. Then we stepped inside our dome, complete with a water station, an incredibly comfy bed piled high with fluffy blankets and a roaring wood fire. I don't think we were going to be cold with a setup like this, no matter what the temperature outside was doing!

Our dome overlooked the mountains and we sat at the end of the bed in complete awe. It didn't feel real. We'd left the city only hours earlier and now here we were, sipping beautifully made mulled wine, wrapped in snow covered mountains and living out our best snow bunny lives. It all felt wonderfully surreal.

A teepee sat amongst the domes where we gathered with the other guests for a fondue dinner. Our fabulously French host certainly knew the finer things in life, so quality cheese and wine were never going to be in short supply. We were two very happy babes! We finished the evening with a nightcap and a rich chocolate birthday dessert celebrating Amber and the absolute queen she is. Outside, the temperature had well and truly dropped below zero, but inside our hearts and tummies were warm and full.

We climbed into bed wearing our thermals, although they didn't stay on for long because our dome was unbelievably toasty! Throughout the night I couldn't stop staring at the stars. It was every photographer's dream, with the Milky Way stretching across the sky, and I spent hours capturing every magical moment. Now these are the kind of stars I like to meet! The sky was so beautiful I found myself wiping happy tears from my wintery cheeks.

"I'll remember this moment forever," I whispered to the universe.

By 7 am we were sitting up in bed watching the sunrise welcome a brand new day. We layered up once again and wandered into the teepee where coffee and a roaring fire were waiting for us.

Before checkout there was only one thing left to do... champagne in the hot tub. Because life is simply too short not to.

Come on! We were soaking in a hot tub surrounded by snow while celebrating Amber's birthday. There was absolutely no way we were missing that experience. We stretched our arms across the edge, watched the steam drift over the mountains and soaked up every glorious second as the morning sun lit up the valley.

Eventually it was time to say goodbye to our little snow village. We thanked our cosy dome for keeping us warm, along with our wonderful hosts and their team for creating such an unforgettable experience. As we trudged back through the snow one last time, I couldn't quite believe what we'd just experienced. It was one of those once in a lifetime moments that simply happens.

More than anything, I felt incredibly grateful for a friend like Amber. She's a "yes please" kind of human who's always up for making memories together, even though this trip was all about celebrating her. As magical as the snow was, the greatest gift was spending that time together. Because nothing says "I love you" quite like giving someone your time. The snow was simply the icing on the cake.

What a time to be alive.